Captain Alatriste
Encyclopedia
Captain Alatriste is a series of novels by Spanish
author Arturo Pérez-Reverte
. It deals with the adventures of the title character, a Spanish soldier living in the 17th century.
Projected novels, according to the book sleeves:
A movie based on the series, titled Alatriste
, was released on September 1, 2006, directed by Agustín Díaz Yanes
and starring Viggo Mortensen
.
The series started as Pérez-Reverte was disappointed with the lack of treatment of the history of the Spanish Golden Age
in the school textbook of his teenaged daughter Carlota. He commissioned Carlota to gather documentation for him (hence, she is billed as co-author of the first novel) and developed the stories.
Pérez-Reverte is influenced by the works of many novelists, in particular 19th-century writers like Alexandre Dumas
, and his D'Artagnan Romances
. He also applies the dark tone of his experiences as a war reporter.
The period settings allows him to insert references to the authors- including Lope de Vega
and Cervantes
- and artists- including Diego Velázquez
- read and appreciated at the time, one of the most important in Spanish history.
He reflects on Spain and the Spaniards as a people united that, in spite of being at war with all the major European powers, are capable of showing bravery and honour.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
author Arturo Pérez-Reverte
Arturo Pérez-Reverte
Arturo Pérez-Reverte Gutiérrez is a Spanish novelist and journalist. He worked as a war correspondent for twenty-one years . His first novel, El húsar, set in the Napoleonic Wars, was released in 1986. He is well known outside Spain for his "Alatriste" series of novels...
. It deals with the adventures of the title character, a Spanish soldier living in the 17th century.
Series
- ("Captain Alatriste", 1996; UK & USA 2005): In 1623, Diego Alatriste and ItalianItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
sword-for-hire Gualterio Malatesta are paid by two mysterious masked characters to kill a pair of unknown EnglishEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
visitors in MadridMadridMadrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
. - ("Purity of Blood", 1997; UK & USA 2006): Madrid, 1623. A woman is found murdered in front of a church. Later, QuevedoFrancisco de QuevedoFrancisco Gómez de Quevedo y Santibáñez Villegas was a Spanish nobleman, politician and writer of the Baroque era. Along with his lifelong rival, Luis de Góngora, Quevedo was one of the most prominent Spanish poets of the age. His style is characterized by what was called conceptismo...
seeks help from Alatriste to rescue a girl forced to enter a convent; meanwhile Alatriste's young squire Íñigo Balboa deepens his infatuation with the adolescent maidservant of the Queen, Angélica de Alquézar. - ("The Sun over Breda", 1998; UK & USA, 2007): Spanish Netherlands, 1624–1625. Alatriste and Íñigo join the Spanish ArmyTercioThe tercio was a Renaissance era military formation made up of a mixed infantry formation of about 3,000 pikemen, swordsmen and arquebusiers or musketeers in a mutually supportive formation. It was also sometimes referred to as the Spanish Square...
and fight in the war against DutchDutch peopleThe Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
rebels, in particular the siege of Breda. - ("The King's Gold", 2000; USA 2008): SevilleSevilleSeville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
, 1626. After their participation in the Flanders WarDutch RevoltThe Dutch Revolt or the Revolt of the Netherlands This article adopts 1568 as the starting date of the war, as this was the year of the first battles between armies. However, since there is a long period of Protestant vs...
, Alatriste and Íñigo return to Spain, where they become involved in an affair involving a ship full of contraband gold newly arrived from the Indies. - ("The Cavalier in the Yellow Doublet" 2003; UK & USA, 2009): Back in Madrid, Alatriste initiates a relationship with the famous actress María de Castro. However, he will encounter a rival for her affections amidst new intrigues at Court.
- ("Pirates of the LevantLevantThe Levant or ) is the geographic region and culture zone of the "eastern Mediterranean littoral between Anatolia and Egypt" . The Levant includes most of modern Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and sometimes parts of Turkey and Iraq, and corresponds roughly to the...
" 2006; UK & USA 2010): Alatriste and Íñigo go through different adventures along the Mediterranean coast, from Southern Spain to Turkey. - ("The Bridge of the Assassins", 2011)
Projected novels, according to the book sleeves:
- ("Alquézar's Vengeance")
- ("Mission in Paris")
A movie based on the series, titled Alatriste
Alatriste
Alatriste is a 2006 Spanish historical film directed by Agustín Díaz Yanes, based on the main character of a series of novels written by Arturo Pérez-Reverte, The Adventures of Captain Alatriste ....
, was released on September 1, 2006, directed by Agustín Díaz Yanes
Agustín Díaz Yanes
Agustín Díaz Yanes is a Spanish Goya Awards winner screenwriter and film director.- Screenwriter :* Al límite * Belmonte * Demasiado corazón * A solas contigo * Baton Rouge * Barrios altos...
and starring Viggo Mortensen
Viggo Mortensen
Viggo Peter Mortensen, Jr. is a Danish-American actor, poet, musician, photographer and painter. He made his film debut in Peter Weir's 1985 thriller Witness, and subsequently appeared in many notable films of the 1990s, including The Indian Runner , Carlito's Way , Crimson Tide , Daylight , The...
.
The series started as Pérez-Reverte was disappointed with the lack of treatment of the history of the Spanish Golden Age
Spanish Golden Age
The Spanish Golden Age is a period of flourishing in arts and literature in Spain, coinciding with the political rise and decline of the Spanish Habsburg dynasty. El Siglo de Oro does not imply precise dates and is usually considered to have lasted longer than an actual century...
in the school textbook of his teenaged daughter Carlota. He commissioned Carlota to gather documentation for him (hence, she is billed as co-author of the first novel) and developed the stories.
Pérez-Reverte is influenced by the works of many novelists, in particular 19th-century writers like Alexandre Dumas
Alexandre Dumas, père
Alexandre Dumas, , born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie was a French writer, best known for his historical novels of high adventure which have made him one of the most widely read French authors in the world...
, and his D'Artagnan Romances
D'Artagnan Romances
The d'Artagnan Romances are a set of three novels by Alexandre Dumas telling the story of the musketeer d'Artagnan from his humble beginnings in Gascony to his death as a marshal of France in the Siege of Maastricht in 1673....
. He also applies the dark tone of his experiences as a war reporter.
The period settings allows him to insert references to the authors- including Lope de Vega
Lope de Vega
Félix Arturo Lope de Vega y Carpio was a Spanish playwright and poet. He was one of the key figures in the Spanish Golden Century Baroque literature...
and Cervantes
Cervantes
-People:*Alfonso J. Cervantes , mayor of St. Louis, Missouri*Francisco Cervantes de Salazar, 16th-century man of letters*Ignacio Cervantes, Cuban composer*Jorge Cervantes, a world-renowned expert on indoor, outdoor, and greenhouse cannabis cultivation...
- and artists- including Diego Velázquez
Diego Velázquez
Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez was a Spanish painter who was the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV. He was an individualistic artist of the contemporary Baroque period, important as a portrait artist...
- read and appreciated at the time, one of the most important in Spanish history.
He reflects on Spain and the Spaniards as a people united that, in spite of being at war with all the major European powers, are capable of showing bravery and honour.
List of main characters
- Captain Diego Alatriste y Tenorio (1582–1643?), LeoneseLeón (province)León is a province of northwestern Spain, in the northwestern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León.About one quarter of its population of 500,200 lives in the capital, León. The weather is cold and dry during the winter....
soldier since he was 13. Never an official captain, he earned the nickname when he had to briefly take command of his unit after their real captain was killed. He survives in peacetime as a sword for hire in Madrid. His death in the Battle of RocroiBattle of RocroiThe Battle of Rocroi was fought on 19 May 1643, late in the Thirty Years' War. It resulted in a victory of the French army under the Duc d'Enghien, against the Spanish army under General Francisco de Melo.-Prelude:...
against the French is mentioned in a flashforwardFlashforwardA flashforward is an interjected scene that takes the narrative forward in time from the current point of the story in literature, film, television and other media. Flashforwards are often used to represent events expected, projected, or imagined to occur in the future...
of the narration in The King's Gold. His name comes from Sealtiel Alatriste, Pérez-Reverte's Mexican publisher and friend, and from the legendary Don Juan TenorioDon Juan TenorioDon Juan Tenorio: Drama religioso-fantástico en dos partes , is a play written in 1844 by José Zorrilla. It is the more romantic of the two principal Spanish-language literary interpretations of the myth of Don Juan...
, who is indeed his grand-uncle, as stated in Purity of Blood. - Íñigo Balboa y Aguirre (1610–?), the young BasqueBasque peopleThe Basques as an ethnic group, primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country , a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.The Basques are known in the...
squire of Alatriste. He is the son of Lope Balboa, who was an old friend and comrade of Alatriste. Íñigo is the first person narrator of each of the books. - Angélica de Alquézar (c.1611–c.1640), AragonAragonAragon is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces : Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza...
ese lady in the Queen's Court, niece of Luis de Alquézar, inspired by DumasAlexandre Dumas, pèreAlexandre Dumas, , born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie was a French writer, best known for his historical novels of high adventure which have made him one of the most widely read French authors in the world...
' Milady de WinterMilady de WinterMilady Clarick de Winter, often referred to as simply Milady, is a fictional character in the novel The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, père. She acts as a spy for Cardinal Richelieu and is one of the chief antagonists of the story....
. As a running joke or irony she constantly mispronounces the name Alatriste, calling the captain "Batriste", "el triste" (sad man), or other variations. Orphaned at an early age, she was adopted and educated by her uncle, Luis de Alquézar. After her presentation in the Court, she became a companion-in-waiting to the Queen. She has a stormy and passionate love-hate relationship with Íñigo Balboa, whom she meets in 1623. As vicious as she is beautiful, she is even shown trying to attack Alatriste in the second book (while she is only 12) with her bare hands; even the war veteran Alatriste is unnerved by this, but manages to evade her. Her relationship with Íñigo reaches its height towards 1630-1634, and he mentions in a flashfoward that he eventually kills her when she makes an attempt on his life. A widely acclaimed beauty, she is portrayed by Diego VelázquezDiego VelázquezDiego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez was a Spanish painter who was the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV. He was an individualistic artist of the contemporary Baroque period, important as a portrait artist...
in 1635. - Luis de Alquézar (c.1570–?), Royal secretary of AragonAragonAragon is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces : Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza...
ese origin. Studies law in ZaragozaZaragozaZaragoza , also called Saragossa in English, is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain...
, and begins his career as clerk of the Royal Audience in the Aragonese capital. Rising quickly in the administration, he joins the Council of AragonCouncil of AragonThe Council of Aragon, officially, the Royal and Supreme Council of Aragon was a ruling body and key part of the domestic government of the Spanish Empire in Europe, second only to the monarch himself. It administered Aragon as a part of Spain, and later the Iberian Union....
in 1610. With the support of the Count-Duke of Olivares, he reaches the coveted post of Royal Secretary in 1623. That same year he meet Diego Alatriste, during the adventure of two Englishmen, in which the royal secretary is aligned with the extremist faction of the Inquisitor, Fray Emilio Bocanegra, against the more moderate Olivares. Since that time, he is a bitter enemy of Alatriste, whom he has tried to dispose of on several occasions through the swordsman Gualterio Malatesta. - Francisco de QuevedoFrancisco de QuevedoFrancisco Gómez de Quevedo y Santibáñez Villegas was a Spanish nobleman, politician and writer of the Baroque era. Along with his lifelong rival, Luis de Góngora, Quevedo was one of the most prominent Spanish poets of the age. His style is characterized by what was called conceptismo...
(1580–1645), famous, talented and ironic poet of the period, and friend of Alatriste. - Gualterio Malatesta, an Italian swordfighter from PalermoPalermoPalermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...
. He becomes a nemesis to Diego Alatriste in the first book and remains so through the fourth book. He begins his career as mercernary swordsman in his hometown, which at the time is part of the Spanish empire. He moves to Madrid, where after acting as a freelance assassin, he joins the service of Luis de Alquézar. Following an argument with Diego Alatriste during an assault on the two Englishmen, he becomes the sworn enemy of Alatriste. He is involved in the second, fourth, and fifth books. In 'El caballero del jubón amarillo', he is taken into custody for attempting to kill King Phillip IV of Spain. - Emilio Bocanegra, DominicanDominican OrderThe Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
friar and president of the Holy Tribunal of the Inquisition. Opposed to the policy of the Count-Duke of Olivares, especially regarding his relationship with the bankers of Portuguese Jewish extraction, he tries by every means to hinder their projects, tightening the stringency of inquisitorial persecution against heretics and Jews. Mortal enemy of Diego Alatriste, because the latter disobeys his instructions to assassinate the two Englishmen he hatches several plots against Alatriste. - Álvaro Luis Gonzaga de la Marca y Álvarez of Sidonia (aka Alvaro de la Marca), second Count of Guadalmedina, Grandee of Spain. Warrior and poet, he participates in campaigns against the Berber pirates; in 1613-1615, about to die in the disaster of Querquenes (1614), he is saved by Diego Alatriste, with whom he subsequently maintains a close friendship, albeit conscious of the difference in their social standing. In court, he shines as a refined aristocrat, and is celebrated as a poet. He is a great admirer of Francisco de QuevedoFrancisco de QuevedoFrancisco Gómez de Quevedo y Santibáñez Villegas was a Spanish nobleman, politician and writer of the Baroque era. Along with his lifelong rival, Luis de Góngora, Quevedo was one of the most prominent Spanish poets of the age. His style is characterized by what was called conceptismo...
, but more akin to GóngoraGongoraGongora, abbreviated Gga in horticultural trade, is a member of the Orchid family . It consists of 65 species known from Central America, Trinidad, and tropical South America, with most species found in Colombia...
, whose patron he becomes after the loss of their great protector, count Villamediana, murdered in 1622. - Martín Saldaña, former soldier and comrade of Alatriste, now lieutenant of alguaciles ("PolicePoliceThe police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
" of the period) in Madrid. - Lope Balboa (c.1575–1621), former Alatriste's comrade and father of Íñigo Balboa.
- María de Castro, a famous actress from Madrid.
- Caridad la Lebrijana, Alatriste's mistress and the owner of The Tavern of the Turk, Alatriste's main residence in Madrid. Born in LebrijaLebrijaLebrija is a city in the province of Seville, Andalusia , near the left bank of the Guadalquivir river, and on the eastern edge of the marshes known as Las Marismas....
(in the province of Seville), she moved to the capital around 1608, where she worked as an actress for a half-dozen years. She became a prostitute (in a brothel on the Calle de las Huertas), after which (c. 1620) she bought with her savings The Tavern of the Turk, on the corner of Calle de Toledo and Calle de Arcabuz, about 350 m from the Plaza Mayor. The tavern was an eatery that also rented rooms, in one of which stayed Alatriste and Inigo Balboa during their sojourns in Madrid. - Ambrosio SpínolaAmbrosio Spinola, marqués de los BalbasesDon Ambrogio Spinola Doria, 1st Marquis of the Balbases was an Italian aristocrat, who, as a General in Spanish service, won a number of important battles for the Spanish crown...
(1569–1630), GenoeseGenoaGenoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
military under Spanish command and governor of MilanMilanMilan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
. - Gurriato(?–1643): A Moor tribesman of OranOranOran is a major city on the northwestern Mediterranean coast of Algeria, and the second largest city of the country.It is the capital of the Oran Province . The city has a population of 759,645 , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately 1,500,000, making it the second largest...
, he joined Alatriste and others after being baptized 'Gurriato' being his original name Aixa Ben Gurriat from the Beni Barrani tribe, Alatriste and Iñigo meet him in 'Corsarios de Levante'. - Gaspar de Guzmán, Count-Duke of OlivaresGaspar de Guzmán, Count-Duke of OlivaresDon Gaspar de Guzmán y Pimentel Ribera y Velasco de Tovar, Count-Duke of Olivares and Duke of San Lúcar la Mayor , was a Spanish royal favourite of Philip IV and minister. As prime minister from 1621 to 1643, he over-exerted Spain in foreign affairs and unsuccessfully attempted domestic reform...
(1587–1645), was King Philip IV's chief minister and the most powerful man in Spain next to the king himself. By 1643, with disasters befalling Spain, the Count-Duke of Olivares was dismissed. - King Philip IV of SpainPhilip IV of SpainPhilip IV was King of Spain between 1621 and 1665, sovereign of the Spanish Netherlands, and King of Portugal until 1640...
(1605–1665) was intelligent, but lacked interest in the affairs of state, which were handled (until 1643) by the Count-Duke of Olivares. During his reign, Spain continued to decline politically and economically. - Félix Lope de Vega y CarpioLope de VegaFélix Arturo Lope de Vega y Carpio was a Spanish playwright and poet. He was one of the key figures in the Spanish Golden Century Baroque literature...
(1562–1635), famous Spanish writer. - Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez (1599–1660), famous Spanish painter (not yet very established at the time of the first novels). Thanks to the presence of Velázquez at his court, Philip IV was probably one of the most frequently portrayed monarchs in history.