Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, or simply Gonzalo de Córdoba, Duke of Terranova and Santangelo, Andria, Montalto and Sessa, was a Spanish general who fought in the Conquest of Granada and the Italian Wars. He reorganized the emerging Spanish army and its tactics, and was regarded as the "father of trench warfare". He was also called "The Great Captain" (Spanish: El Gran Capitán). Many influential men fought under him (including Francisco Pizarro's father), and he was admired by the generation of conquistadors which followed.
Cordoba assumed military leadership between 1482 and 1492. He contributed to the initiative that eventually ousted the Moors from his country and ended Muslim occupation of Spain. These early years in Cordoba's career familiarized him with various military strategies and increased his understanding of possible tactics. Cordoba was recognized for his personal bravery during this time. In one battle, the siege of Montefrio, he penetrated the Moors' defences using ladders to scale the opponents' walls. In 1492, Cordoba captured the city of Granada from the Moors, bringing an end to the war against the kingdom of Granada. To achieve this victory he staged small skirmishes, creating confusion and deliberately capturing small villages. Cordoba emerged from this experience with an understanding of how to integrate mobile military initiatives with technical tools, such as siege craft and explosives.
Cordoba's successful initiatives against the Moors attracted the favourable attention of the Spanish queen, Isabella of Castile, and her husband, Ferdinand of Aragon. In 1495, Isabella ordered Cordoba to lead an army of more than 2,000 soldiers into Italy. He was to assist the Italians in recapturing Naples from the French. Coordination efforts between the Italian and Spanish forces proved to be ineffective, and Cordoba's forces lacked the necessary training to prevail. Spain was defeated by the French at the Battle of Seminara.
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