TIRANT CONQUERS ALL BARBARY
Plaer de mi Vida fell into the hands of a Moor who had been a captive
in Spain for a long time. One day this Moor had saved the life of a
son of the lady whom he was serving, and on account of this she set
him free. In grateful remembrance of that kindness, he was moved to
befriend the shipwrecked lady. He led her to his home and placed her
in the care of his daughter, whom he told that the Christian woman was
a daughter of the lady who had freed him. The Moor’s daughter received
her and treated her with much kindness. (Chap. 299)
Tirant, upon reaching land, concealed himself in a cave which happened
to be in the territory of the King of Tunis, Scariano. A short time
before, this king had asked the King of Tremicen to give him his
daughter in marriage, which the latter was unwilling to do, for she was
already married. In order to settle the affair in a friendly manner,
the King of Tremicen sent the chief officer of his army as ambassador
to the King of Tunis. The ambassador went hunting one day and found
Tirant in the cave. He sent him secretly to one of his castles in
Tremicen, where he kept him as a prisoner for some time. Finally the
negotiations were discontinued, and the King of Tunis, with 50,000
men, marched against the King of Tremicen, who was not able to gather
more than 20,000. In the meantime the unsuccessful ambassador had
returned home and assumed command of the army of Tremicen. He asked
his Christian prisoner, Tirant, to help in the defense of the kingdom.
Our hero was quite willing to do so, and soon his skill, bravery, and
strategies won for him great admiration and esteem. As a reward for his
valuable services, he was liberated, but he remained in the service
of the kingdom. The King of Tremicen with his family, including the
husband of his daughter, had found refuge in the city of Tremicen. But
a treacherous Jew admitted the enemy in large numbers into the strongly
fortified city, and the king, his sons, and his son-in-law were all
slain. The daughter, whose name was Maragdina, was taken to a castle,
where she was obliged to remain with Scariano, the King of Tunis. This
castle was soon afterwards captured through the subtle stratagems of
Tirant, and Scariano was made prisoner. (Chaps. 299-318)
When Maragdina saw the fair, manly, and handsome Tirant for the first
time—which was some time before her husband had been slain—she wished
that her husband were dead that she might be free to wed this wonderful
Christian. But now that he was dead, there was still an obstacle; she
was a Mohammedan, and Tirant a Christian. She suggested to our hero
that he become a Mohammedan, but, she naïvely added, if he should
insist that his religion was better than hers, she would very willingly
believe it, and always say that it was better. Tirant answered her that
he was betrothed to another, and that he must and would remain faithful
to her. He treated Maragdina with so much kindness and affection that
she finally asked him to baptize her. He sent for a gold basin and a
pitcher of water, and when these had been brought to him, she came
before him, knelt down, uncovered her head, and received the sacrament
of baptism. (Chaps. 322-326)
When Scariano heard that Maragdina had accepted the Christian faith,
he, too, wished to be baptized. But first he desired to be enlightened
in regard to the doctrines of that religion. Tirant confessed that
he was not too well versed in matters pertaining to the faith, but
would nevertheless give him instruction. And he did it so well that
Scariano was surprised that a knight could know so much concerning the
Trinity, and declared that the explanations given by him were more
comprehensible than those that he had once heard made by certain monks
when he was a youth. (Chaps. 326-327)
The baptism of Scariano took place in a beautiful square of the city.
Many of his officers and kinsmen witnessed the ceremony, and they,
too, were baptized. Tirant administered the sacrament of baptism to
more than six thousand Moors that day. A monk of the Order of Mercy
came opportunely, and he was requested by our hero to baptize the rest
of those who wished to become Christians. In all 44,327 Moors were
baptized. (Chaps. 329-330)
Several kings of Barbary, who were on their way with many men to
help Scariano, became indignant when they heard that he had become a
Christian, and they took possession of the kingdom of Tunis and placed
another king over it. Thereupon Scariano withdrew with his faithful
subjects to Tremicen, the inhabitants of which, following the example
of their queen, Maragdina, embraced the Christian faith. The queen made
another effort to induce Tirant to take her as his wife, but was again
unsuccessful. He spoke to her kindly, reasoned with her, and finally
persuaded her to marry Scariano. The marriage ceremony was performed
by the monk, and thus Scariano became the King of Tremicen. (Chaps.
330-333)
After the Moorish kings had subdued all the kingdom of Tunis, they
decided to make war against the kingdom of Tremicen in order to
exterminate the Christians. Tirant then began to gather and organize
an army which was to defend Tremicen against the combined forces of
those kings. He won the admiration, confidence, and love of the people,
and as he passed through the streets they greeted him with the cheer:
“Vixca lo magnanim Capita crestia.” (Chap. 334)
Many bloody battles were fought during this war. The enemy had ten
times as many men, but Tirant’s forces were never dismayed, although
sometimes it seemed as if the fortunes of war were against them.
Tirant’s military genius and his prowess were always in evidence.
Never was a lance handled more dexterously, nor a battle-ax wielded
more vigorously. He was ever in the thick of the fray unless there
was some special work for him to do. Senyor Dagramunt, one of the
shipwrecked men who had succeeded in rejoining his great Captain, and
Scariano, too, performed many feats of valor, and slew almost as many
of the enemy as Tirant. The Moorish kings could not understand how the
Christians, so few in numbers compared with their own, could withstand
them. They attributed the stubborn and heroic defense of Tremicen to
Tirant, and made up their minds to slay him. But several of them met
death in the attempt. Finally, they asked for an armistice, which was
granted. While this was in effect, they withdrew their forces and
retired to their respective kingdoms. The Christian kingdom of Tremicen
had fought for its existence, and its cause had triumphed. (Chaps.
333-349)
Tirant’s ambition now was to conquer all Barbary. In order that the
conquest might be accomplished as rapidly as possible, Senyor Dagramunt
set out with an army to capture the cities, towns, and castles on
the other side of the mountains. The expedition met with no serious
opposition until it came to a city named Montagata, which belonged to
the daughter of a Moorish king who had been slain in battle. When the
inhabitants of this place learned that the Christian army was near,
they sent the keys of the city to Senyor Dagramunt. But when he arrived
there, they had changed their minds and preferred to die rather than
surrender. The Christian leader was extremely vexed by this turn of
affairs, and determined to take the city at all hazards. While taking
part in an attack on the fortifications, he was painfully wounded. He
sent a messenger to Tirant with the request that he come to his aid
with the heavy artillery. When the latter arrived, the assault was
renewed with great violence. The inhabitants soon sent a number of
their most distinguished men to Senyor Dagramunt. They offered to pay
him a heavy tribute annually, if he would spare the city and permit
them to live in their faith. The offer was rejected with scorn. Then
the Senyora of the city, accompanied by many maids of honor, went out
to placate the obdurate Christian commander, but all her efforts were
in vain. The failure of these two attempts to save the city caused
great fear and distress in Montagata. (Chaps. 349-350)
Some time prior to this the Senyora had bought a certain female slave
on account of her great skill in embroidering. When this slave learned
that Tirant and Senyor Dagramunt were in command of the Christian
forces, she asked permission to go out and plead with them to spare
the city. She spoke so confidently of the success of her mission that
her request was granted. Disguising herself, she went to Tirant, and
in long speeches she pleaded for the inhabitants of Montagata. When
she finally told him the story of his life, he was mystified. He
begged her to tell him how it came that she knew so much about him.
When she answered that she was Plaer de mi Vida, he threw himself on
his knees before her, and embraced and kissed her several times as
a sign of true love. Then Tirant immediately gave orders that it be
proclaimed that all the inhabitants were pardoned, and that they would
be permitted to profess and practice the religion that they preferred.
When the keys of the city were delivered to him, he gave them to
Plaer de mi Vida, who was led in triumphal procession into the palace
and made Senyora of Montagata. She ruled over the city for a week and
then abdicated in favor of the former Senyora, who became a Christian
and all her subjects likewise. Tirant persuaded Plaer de mi Vida to
accept Senyor Dagramunt as husband, and after their marriage he placed
them as king and queen over the conquered provinces of Fez and Bugia
[Bougie]. Tirant continued his victorious campaign until finally there
was but one city in all Barbary that had not been captured. This was
the city of Caramen, in which three Moorish kings had taken refuge.
He sent ambassadors to request them to leave Caramen and the soil of
Barbary. The answer he received was one of defiance. A great battle was
fought in which the Moors were defeated, and they went back into the
strongly fortified city, where they resisted the violent attacks of the
Christians for a whole year. But finally one thousand of Tirant’s men
succeeded in entering the city by means of a mine, and these opened the
city gates, on the outside of which divisions of the Christian army
were waiting. These poured into the city and annihilated the Moors.
This was the last stand made by the infidels against the victorious
Christians. And now Tirant’s purpose was accomplished; all Barbary was
conquered. (Chaps. 350-387, 394)
Some time prior to the capture of Caramen, Tirant sent a messenger to
Constantinople to inform the emperor that, if the empire was still in
need of aid, he would return with 250,000 men, and that the King of
Sicily would probably join him with his army. The emperor received the
news with great delight. After delivering the message to the imperial
monarch, the messenger went to a convent to which the princess had
retired, and gave her a letter from Tirant. She was speechless with
emotion upon learning that he was still alive. When the messenger
returned to Tirant with communications from the emperor and the
princess, the great Captain learned that the Moors had conquered the
whole empire, with the exception of the cities of Constantinople and
Pera and a few castles, and that Diaphebus and many of his friends were
prisoners. (Chaps. 388-393, 395-398)
At Constantine, in Tunis, Tirant gathered an army of over 250,000 men,
with which he hoped to drive the Moorish invaders from the soil of the
Greek empire. He sent an agent to Genoa, Rome, and Venice to secure
ships to transport this vast army. The vessels arrived at Constantine
within a short time. But before these forces embarked, Tirant assembled
the people in a vast plain and addressed them in a short speech. After
his address, a Catalan monk, John Ferrer, who was a native of Lérida,
and who spoke the Moorish tongue well, preached to the multitude. After
his sermon the people in loud cries asked to be baptized, and in three
days the monks and chaplains whom Tirant had sent for baptized 334,000
men, women, and children. (Chaps. 401-407)
Throughout the period of the military conquest of Barbary, Tirant built
churches and monasteries for the priests and monks who came thither in
response to his call. Mohammedanism had been dealt a deathblow, and
Christianity was firmly established in all Barbary. (Chap. 404)