En
los siglos XVI y XVII, España se vio envuelta en una terrible guerra
en los Flandes en la que se jugó la mayor parte de su poderío
económico, político y militar. Una guerra larga, demasiado larga,
que se tragó incontables recursos y ejércitos enteros, y que nos
parece sin sentido si se pierde de vista el contexto europeo de ese
tiempo, y el papel de gran potencia que desempeñaba la Monarquía
Católica de los Habsburgo.
El problema principal al que se enfrentaba España era hacer llegar sus
aguerridos tercios a Flandes, toda vez que la vía marítima por el
Golfo de Vizcaya y el Canal de La Mancha estaba casi siempre
descartada por las acciones corsarias de los hugonotes, la enemistad
de Inglaterra y las correrías de los «mendigos del mar» y la flota
holandesa. Pero si los soldados no podían ir por mar hasta Flandes,
deberían hacerlo por tierra, atravesando Europa de sur a norte desde
España o los dominios de Nápoles y Sicilia.
Lo
que se conoce como Camino Español es en realidad un haz de
itinerarios ramificados, un conjunto de vías que integran tres
grandes rutas por las que discurrían los derroteros de las
tropas.Cualquiera de estas rutas empezaba en Milán, la mayor plaza
de Armas de Europa, una vez desembarcados en Génova y otros puertos
de Liguria los soldados que habían embarcado en Barcelona, Valencia,
Denia o Cartagena.
La
primera de ellas cruzaba Europa desde Lombardía hasta las brumosas
tierras de Flandes pasando por el Milanesado, Saboya-Piamonte, el
Franco-Condado borgoñón, Alsacia, Lorena, Thionville, Luxemburgo y
el obispado-principado de Lieja, hasta alcanzar la ciudad-fortaleza
de Namur y Bruselas, sede del gobierno español de los Países Bajos.
Esa
era la ruta principal, pero cuando los franceses la cortaron fue
necesario recurrir a dos itinerarios alternativos. Uno de estos,
bordeando la
ribera
oeste del lago de Como, se internaba en el valle de la Valtelina
siguiendo el curso del río Adda, por las regiones alpinas de
Sondrio, Tirano, el Tirol y el sur de Alemania. Luego atravesaba el
Rin cerca de Estrasburgo y retomaba la ruta principal en Alsacia.
Aún
existió una tercera ruta, poco utilizada, que -contando con la buena
voluntad y dinero suficiente para pagar a los cantones católicos- se
adentraba en Suiza por Belinzona o el desfiladero del Simplón, y
desde allí seguía por Baden y el San Gotardo hasta cruzar el Rin en
Waldshut.
Ninguna
de estas tres rutas era un camino de rosas. Había que cruzar los
Alpes por varios sitios, atravesar grandes ríos, bosques profundos,
desfiladeros y glaciares; caminar por senderos de difícil acceso y
coronar cumbres y ventisqueros. Todo a pie, aunque los bagajes solían
ir en carromatos o a lomos de mulas. Se trataba de recorridos
peligrosos, que aun ahora resultan complicados de hacer, y muchos
soldados perecían en el intento. Sin contar las deserciones de
quienes, asustados por las penalidades de la marcha, simplemente
desaparecían. Los soldados tenían que dormir muchas veces al raso o
en campamentos improvisados, con las armas al alcance de la mano.
Lo
increíble, dado tal cúmulo de dificultades, es que la ruta
principal del Camino permaneciera abierta hasta 1622, año en el que
el duque de Saboya negoció con Francia un tratado contra España; y
que aún hubiera corredores militares aprovechables en 1633, cuando
el rey francés Luis XIII ocupó Lorena y asestó el golpe
definitivo. No es de extrañar que el historiador Geoffrey Parker, el
mayor estudioso del Camino, haya calificado de «milagro» el que
pudieran llegar soldados españoles por tierra a los Países Bajos.
Ilustraciones de El camino español
In
the XVIth and XVIIth century, Spain met wrapped in a terrible war in
the Flandes in which there was played most of his economic, political
and military power. A long, too long war, which swallowed countless
resources and entire armies, and that seems to us to be senseless if
there gets lost of sight the European context of this time, and the
paper of great power that was recovering the Catholic Monarchy of the
Hapsburg.
The
principal problem which Spain was facing was to make come his
seasoned thirds to Flanders, although the sea route for the Bay of
Biscay and the English Channel was rejected almost always by the
actions corsarias of the Huguenots, the hatred of England and the
raids of the " beggars of the sea " and the Dutch fleet.
But if the soldiers could not go by sea up to Flanders, they should
do it for land, crossing Europe of south to north from Spain or the
domains of Naples and Sicily.ian French county, Alsace, Lorraine,
Thionville, Luxembourg and the bishopric - principality of Liège, up
to reaching Namur's city - strength and Brussels, headquarters of the
Spanish government of the Netherlands.
What
is known as Spanish Way is actually a bundle of branched out
itineraries, a set of routes that integrate three big routes for
those who were thinking up the courses of the troops. Any of these
routes was begun by it in Milan, the major square of Europa's Weapon,
once landed in Genoa and other ports of Liguria the soldiers who had
embarked in Barcelona, Valencia, Denia or Cartagena.
The
first one of them was crossing Europe from Lombardy up to the misty
lands of Flanders spending for the Milanesado, Savoy - Piedmont, the
BurgundThe principal problem which Spain was facing was to make come
his seasoned thirds to Flanders, although the sea route for the Bay
of Biscay and the English Channel was rejected almost always by the
actions corsarias of the Huguenots, the hatred of England and the
raids of the " beggars of the sea " and the Dutch fleet.
But if the soldiers could not go by sea up to Flanders, they should
do it for land, crossing Europe of south to north from Spain or the
domains of Naples and Sicily.
This
age the principal route, but when the Frenchmen cut her it was
necessary to resort to two alternative itineraries. One of these,
bordering on the bank west of the lake of Since, was penetrating in
the valley of the Valtelina following the course of the river Adda,
for the Alpine regions of Sondrio, Tyrant, the Tirol and the south of
Germany. Then it was crossing the Rhine near Strasbourg and was
taking again the principal route in Alsace.
Still
a third route existed, little used, that - possessing the good will
and sufficient money to pay to the catholic cantons - was entering
Switzerland for Belinzona or the gorge of the Zany, and from there it
was continuing for Gully made by rainwater and the San Gotardo up to
crossing the Rhine in Waldshut.
None
of these three routes was a way of roses. It was necessary to cross
the Alps for several sites, cross big rivers, deep forests, gorges
and glaciers; to walk along paths of difficult access and to crown
summits and snowdrifts. Quite afoot, though the baggages were in the
habit of going in vans or to loins of mules. It was a question of
dangerous tours, that even now they turn out to be complicated to do,
and many soldiers were dying in the attempt. Without counting the
desertions of those who, scared by the punishment of the march,
simply were disappearing. The soldiers had to sleep often to the
level one or in unexpected camps, with the weapon within reach.
The
incredible thing, in view of such a heap of difficulties, is that the
principal route of the Way remained opened until 1622, year in which
the duke of Savoy negotiated with France an agreement against Spain;
and that still there were military usable corridors in 1633, when the
French king Luis XIII occupied Lorraine and aimed the definitive
blow. It is not of surprising that the historian Geoffrey Parker, the
major expert of the Way, has qualified of "miracle" the
fact that Spanish soldiers could come for land to the Netherlands.
