The Horse Healer (61 page)
Authors: Gonzalo Giner
Friar Servando:
Cistercian monk in the monastery of Fitero and horse healer.
Tijmud:
Imesebelen. Guard to Princess Najla.
MencÃa Fernández de Azagra:
Daughter of the esteemed Navarrese nobleman Fernando Ruiz de Azagra, second lord of AlbarracÃn, and Doña Teresa.
Giulio Morigatti:
Neapolitan horseleech employed by GarcÃa Romeu and enemy of Diego. “Horseleech” is an approximate English equivalent to the term “meniscal,” which was widely used in Catalonia. They were quite often foreigners.
Fabián Pardo:
Aragonese knight and chief justice of King Pedro II of Aragon.
Veturia:
Diego and Marcos's servant in Cuéllar.
Sancha de Laredo:
Abused woman protected by Diego.
EfraÃm:
Jewish mage in the town of Cuéllar.
Bruno de Oñate:
Calatravan knight, in charge of the Calatravan fortress of Salvatierra.
Glossary of Historical Figures, in Alphabetical Order
Abu Zayd:
Last Almohad governor of the taifa of Valencia. Friend of the Azagra family of AlbarracÃn.
Alfonso IX:
King of León between 1188 and 1230. In his kingdom he was known as Alfonso VIII, but because of the name's coincidence with that of the Castilian king, he changed his numeration to IX.
Alfonso VIII:
King of Castile, Najera, Extremadura, and Asturias from 1158 to 1214. Responsible for the Battle of the Navas of Tolosa. Great strategist and defender of the unity of Iberians peoples against the Almohads. Advocated the concession of charters and privileges to numerous cities and villages in Castile, against the wishes of their nobles.
Ãlvaro Núñez de Lara:
Ensign to Alfonso VIII from 1199 to 1201 and later between 1208 and 1217. Son-in-law to Diego López de Haro. Married to Urraca López de Haro.
Diego López de Haro:
Lord of Biscay and ensign to King Alfonso during three periods: 1183â1187, 1188â1199, and 1206â1208. In this position, he participated in the Battle of Alarcos in 1195 and in the Battle of the Navas of Tolosa in 1212. Married to Toda López de Azagra, of Navarrese extraction.
GarcÃa Romeu:
Ensign to King Pedro II of Aragon.
Gerardo de Cremona:
Translator from Toledo.
Gómez Garceiz:
Ensign to King Sancho of Navarre.
Ibn Qadis:
Cadi from Andalusia, lord of recovered fortress of Salvatierra, and last governor of the fortress of Calatrava before it fell to the troops of Alfonso VIII in 1212. His death, ordered by al-Nasir himself, who was indignant over that humiliation, provoked an enormous outcry among the Andalusian troops, a key factor in the Almohad defeat in the Battle of the Navas.
Muhammad al-Nasir:
Son of al-Mansur, caliph. Lost the battle of the Navas of Tolosa. Builder of the Giralda in Seville, the capital of the caliphate. An identical copy was also raised in Marrakesh. Died of poisoning one year after the Battle of the Navas.
Muhammad ben Mardanis:
Also known as “the Wolf King.” Commanded the taifa of Valencia and ceded AlbarracÃn to the Azagras in 1170.
Pedro II:
King of the crown of Aragon from 1196. Cousin of Alfonso VIII of Castile. After his heroic participation in the Battle of the Navas, died in Muret defending his Cathar subjects.
Rodrigo Ximénez de Rada:
Archbishop of Toledo, highly cultured historian and author of
De rebus Hispanie
, a chronicle labeled a
Gothic history
. Advocate and funder of the crusading army that reached the Navas of Tolosa. Loyal collaborator of King Alfonso VIII, he was highly praised in the chronicles. Obtained the declaration that sparked off the crusade from the pope and spread its message beyond the Pyrenees.
Sancho Fernández:
Son of King Fernando II of León and Urraca López de Haro, sister of the lord of Biscay. Heir to the throne of León and stepbrother to King Alfonso IX. Though Leonese by birth, he always fought on the side of Castile.
Sancho VII:
King of Navarre from 1194, known as Sancho the Strong. Between six and seven feet in height, wealthy, ill-famed for his negligence of his territories and his untoward love affair with an Almohad princess. After the Battle of the Navas of Tolosa, in memory of the latter, he placed the chains of a stockade on the arms of Navarre, and in the center, an emerald, symbol of the Koran left behind by al-Nasir.
Yusuf al-Mansur:
Almohad caliph, winner of the Battle of Alarcos in 1195, married to the Christian Zaida. Father of Caliph al-Nasir.
Glossary of Locations Where the Action of the Novel Takes Place
AlbarracÃn:
During the Middle Ages, it was known as Santa MarÃa de AlbarracÃn, a small taifa led by a Berber family with the last name al-Banu-Razin, from whom it derives its name. Later conquered by Muhammad ben Mardanis, “the Wolf King,” and passed on to a Navarrese family, the Azagras, becoming thenceforth an independent territory. In 1284 it was incorporated into the crown of Aragon.
Cuéllar:
After its conquest by the Saracens by King Alfonse VI of Castile, it was repopulated and shortly afterward granted a charter. The Castilian monarchy did not wish for the reconquered territories to be governed by the nobility or the church, as happened in the former feudal regions of the north, and therefore ceded them to residents arrived from Castile and Navarre, who would pay tribute, thereby guaranteeing support in times of war and compromising the power of institutions not loyal to the crown. In the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, Cuéllar was important for its sheep herds, the wool trade, and its wood. During those two centuries, numerous churches were raised that now constitute an important part of Spain's architectural heritage.
Fitero:
Site of the first Cistercian monastery in Spain. Belonged to Castile in the twelfth century and became a strategic enclave due to its common border with Navarre and Aragon. Important treaties between the three Christian empires were signed in its vicinity.
Fortress of Salvatierra:
To the south of Ciudad Real, on the Muradal road that connected Castile to Andalusia, there lies this fantastic fortress, much fought over by both Christians and Muslims due to its strategic location. During the reign of Alfonso VIII, it was governed by the military order of the Calatravans, before being conquered by the troops of the Almohad caliph al-Nasir toward the end of 1211. That event provoked such an outcry in Christendom that many compared it with the fall of Jerusalem, and it incited the pope to convoke a Holy Crusade against the Almohads in Spain.
Marrakesh:
Capital of the Almohad Empire. In Arabic, its name means “city of God.” In the twelfth century, it supported an important cultural and commercial life. The Alcazaba, or Royal Palace, is located close to the Aljama, or mosque, whose minaret is identical to the Giralda, the tower of the Cathedral in Seville, which marks the former location of the Almohad mosque.
Navas de Tolosa:
To the south of the pass of Muradal and the east of Despeñaperros, close to the present-day town of Santa Elena, is the scene of what was probably the most crucial battle in the history of medieval Spain. “Nava” is a term describing a humid plain or wetland. Tradition attributed the naming of the famous battle, which took place on July 16, 1212, to the archbishop of Narbonne, because the “navas” in question were located near a fortress that was named for the nearby French city of Tolosa.
Author's Note
The difficult personal circumstances that have accompanied the writing of this novel compelled me, at times, to abandon it, but other times I would cling to it like salve and consolation for my pain. The long death struggle my father experienced in all that time was present in the better part of its pages, and maybe also in the background of the story I was trying to tell.
As Diego de Malagón dedicates all his achievements to his father, I would like to do the same.
It is all for you, Father. â¦
Acknowledgments
I don't want to finish these last few lines without thanking the enormous editing work performed at my side by dear friend Antonio Quintanilla, an expert in listening to stories and plot twists, with whom I've shared many hours and long conversations.
I must also recognize the incalculable assistance of Emeritus Professor Miguel Cordero del Campillo, an illustrious man and a source of pride for the veterinary profession, as well as, in my case, the provider of a good deal of the documentary materials I have made use of to get a sense of the history of this beautiful profession that I love so much, that of veterinarian. With even greater affection, I would like to acknowledge the hard work done by my mother, who translated for me, with inexhaustible patience and great ability, many of the remedies that appear in this novel, which come from an old tract on the albéitar's art written in the fifteenth century in the Latin dialect of the era.
Thank you, once again, to my editor, Raquel Gisbert, the soul of this project and the person responsible, of late, for pushing me to write.
And of course, I would like to recognize my family, particularly my wife, Pilar, for the uncommon patience she has shown in bearing with this project, which has grown to over 550 pages. As many as they are, I have just as many reasons to thank and cherish you. â¦
Thanks to all.
All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this book or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Originally published in Spain as
El sanador de caballos
Translated from Spanish by Adrian West
Copyright © 2008 by Grupo Planeta
English translation copyright © 2015 by Adrian West
Cover design by Mauricio DÃaz
978-1-4804-4460-7
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