and a further grant of 30,000 maravedís a year during his absence.1 Garcilaso promptly showed his gratitude and loyalty by joining with the Condestable of Castile in a request to one of the Toledan delegates that he should go to Santiago and urge upon his brother Pedro, who was plainly delinquent in his obedience to the king's commands, the desirability of hastening to Gibraltar in the five days which still remained before the expiration of the allotted time.2 Pedro Laso was finally moved to compliance and started upon his journey. But unfortunately he stopped at his estate of Cuerva near Toledo, and there he was discovered by his fellow citizens, who came in a body and escorted him back to the city in triumph. Toledo was in open revolt.3

The news of the situation reached Corunna on May 84 and the 20th of the month Charles sailed,5 leaving as his viceroys the Cardinal, Adrian of Utrecht, the Condestable of Castile, and the Almirante of Castile. During the two years of struggle

which followed in the task of repressing the Comunidades, Garcilaso served under the colors of Juan de Rivera, captain of the royal forces. That he showed himself to be a brave and daring soldier in this, his maiden venture in arms, we are assured by the reports of his captain, and at the battle of Olías, on August 17, 1521, when the Toledans, who were in no small straits for provisions, came forth to scour the countryside, he received a wound in the face. The campaign ended in a victory for the royal forces with the surrender of Toledo on October 25, 1521. But the fires of animosity were still smouldering and on February 2 in the following year once more broke into flame. The rebels fortified themselves in the house of Doña María Pacheco, widow of the ill-fated Juan de Padilla, and for a time successfully defended themselves against the authorities. The house of the Padillas was next to that of Garcilaso and an attempt was made to penetrate the castle of the insurgents through the latter's yard. The ruse

was discovered in time and thwarted. But the odds were too great and the leaders of the revolt finally surrendered on condition that they be allowed to leave the city unharmed.1

Meanwhile the Spanish king had been crowned emperor as Charles V on October 23, 1521 at Aix-la-Chapelle. In the following year after a brief visit with Henry VIII in England, he embarked at Southampton and on July 16th landed at Santander.2 On August 5th he reached Palencia, where he found the nobles of his Spanish court assembled in such numbers, according to Martín de Salinas, that "there was not room for them all standing (no cabemos de pies)". As a contino of the royal house, Garcilaso must have been numbered in this throng; perhaps he was also one of the many who were eager to urge their claims for reward for loyal service to the Emperor. But even before the Court left Palencia there had arrived from Italy news of an alarming nature which was to affect Garcilaso's experience.

CHAPTER IV

AN ILL FATED EXPEDITION

Since the beginning of the fourteenth century the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem had held the island of Rhodes as a bulwark of Christianity against the infidels. The latter had made several unsuccessful attempts to take the citadel by siege. With the accession of Solyman the Magnificent, they once more took up their plans for the conquest of Christendom and on June 1, 1522 the Sultan had sent to the Grand Master of Rhodes, Villiers de l'Isle-Adam, a peremptory demand to surrender the island.2 His message reached Rhodes on the 14th and on the morning of the 26th the vast fleet of the Turks appeared off the harbor. That night the Grand Master dispatched messengers to the Pope and the various sovereigns of Europe, warning them of the peril to the Order and to the whole of

Christendom and imploring their aid. It was a month before these messengers reached Rome. Adrian VI, recently elected Pope, was still in Spain, but the College of Cardinals wrote to Charles V on July 26th, informing him of the situation and urging him to send prompt succor. Their letter reached the Emperor at Palencia. The latter, on August 25th, just before his departure for Valladolid, wrote to La Chaux that he had received the news, was writing to his allies and to the other Powers of Europe to take energetic action, and had himself issued orders to his viceroys at Naples and in Sicily to give every possible aid. Immediately upon his arrival at Valladolid (August 27) he sum-! moned a council of the nobles and prelates of the realm to discuss what measures should be taken; at the same time there arrived the special envoy of the Grand Master of Rhodes, to emphasize the urgency of the situation.

The Prior of Castile of the Order of St. John, Diego de Toledo, was the leader in