The Sun Over Breda: Captain Alatriste's Siege Adventures

The Siege of Breda and the Tercio of Cartagena

The protagonist of our story is Iñigo Balboa, the companion of Captain Alatriste. The travels of the latter shall recount the adventures that occurred ten years earlier in Breda, which serve as inspiration to both artists. The telling of the adventures starts with Iñigo walking towards a meeting with his master, carrying the memory of some of his experiences and excerpts of the upcoming adventures of the Captain.

After the road, Iñigo finds Diego Alatriste with the rest of the squadron of Flanders. The next day, the entire Tercio of Cartagena (a word used repeatedly in reference to the troops, the battalion, and the squadron), where Captain Alatriste was stationed, prepared for the arrival in Breda of a huge army led by Maurice of Nassau, who was coming to the aid of the city where our protagonists were nestled.

A Mutiny Born of Injustice and Poverty

But the soldiers, who had not been paid for several months, mutinied against their leaders—not just for money, but because of the injustice of hanging, by order of Don Pedro de la Daga (nicknamed Jiñalasoga), two unruly soldiers who had asked to die in a less dishonorable way. After three days of negotiations, an agreement was reached and the officers paid the soldiers.

In the midst of the celebration, a remarkable chapter unfolds: an argument between a drunkard and Iñigo over a woman (a clear symptom of the stage of life Iñigo is passing through, which will be discussed later). The dispute does not escalate; the Captain intervenes and solves it definitively.

The Night Attack and the Mill Command Post

That same night, in a clever maneuver, the enemy took advantage of the turmoil that had led to the riot and attacked the front. The Tercio organized a counterattack; following the enemy's path, they established a command post in a mill. From there, they caught sight of the enemy just one kilometer away.

The Harsh Reality and Horror of War

The battle lasted all the next day, ending with the flight of the Netherlands forces. In the post-battle period, an interesting chapter develops that marks the protagonist and where the author reflects the horror of war he knows so well: Iñigo heard a groan and followed it to find an enemy in a sorry state—injured, crying, and huddled inside a burning house. The young companion asked his master what to do; the Captain responded by killing the Dutchman, saying it was best for him.

Trench Warfare and the Duel of Five

During a time of calm in the trenches around Breda, they discovered a shift in the enemy's strategy: a tunnel. The Captain's squad, after deliberation, decided to cut off the imminent threat. The Dutch then challenged the Spanish to a duel: five against five, with sword and pistol. They called upon the Captain to be among the five Spanish representatives, but he refused. While many still do not quite understand this choice, the book says that although many called it a disgrace, many others trusted that his reasons for refusal were sound.