page_title: Battle of Villalar
section_title: Battle
hierarchical_section_title: Battle of Villalar / Battle
caption_attribution_description: Español: Los comuneros de Castilla, ajusticiamiento de los capitanes comuneros en Villalar el 24 de abril de 1521, por Antonio Gisbert, año 1860. English: Execution of the Comuneros of Castile, by Antonio Gisbert (1834–1901). (Alternate title: Los comuneros Padilla, Bravo y Maldonado en el patíbulo.) An oil-on-canvas work painted in 1860.
context_page_description: The Battle of Villalar was a battle in the Revolt of the Comuneros fought on April 23, 1521 near the town of Villalar in Valladolid province, Spain. The royalist supporters of King Charles I won a crushing victory over the comuneros rebels. Three of the most important rebel leaders were captured, Juan de Padilla, Juan Bravo, and Francisco Maldonado. They were executed the next day, effectively ending armed resistance to Charles I.
context_section_description: The Royalist army pursued the Comuneros.  As had been the case through most of the war, Royalists had a strong advantage in cavalry, with their army consisting of 6,000 infantry and 2,400 cavalry against Padilla's 7,000 infantry and 400 cavalry.  Heavy rain slowed Padilla's infantry more than the royalist cavalry and rendered the primitive firearms of the rebels' 1,000 arquebusiers nearly useless.  Padilla hoped to reach the relative safety of Toro and the heights of Vega de Valdetronco, but his infantry was too slow.  He gave battle with the harrying royalist cavalry at the town of Villalar. 
  
  Comuneros set up their artillery to try to blunt the cavalry charge, but this failed.  According to some reports, the artillery did more damage to the comuneros than the royalist cavalry.  Sources differ on the reasons behind this.  According to the account of Pedro de Alcocer (a friend of the Padillas), the Comuneros were betrayed; the artillery and some 300 soldiers had been bought off by the royalists prior to the battle, and switched sides.  The artillery intentionally fired high and destroyed their powder.  A slightly more subdued theory blames the rain for the ineffectiveness of the Comunero artillery.  Finally, it is possible that in the heat of the battle, the artillerymen simply panicked and made mistakes.
  The cavalry charges scattered the rebel ranks thus ending the battle and becoming a slaughter.  There were an estimated 500–1,000 rebel casualties and many desertions.  The three most important leaders of the rebellion were captured: Juan de Padilla, Juan Bravo, and Francisco Maldonado.  They were beheaded the next morning in the Plaza of Villalar, in front of a large portion of the Royalist noblemen.  The remains of the rebel army at Villalar fragmented, with some attempting to join Acuña's army near Toledo and others fleeing to Portugal. The rebellion was struck a crippling blow.
caption: Execution of the Comuneros of Castile, by Antonio Gisbert.
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