La Rendicion de Breda

Diego Velazquez

Comments

[taters]

Beautiful, thank you, Colonel.

[mike]

50 years prior to Velasquez's painting of the surrender at Breda, it hosted a conference and negotiations where Phillip of Spain appeared to cave in to the States General and rescind the Duke of Alba's Repression of the Netherlands. The city changed hands many times after that before finally being ceded by Spain 73 years after the conference. Quite a city!!!

[Pan]

Breda is indeed quite a nice city. A few years ago I was at the Dutch military academy in the old fort in the city. Lots of interesting history there.

[taters]

Eric - check out the pikes...

[Duncan Kinder]

The Spanish author, Arturo Perez-Reverte, has written as series of books, which are best-selling in Spain, about the 17th century swordsman, Captain Alatriste.

Roughly contemporary with the Three Musketeers, Alatriste is a former Spanish soldier who lives as a swordsman-for-hire in 1620's Madrid. Opposed by the Inquisition, a deadly rival swordsman-for-hire, and other foes, he encounters the Spanish Richelieu, Olivares and other contemporaries.

Perez-Reverte has already written five of the projected seven novel series. The first two, Captain Alatriste and Purity of Blood, have been translated into English.

The English translation of the third, El Sol de Breda (The Sun over Breda), is due out in January, 2007. I am told that this novel includes Alatriste's Breda experiences. I also am told that Velasquez appears as a character in this series.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/104-2490266-8172765?search-alias=aps&keywords=alatriste

[Dimitar Vesselinov]

Do we remember the 24th of August 1572?

St. Bartholomew's Day massacre
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massacre_of_St_Bartholomew
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Wars_of_Religion

[W. Patrick Lang]

Duncan

That sounds like a great "read." Would I have to read it in Spanish (possible)? pl

[Duncan Kinder]

The first two books, Captain Alatriste and Purity of Blood have been translated.

El Sol de Breda currently is available only in Spanish but, I believe, is the one the translation of which will be due out in January.

The rest either are available only in Spanish. Two of the projected total of seven have yet to be written.

[W. Patrick Lang]

Duncan

I have now read "Captain Alatriste." Good read. So, which one is he "standing behind the horse?" pl