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Regime of the Duke of Alba in the Netherlands. Duke of Alba in the Netherlands or How to pass for a bloody tyrant in four easy steps Alba story

Fragment of the painting "Maja dressed".

Spanish Duchess Cayetana Alba, great-granddaughter of "the bloodiest man in Spain" - Marshal Alba. She became famous for her balls and sprees. The duchess allegedly posed for the artist Francisco Goya for the paired paintings Clothed Maja and Naked Maja. These works of art were bought by Manuel Godoy, the first minister and favorite of the Queen of Spain. The Minister secretly collected a collection of masterpieces with naked ladies.

In the hall in front of the public, the painting "Nude Maja" was covered by a painting with "Maja Clothed". When the minister was alone, the picture with the "clothed swing" was moved to the side with the help of a special mechanism, thus revealing the beauty of the second secret masterpiece with a naked figure.

The minister paid the price for his passion for art. Although the relatively tolerant 19th century had already begun. The humane Spanish inquisitors confiscated immoral masterpieces, and collectors and artists usually faced imprisonment and public humiliation.

Maha naked.

“So radiantly good, so direct, so arrogant, so capricious. Either she entered into a conversation with street boys about the upcoming bullfight, then suddenly arrogantly did not notice the bows. Spanish, like a real maja" - describes the Duchess Lyon Feuchtwanger, Goya's biographer.

In general, the duchess was a very emotional lady who herself did not like to be bored and did not allow others.
Dressing up as a simple townswoman and misbehaving was one of the favorite pastimes of a noble person.
The townspeople always heatedly discussed the adventures of the duchess, condemning and admiring at the same time. She was the shocking queen of her time.

Maha is dressed.

Pictures of naked women were seized from the minister by the inquisitors, and the artist Francis Goya was charged with immoral behavior. Thanks to influential patrons, the painter managed to escape punishment.

"Francisco Goya painted portraits of almost all one hundred and nineteen Spanish grandees. He knew their sins, their human weaknesses, he behaved with them as equals," writes Feuchtwanger.

Manuel Godoy in his youth immediately liked the Spanish queen

For the favorite minister, worse than the Inquisition was the wrath of Queen Maria Luisa, who had long competed with the Duchess of Alba. Once the Spanish queen sent the duchess into exile from Madrid for three years.

Spanish Queen Maria Luisa in her youth.

The people of Spain did not like Queen Maria Luisa and hated her favorite Manuel Godoy, and the Duchess of Alba aroused universal popular admiration. When the bullfighter dedicated the fight with the bull to the queen - the audience was silent, when the fight was dedicated to the Duchess of Alba - the audience rejoiced.

Novelist Lion Feuchtwanger describes the confrontation between the duchess and the queen, who is richer and more noble. Caetane Alba people forgave every whim.

“In general, Cayetana de Alba led a no less proud and extravagant lifestyle than the queen: she had the same expensive quirks - and it was also impossible to call her much more virtuous than the queen ...

It was a great courage on her part to build a new castle for herself, just now, when the whole country was suffering the greatest hardships because of the war. After all, the extravagance of Marie Antoinette during the construction of the Trianon was one of the reasons that led her to the chopping block. But Doña Cayetana, with a presumptuous smile, like a true Duchess of Alba, picked up Marie Antoinette's amusements at the very moment when she had to leave them. Many, including Francisco, could not say what she arouses in them - delight or hatred. And it has always been like this: Madrid was mad at Cayetana, Madrid laughed at Cayetana, Madrid was in love with Cayetana."

Worn out by life favorite Manuel Godoy in the portrait of Francisco Goya

Queen Maria Luisa dressed as a simple Spaniard. Portrait of Francisco Goya

Cayetana Alba was the 13th duchess of the family. She also inherited several titles from her relatives. The full name of the duchess sounds impressive Maria del Pilar Teresa Cayetana de Silva and Alvarez de Toledo.

Ceremonial portrait of the Duchess Cayetana of Alba (1795) by Goya.

At the age of 12, relatives gave Cayetana in marriage to the 14-year-old Duke de Toledo Medina-Sidonia, who also belonged to the Alba family. So the relatives united the two branches of the family.

Family relationships spouses developed harmoniously, there was mutual understanding and respect between them. Gossips said that the duke and duchess cheated on each other and did not even live together. In any case, the spouses were careful not to dishonor the honor of the family and not to humiliate each other.

The Duke of Toledo Alba died at the age of 40, the couple lived together for 26 years.

Cayetana's husband is the Duke of Alba in a portrait by Goya.

According to legend, the artist and the duchess were connected by a secret long-term romance. While working on portraits of the Duchess, Goya wrote to a friend: “Sometimes I am so excited that I cannot bear myself. With difficulty, I will calm down a bit so that I can get back to work.”

After the death of the Duke, Goya settled in the estate of the Duchess of Alba, consoling her from mental suffering for her late husband. The Duchess let the artist into her closed residence, where only the closest people had access.

"The new castle was small; Cayetana invited only her closest friends and the most distinguished grandees. Francisco was proud and happy to be numbered among them," the biographer writes.

Duchess Alba in a portrait by Goya

Two details of the portrait indicate a serious relationship between the artist Goya and the widow of the duchess: rings with the names "Goya" and "Alba" are depicted on the lady's fingers, and the duchess points to the inscription "Solo Goya" at her feet.

Presumably, "Maja Nude" was written in 1800, after the death of the Duke of Alba. The Duchess of Alba passed away two years after the creation of this masterpiece. She died at 40, like her late husband.

The Duchess of Alba bequeathed her fortune to the poor, and the artist Francisco Goya left her simple ring as a legacy.

It is possible that "Nude Maja" was written after the death of the duchess, specially commissioned by the minister - connoisseur.

Young Francisco Goya

The descendants of the Duchess of Alba do not agree with the version that it is their noble great-grandmother who is depicted in such an obscene form "Naked Maha", but this version has not yet been refuted.

Another Duchess of Cayetana Alba

In the 20th century and today, another Cayetana from the Alba clan has become famous. This lady had the most large quantity various titles in the world (7 duchess titles, 23 marquises and 19 countesses). In her youth, she was considered one of the first beauties of Spain, who was admired by crowds of fans.

The duchess of the 20th century was a professional flamenco dancer and skier.

Duchess Cayetana Alba in her wedding dress (1948)

At 22, the Duchess of Alba married the Duke of Sotomayor, and they had six children. The husband died in 1972 at the age of 53.

Second marriage of Cayetana Alba (1978)

Six years later, in 1978, the Duchess married the composer Jesús Aguirre, director of the Department of Music at the Ministry of Culture. They lived together for 23 years, Aguirre died in 2001.

However, the widow, who was 75 years old, did not lose hope of finding a new personal happiness. To questions from the press, the lady answered “I will still bury you all!”.

Third wedding of the Duchess (2011)

The news about the next marriage of the 85-year-old duchess with Alfonso Diez (Alfonso is such a name) in 2011 was discussed by the entire Internet.

A smart, wealthy lady, before the wedding, transferred all her property to her six children. Her fortune was estimated at 3.5 billion euros.

Unfortunately, the Duchess did not manage to enjoy family life for a long time; she died in 2014 at the age of 88.

Such are the fates of two bright namesake women from the Alba clan, who were remembered by contemporaries, and their descendants will remember their name.

He was born in 1507 and belonged to one of the most famous Spanish families. In the third year of his life, he lost his father and remained in the care of his grandfather, Ferdinand de Toledo, who gave him an excellent education, and especially tried to improve him in military and political sciences. Young Alba, being only 16 years old, already participated in the campaign of the Castilian constable against France, and was at the capture of Fontarabia, and in the next (1525) year he distinguished himself in the famous battle of Pavia . The name of Alba became even more famous during the campaign of Charles V in Hungary against the Turkish sultan. Suleiman II, and in other wars that shook Europe at the beginning of the 16th century. His gloomy disposition was, however, the reason that Charles V did not trust his military abilities for a long time, until he showed them in the most brilliant way. Returning with an army from Africa, where, under the leadership of the emperor, he participated in the conquest of Tunisia and in the defeat of the bloody pirate Barbarossa, Alba, against his will, had to proceed with the siege of Marseilles, which, according to his predictions, was not successful. In 1541, he participated in an unsuccessful campaign against Algiers, and in 1543 he withstood a 6-month siege by the French in Perpignan, and distinguished himself in Navarre and Catalonia. In 1545, Charles V went to Germany, and gave control of Spain to his 16-year-old son Philip, entrusting him to the advice of Alba.

Duke of Alba. Artist A. Moreau, 1549

Less than 40 years old, the duke was already made generalissimo of the imperial troops, and led them in the war against Schmalkaldic Union; guided by his advice, the emperor in 1547 won Battle of Muhlberg so detrimental to John Friedrich, Elector of Saxony, who was taken prisoner here. The perspicacious Alba had already advised Karl not to trust Moritz of Saxony, and the further course of events justified his fears. After the incident in Innsbruck, where Charles V was almost captured by Moritz, and upon conclusion Treaty of Passau, Alba returned to Spain, and accompanied Prince Philip on a journey through Italy and Germany.

Meanwhile, a new war with France had opened. Charles V laid siege to Metz, defended by the Duke of Guise, and summoned Alba; but this siege, in spite of all the efforts of the Spaniards, was unsuccessful. After its removal, the Duke of Alba was sent to Italy against Pope Paul IV, the implacable enemy of the emperor. Having defeated the papal troops and terrified Rome, he turned against the Duke of Guise, who had come to the aid of the pope, and by skillful maneuvers weakened and exhausted his courageous opponent to the point that he was forced to return to France. At that very time, Charles V renounced the throne in favor of his son Philip II, and Alba, by the will of his young sovereign, had to not only return to the pope all the areas conquered by him, but even on his knees beg for forgiveness for what he dared to raise against him a sword. In 1555, he entered into a marriage alliance between Philip II and Elizabeth, daughter of the French king Henry II, in Paris, after which he was the head of the Madrid cabinet until the very beginning of the religious (Protestant) uprising in the Netherlands, which then belonged to Spain.

Alba, Fernando Alvarez de Toledo

Here begins for Alba new period, in which he strengthened his glory as a great commander, but at the same time stained himself with inhumanity and fanaticism. Having received an order from Philip II to pacify the Dutch provinces that rebelled against Spain, he went to Flanders with 8,000 selected troops. At one news of his approach, about a mass of the richest citizens of the Netherlands, devoted to Protestantism, left their fatherland and moved to England, or gathered under the banner of Prince William of Orange, who retired to Germany. In August 1567, Alba accepted the governorship of the Netherlands from the peace-loving and weak Duchess of Parma. Having deployed his troops in the main cities and built citadels in them at the expense of the citizens, he appointed his favourite, the frantic Juan Vargas, chairman of the inquisition court, which began to act with incredible cruelty and to which history gave the name bloody for this. Fame, wealth, nobility, intelligence - everything was a crime in the eyes of implacable judges: Counts Egmont and Horn, the color of the Dutch nobility, and many other nobles died on the scaffold. Their estates were plundered by Spanish soldiers.

Alba defeated Prince Louis of Nassau on the Eming Plain (1568), and even William of Orange was no happier in the fight against such a skillful and experienced opponent. Abandoned by the Belgians, he was forced to retreat to Germany. The Pope sent to Brussels Alba, the winner of the Protestants, a consecrated hat and sword. Alba himself erected a statue for himself in the Antwerp citadel, which depicted him trampling underfoot two allegorical figures, which meant the noble and civil classes of the Netherlands. Meanwhile, the hatred of the people against the persecutors grew more and more, and when, in addition to the former burdensome taxes, Alba, in order to cover the costs of the war, demanded from the citizens a tenth of all their property, the excitement became general, and many cities in northern Holland submitted to the Prince of Orange. But luck once again favored Alba: most of these cities were again taken by the Spaniards. He himself took possession of Mons; his son, Don Friedrich de Toledo, conquered Harlem after a defense that lasted 7 months and cost the Spaniards up to 10,000 troops. The revenge of the victors was terrible: the cities and regions were plundered and devastated by them.

But despite these successes, the position of Alba became more and more difficult: lack of money and military needs, bold actions of naval guez and the participation which the Protestant sovereigns of Germany began to take in the fate of the unfortunate country, deprived him of the hope of success. Philip himself was convinced that it was impossible to act with strictness alone, and therefore in 1573 he sent a new governor, Requesens, to replace Alba. In December of the same year, the stern duke, accompanied by the curses of the people, left the country in which he put to death, according to his own words, 18,000 citizens, and kindled a war that then lasted 68 years and cost Spain 800 million thalers.

In Madrid, Alba was given an excellent reception, but he did not enjoy his former influence for long. The disobedience of one of his sons to the will of the king was the reason for his removal from the court. For two years he lived in his castle, Usede, until, after the death of the Portuguese king Henry, who had no direct heirs, Don Antonio proclaimed himself king of Portugal. Philip, who also had claims to the Portuguese crown, again resorted to the experience of his old commander. 73-year-old Alba again entered the military field, and this last campaign of his was, perhaps, more brilliant than all the previous ones. In three weeks, he won two battles, of which the one that was given on the bank of the river is especially noteworthy. Alcantara(1580), conquered the whole kingdom, and solemnly entered Lisbon, whose suburbs were put on fire, and the city itself was plundered. Philip, dissatisfied with this act, demanded from Alba an account of the innumerable sums he had captured; but this time the duke did not show his usual obedience, and Philip, fearing, probably from his indignation, left the matter. Shortly thereafter, Alba died, on January 12, 1582, in Lisbon, in the capacity of Viceroy of Portugal, at the age of 74.

The Duke of Alba was small in stature, but strongly built, and had an important posture, slept little, worked and wrote a lot. It is said that during his sixty years of military service he did not lose a single battle. He certainly belongs to the the greatest generals his age; but cruelty and fanaticism forever stained his memory. Alba was the first to arm the infantry with muskets and to train the cavalry in close formation.

Alba's arrival in the Netherlands

The Spanish King Philip II, immediately after receiving news of the unrest in the Netherlands, sent a punitive detachment to suppress the rebels. The Duke of Alba was appointed commander of the army.

Remark 1

Fernando Alvarez de Toledo and Pimentel - the third duke of the Alba family. Years of life 1507-1582. He went down in history as the Grand Duke of Alba. He became famous during his six-year governorship in the Netherlands (from 1567 to 1573). He was sent by the Spanish king to suppress the revolution in the country.

On August 8, 1567, Alba led a twelve thousandth army of selected Spanish troops and crossed the border of the Netherlands. Ten days later he entered Brussels. The hushed city warily met the envoy of Spain. Many left the country, Prince William of Orange led the emigrant opposition. The ruler of the country, Margarita of Parma, understood that this was the end of her power, she was soon recalled from the Netherlands.

On September 9, Alba, having occupied all the strategically important fortresses, dealt a crushing and terrifying blow to the entire population. The leaders of the Dutch national party, Counts Egmont and Horn, were arrested.

Remark 2

Lamoral Egmont is a statesman of the Netherlands. Years of life 1522-1568. He opposed the ruin of the country, hoping that Philip II would stop the robbery of the Netherlands. He remained loyal to the Spanish crown and Catholicism until his execution by the Duke of Alba.

Remark 3

Philippe de Montmorency Count Horn is an admiral and member of the Dutch Council of State. Years of life 1524-1568. He advocated the autonomy of the country, but was against an armed clash with Spain. Executed by Alba.

The Duke of Alba became the only ruler of the Netherlands with unlimited powers.

Policy of the Duke of Alba to pacify the rebels

Alba received categorical instructions from the Spanish king:

supporters of the rebellion should be executed;
the property of heretics was transferred to the royal treasury;
the Catholic faith was supported by all forces in all severity.

The dictator of the Netherlands created the “Council for Revolts” to carry out the trial of the rebels. The riot court began to operate in September 1567. The people aptly named the new body the Bloody Council. In the first three months of activity, 1,800 people were executed by the verdict, and 8,000 in two years. The parallel confiscation of the property of the executed served as enrichment for the Spanish treasury.

In 1567, the Duke of Alba submitted for discussion to the States General a draft law on the introduction in the state new system taxation on the model of the Spanish economy. This system was called alkabala.

Definition 1

Alcabala is a tax on commercial transactions in Spain and the Spanish colonies.

Alcabala consisted of three types taxes:

1% tax on all movable and immovable property;
5% tax on the sale of all real estate;
10% tax on every trade in movable goods.

The Spanish viceroy did not understand that such taxes for the Netherlands and its economy were tantamount to disaster. In the realities of the country, the goods got to the buyer through many intermediaries. The Estates General succeeded in persuading Alba to delay the introduction of the Alcabala until at least 1571. In the meantime, the Netherlands annually supplied to the royal treasury of Spain a payment of 2 million florins. The one percent tax brought an additional 3,300,000 florins to Spain.

Results of the activities of the Duke of Alba

Alba's desire to bring order to the Netherlands and turn them into obedient subjects to the crown ended in failure. The cruelty of the viceroy met with resistance from the Dutch. Instead of mercenary units following the example of the Prince of Orange locals declared a guerrilla war against the Spanish troops. In the forests of Flanders and Geniegau, flying detachments of forest gyozes lived. The expanses of the sea were furrowed by sea geezes. Their actions were short, but effective. They killed informers and Spanish soldiers, Catholic priests and hated officials.

In 1573 the Duke of Alba was called back to Spain by the king. He failed in his mission.

The Duchess of Alba remained in the memory of the Spaniards as a rich old woman with obvious signs of schizophrenia and an ugly, plastic-disfigured face. The whole life of this eccentric woman is like a swing. After all, many times fate raised her to heaven and threw her down. What events influenced the change in the woman's appearance and led her to outright ugliness? Let's figure it out right now.

To be born a duchess...

Duchess Caetana Alba was born already a representative of blue blood on March 18, 1926 in Spain. This woman went down in history as the most titled person in the world. Due to the number of titles according to the norms of decency established in high society, the Queen of England herself must curtsy when meeting, saluting Cayetana. A fortune of 3.5 billion euros allowed the blue-blooded young lady to live in a big way and not think about how to feed her children or what is better to buy: boots or tights.

The personal life of a clockwork old woman

Duchess Alba in her youth was an enviable bride, because her father's fortune and the presence of a dozen titles could not remain unnoticed by young gigolos. Cayetana married three times, and each time out of great love, trying not to imitate her eminent ancestors:

Duke of Sotomayor. Having increased the already existing regalia in marriage, young Cayetana began to hastily give birth to children. 6 heirs appeared in the marriage, but at the age of 48 the husband died, leaving a grieving wife with a horde of offspring.

Jesus Aguirre. Five years later, the cheerful widow went down the aisle again. This time for a former priest, which caused a storm of discontent in her family. Distinguished by a violent temper, in response to numerous questions about family life Cayetana Alba replied: “We are doing very well. And in case you're wondering, we have sex every night." The audience, unaccustomed to hearing such obscenity from the august lips, gasped, because the woman replaced the words “have sex” with a stronger phrase. It was because of her young husband that the aging fashionista went for plastic surgery, which became fatal for her. The second husband, unfortunately, also died.

Alfonso Diez. The third husband became a general bone of contention, because he was accused of encroaching on the property of an elderly lover. Duchess Cayetana Alba dispelled all doubts by passing on a significant fortune to her children. She left herself only her love nest.

Duchess plastic surgery

Photos of the Duchess of Alba in her youth betray her noble origin and belonging to the upper strata of society, but the portrait of the Duchess of Alba in adulthood and old age resembles a mutilated mummy. Most of the changes in appearance occurred due to the desire not to grow old and to give odds to the young hubby.

Rhinoplasty. Duchess Cayetana Alba has never been a burning beauty. Against the background of other pomaded ladies, she looked gray. The billionaire's nose was wide with a huge sloppy knob instead of a tip.

Already in adulthood, she decided on plastic surgery. Even a billion dollar fortune did not save the woman from the unfortunate consequences of surgery. Her nose, after repeated operations, acquired a strange, clearly man-made shape. The unfortunate tip of the nose, the size of an olive, was removed, but the organ itself soared up sharply, exposing huge nostrils to everyone around. The sharply triangular-pointed nose of the noble lady has also decreased in the back. As a result, the nose came out short, upturned and disproportionate.

Lip correction. The Duchess of Alba suffered from the Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome. With this disease, a certain part of the face swells. For a titled lady, this part was the upper lip and the entire upper jaw. The manifestation of such a disease looks frightening, because the face is completely deformed, as if it had been in a bee hive.

The lips of the “perky granny” were so swollen that she was credited with plastic surgery to increase them. However, it is worth noting that the cause of their deformation was precisely the disease. The eminent Cayetana Alba in the last years of her life looked like she hid a cutlet under her lip.

Facelift. The plastic surgery of the Duchess of Alba to preserve the last grains of her former youth looked comical. After all, it is very difficult to make candy out of a baked apple, which became her august face. The woman had to resort to anti-aging plastic surgery.

Alba began to do a facelift at the age of 55, diligently pulling on the skin that was trying to slide off. At the age of 82, a woman's face looks at least strange, because the skin is stretched to cracking only on the face, and on the rest of the old woman's body it hangs in flakes, as if the granny is trying to throw it off.

Beauty injections. Botox is not contraindicated even for persons with such a high status. The woman made injections for herself repeatedly to prevent the appearance of facial wrinkles. Together with the disease that overcame her, Botox reacted ambiguously, because her face swelled even more, and a disgusting greasy sheen appeared on it.

Chin plastic. Looking at how the Duchess of Alba looked in her youth, it becomes clear that not only the disease has so changed her face shape, but also plastic surgery. The shape of the chin of the famous flamenco lover has changed so much that modern plastic surgeons agree on a sewn-in implant that narrows the face and shortens it at the same time. Huge swollen lips contributed to the disfigurement of the physiognomy, entering into dissonance with a reduced chin.

Neck lift. A woman's age is always betrayed by her neck. Knowing this, the restless woman underwent a series of operations to tighten the skin of her neck. As a result, excess tissue has been removed, and Cayetana is sure that she looks a hundred times younger.

Cheekbone correction. Undoubtedly, silicone implants rest peacefully under the skin of the “ancient old woman”, because due to the Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome, neither a lift nor a reduced nose could decorate her face. Now her face has completely changed, bringing righteous horror to those around her. Puffiness, redness, partial paralysis of the face - nothing stopped the eccentric rich young lady from further plastic surgery.

Tummy tuck. Having given birth to six children, the Duchess of Cayetana Alba famously showed her body to Ibizan vacationers. It should be noted that she did it in vain. What is worth just looking at the photo of the Duchess of Alba, in which her drooping belly is “adorned” with huge scars.

Since in the pictures the stomach does not drag along the sand and does not beat against the knees, the scar suggests that the billionaire had a skin tightening on this part of the body.

Comparing everything else of the old woman's flea-small body with the state of her stomach, one involuntarily notes the deplorable state of the body dressed in a bright bikini.

Wardrobe of a noble person. This topic has caused lively debate and gossip all her life in the ranks of fans and ill-wishers of a noble person, almost like her passionate love for flamenco with the Spanish guitar.

In her advanced age and opulent status, she dressed like an aged moth. Disgusting pink flowers in gray hair evoke a vague sense of a woman's not quite normal mental health.

Photos of the Duchess of Alba are full of a riot of lurid colors, fishnet stockings, necklines and mini dresses.

Duchess Cayetana Alba proudly bared her knees, which were far from seductive. Leaving behind heaps of pouring sand, a proud and wayward woman walked until the last day of her life.

Many consider the perky old woman to look like a monkey from the circus, while others consider her so charismatic that even “ass stretched or face” did not spoil her. The opinions of the fans and enemies of the wayward grandmother vary markedly.

She lived a bright and eventful life, and even at such an advanced age she did not stop being naughty, telling much younger acquaintances that she was going to bury them all. A bright woman with a rebel heart, a scarecrow look and a Quasimodo face.