The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-03-11
SPAIN'S MANY WARS.
A Brave Country with Brave People
but Somhow In Late Years Always
Unfortunate.
s. Garfield, in Times-Herald.

IL. ,. Canneld, IN IlIneS-tierald.
mo man is braver than a Spaniard,"
said Sir Richard Grenville of Devon.
The history of Spain is a, history of
inCessant struggle, incesSant warfare
and incessant cruelty. Spain, as we
understand the name, came into be-
ing with the marriage of Ferdinand
and Isabella. BY this union two great
provinces were made one and Others
came in to make the whole. Under
Ferdinand and Isabella began the voy-
ages OF discovery which were to give
Spain control Of nine-tenths of the
new world. Being the initiative reign
of Spain as nation it was, of course,
warlike reign. Three men out of four
when asked to name the leading events
of Ferdinand's occupancy of the throne
will say that Columbus made an egg
stand up for his delectation, and dis
covered America, and stop there. Yet
in that reign the Moors were driven
from Spain; the inquiSition was es-
tablished; Torquemada was a power
second only to the pope himself; the
Jews were eXpatriated; there We're
many wars in Italy; there was a war
with France to recover Cerdagne and
Roussillon. which had been mortgaged
to France by Ferdinand's father; there
was the rise and world filling fame of
Gonsalvo de Cordova, the great SOL
der: there was the utter defeat of
the French on Italian soil; there were
successful wars in Africa and the war
of the so-called Holy League.
CORTEz AND PIzARRO.
In the days which followed fernando
Ng,.,t.
| and Francisco Pizarro under contract
fought and conquered Peru. This man
gave to Spain territory which ex-
tended through thirty-nine degrees of
latitude and included all of those coun-
tries now known as Peru. Ecuador Bo-
livia and Chile. Every day of Pizarro's
adventurous life in the west was a day
of warfare, and every main actor in
the drama OF the Incas died a violent
death. These possessions poured into
the Golfers of the conquering country
a steady stream of gold and silver.
Within fifty years the Spanish navi-
gators made of Spain the greatest en-
pire the world had ever known. The
Atlantic and Pacific oceans became
Spanish lakes, and became so through
| constant wars. Every foot of this vast
| only of Cuba and Porto Rico has been
lost by war or through the direct con-
| sequences of war. Since the dethrone-
ment of Ferdinand VII. and enthrone-
ment of Joseph Bonaparte revolutions
| have cost Spain nearly all of her
transatlantic colonies. Peru, Bolivia,
Chile and Ecuador went in 1924. ven-
| ezuela went in 1923. Mexico achieved
| independence in 1929, and the Isthmian
republics in 1923.
DOMINATED EUROPE.
| In 1919 the Frankfort diet gave the
crown of Germany to Charles ", who
was Hapsburg, and Spain Ieaped at
once into prominence and power in the
| wide field of European politics. For
| eighty years it dominated the nations
| of Europe, always at war and always
| ruling, when it ruled, with an iron
hand. At that time facing each 9TH
er were four of the greatest kings of
| history. They were Charles V. of
Spain, Francis 1. of France, Henry
| VIII, of England and Solyman the
Magnificent. The ablest of them was
] Charles. During all of his reign his
people had small breathing time be-
| was engaged in what are called the
Italian wars. He was really behind the
| Constable de Bourbon's sacking of
Rome in 1927, because Pope Clement
had absolved Francis from a truce,
and that merry monarch had imme-
diately begun fighting again. In the
eight years between 1927 and 1885 he
had his usual war with Francis, a war
with the Florentines, assailed the Bar
barry pirates and captured Tunis. In
1886 he invaded Provence, and in that
year whipped the rebellious burghers
of Ghent He had an African war in
154l and another war with France from
1912 to 1874. In 1913 he began his saw
age attacks on Professionalism. In 15i7
he took Maurice of SaXony prisoner,
and fought him again in 1862. He fol-
lowed this with one more war with
his old foeman of France. At this time
Spain was mistress of Mexico, Peru
Franche Comte, the Netherlands, Nap
les, parts Of Germany and a dozen OF
other principalities. During his reign
Charles rolled back the Turks from
Europe, fought for Christians in Tunis
and Algiers. had Travelled over Italy
france, England, Germany and Elan
ders forty times in war and peace. He
had fought every one who disagreed
with him on any subject, and when
he resigned his crown to Phillip and
retired to a monastry, was the most
potent and dreaded monarch OF his
day.
PHILIP AS A FIGHTER.
Philip who came to the throne when
30 years old, fought the pope; fought
France; fought long wars with the
Protestant Netherlands; fought the
Turk vlciously; made one OF the Holy
League which fought the great sea
fight of Lepanto which forever shat,
tered the Turkish dream of an empire
in Africa, and in which Cervantes, q
private soldier, lost the use of his left