Conquest of Orán
1869. Oil on canvas.On display elsewhere
Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros (Torrelaguna, Madrid, 1436 –Roa, Burgos, 1517) was a cardinal, archbishop of Toledo and primate of Spain. He was also the third Inquisitor General of Castile and regent of the kingdom after the death of Ferdinand the Catholic. During this period, the conquest of Oran on 17 May 1509 was completed on his initiative (see P006888). The iconographic source used by the artist for this work is Modesto Lafuente´s Historia general de España [General History of Spain]. It was written in 1850 and contains the following passage: ‘The bearer of this happy news was Captain Villareal. The Cardinal received him with mild joy, thanked God and, the next day, left for Oran by galley with the priests and other devotees that used to accompany him. The Governor of the Alcazaba presented him with the keys of the fortress and placed at his disposal wealth and a booty which amounted to a large sum. However, Cisneros, who did not want anything for himself, ordered that everything should be reserved for the King and for the support of his soldiers. What flattered the Pontiff and general most was the pleasure of opening the underground dungeons himself and freeing three hundred unhappy captives who groaned there in chains.’
Díez, José Luis (dir.), Pintura del Siglo XIX en el Museo del Prado: catálogo general, Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado, 2015, p.305
