Item #2742 Relacion verdadera de la vitoria que dozientos soldados del fuerte de San Felipe de la Mamora, tuvieron contra mas de dos mil Alaraves, que les salieron de una emboscada, yen do los Cristianos a hazer faxina. Dase cuenta de la conversion de un Moro principal, hijo de un Alcayde, con otras cosas dignas de ser sabidas.
Extremely Scarce Account of a Battle Between the Spaniards and Moors in Morocco, 1616

Relacion verdadera de la vitoria que dozientos soldados del fuerte de San Felipe de la Mamora, tuvieron contra mas de dos mil Alaraves, que les salieron de una emboscada, yen do los Cristianos a hazer faxina. Dase cuenta de la conversion de un Moro principal, hijo de un Alcayde, con otras cosas dignas de ser sabidas.

[S.l. (Spain)]: [S.n.], , [n.d., but ca. 1616?]. First edition. In modern green half leather, bound with several blank leaves. Armorial woodcut device on title page. [4] p. Artistically restored closed tears at the edges and a whole at the lower gutter on both leaves. Some light brown stains. Trace of folding. Old sign in ink on the last page at the lower edge. Disbound from a larger volume, page numbers in blue pencil at the upper outer corners removed. Overall in very good condition.

An extremely scarce battle report of the events related to the aftermath of the Capture of La Mamora in 1614.

La Mamora, today (Mehdya, Morocco) was occupied by Spain in 1614 as part of a campaign against privateering at the Moroccan coast, and kept until 1681 when Moulay Ismail Ibn Sharif, the Sultan of Morocco took the city from the Spaniards.

The relación describes a Moorish ambush on the Spaniard took place nearby Cristóbal Lechuga’s camp at La Mamora (then San Felipe de la Mamora) in 1616. Lechuga (ca. 1557–1622) was a Spanish soldier and mathematician, who took part in the expedition against La Mamora and was appointed governor once the place was captured, and commissioned to build fortifications there. According to the text, a group of two hundred Spanish soldiers were sent out from Lechuga’s camp to collect wood for fire and fascine on August 14, 1616, and was attacked by some two thousand Moorish cavalry and infantry soldiers. After the fight, which took more than three hours, the victorious Spaniards left the battlefield with over seven hundred dead Moors while they lost only four men and got twelve wounded. The Spaniards captured the son of a rich alcaide, and to the greatest regret of his father, he was converted to Christianity and never wanted to leave the Spanish camp.

The present edition is extremely scarce, no record on RBH, and unrecorded by IB, however the bibliography refers to a very similar imprint, of which — as it claims — no known surviving copy recorded, under the title Relacion verdadera de la victoria que 200 españoles del fuerte de San Felipe de la Mamora, tuvieron contra mas de 2000 alarabes (IB 55025; Agulló y Cobo, Relaciones 653; Palau 257489).

Price: €7,000.00

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