Una ayuda inesperada. La decisiva intervención del duque de Medina Sidonia en las conquistas de Tenerife y Melilla (1496-1497)

Abstract

Two events due to private initiatives with the political support of the Castilian Crown, that were fundamental for the formation of the current Spain took place in 1496 and 1497. It is the conquest of the Canary Island of Tenerife and the taking of Melilla, The nexus of both feats was the intervention of the Duke of Medina Sidonia bringing soldiers and impedimenta, in such a way that both companies could be carried out thanks to their swiftness and availability. We¿ll discuss both additions to Castile: from the bajo Guadalquivir socioeconomic environment and historical moments in which they arise, through the political motivations and personal of their protagonists, until the role of the Crown, all with a review critical and comparative of the data contained in the Chronicles of the Traditional view of new ones that emerge from the study of the documentation of the era. The coincidence of other major events in Castile at that time of international significance has made these other achievements of the Castilians have had less relevance, but in the long run, their consequences have been so deep that they survive today as an intrinsic part of our country.