Truth, Honour and Justice: The Military Tribunals of Captain Francisco de Cuéllar 1583/84 and 1588

Abstract

Captain Francisco de Cuéllar was an infantry officer who served in the Spanish military during the period 1580-1603. He is known to Irish history for an account (Carta) that he wrote of his experiences with the Spanish Armada in 1588. Two controversies marked his military service during the 1580s. He commanded vessels in two fleets; the Armada de Magallanes, which served in the south Atlantic in the period 1581-84, and the Gran Armada of 1588. During both campaigns he gained notoriety for incidents that led to disciplinary sanctions and resulted in formal inquiries. In 1583, after a battle with English galleons in Brazil, Cuéllar became embroiled in a dispute with a commanding officer over the conduct of the engagement, which resulted in four inquiries and the case being referred to the Council of the Indies at Madrid. In 1588, he was court-martialled for breach of discipline in the North Sea, and sentenced to be executed. Cuéllar’s experiences in Brazil, when set alongside those of 1588, provide an interesting case study of military discipline and the repercussions of defeat in the Spanish navy of the sixteenth century. This article will investigate the circumstances surrounding the controversies, and examine the legal procedures employed by the protagonists in each instance.