Warmatrix

Portrait of Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba

Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba was a Spanish nobleman and general, the Great Captain of the Italian Wars. He was also a military reformer, laying down the foundations of the Spanish Tercio.
De Córdoba was born in 1453 CE in Montilla as the son of the count of Aguilar. He and his brother were orphaned at a young age. The only opportunities for a career where the clergy and the military; he chose the latter.
From 1482 CE to 1492 CE he took part in the last phase of the Reconquista, the conquest of Granada. There he gained valuable experience, displayed his skills in engineering and defended the port of Íllora against counterattack. He was one of the two commissioners who handled the negotiations for the surrender of Granada. For this he was awarded with some land near the town of Loja.
In 1495 CE he took part if the First Italian war between Spain and France. In the Battle of Seminara, against de Córdoba's advice, Spanish king Ferdinand engaged the French head on. The Spanish, less experienced than the French veterans, armed with swords and in loose formation, could not stand against the charges of the French gendarmes and Swiss pikemen, and the battle was lost. But afterwards de Córdoba slowly retook Calabria. The mountainous terrain allowed him to use the hit-and-run tactics that had worked well in Granada. He trained his men rigorously and in three years drove the French out of south Italy, without fighting a single major battle.
Yet the defeat at Seminara did not leave his mind. In order to do better next time, he introduced a close formation of pikes and arquebuses, the "colunela". This was the forerunner of the famous Tercio, which was adopted three decades later. The different types soldiers were trained to coordinate their movements and defend each other.
The general had to wait until the Second Italian War before he could try out his new tactics. From 1502 CE to 1503 CE the French besieged the Spanish in Barletta, but de Córdoba refused to be drawn out. When he was reinforced and the enemy temporarily dispersed for foraging, he suddenly pounced. The French reacted and engaged in the Battle of Cerignola. Their commander attacked with too little caution and was soundly defeated by the colunelas. Rather than letting them escape, de Córdoba chased them with follow-up attacks and even a pontoon bridge, driving them out of the region.
A year later de Córdoba was appointed viceroy of Naples. Soon after he became the victim of political wrangling and was recalled to Spain. He spent the rest of his life outside the army. In 1515 CE he died from malaria at his villa in Granada. Because of his victories, innovations and the many officers who were trained by him, the Spanish later called him "El Gran Capitán", the great captain.