ALVA, arva, or ALBA, Ferdinand Al varez de Toledo, DUKE OF, Spanish statesman and general: b. 1508; d. Thomar, 12 Jan. 1582.
He was educated by his grandfather, Frederick of Toledo, who instructed him in military and political science. He commanded under Charles V in Hungary, and was present at the siege of Tunis and in the expedition against Algiers. His cautious character and his inclination for politics at first led men to believe that he had but little military talent; and his pride being touched at the low estimation in which he was held, his genius was roused to the performance of exploits deserving remembrance. He won in 1547 the battle of Miihlberg against John Frederick, Elector of Saxony, and in 1555 was commissioned to attack the Prench in Italy, and Pope Paul IV, the irreconcilable enemy of the Emperor. When Charles V resigned the gov ernment to his son, Philip II, Alva received the supreme command of the army and conquered the states of the Church and frustrated the ef forts of the French. Philip. however, com pelled him to contract an honorable peace with the Pope, whom Alva wished to humble. He appeared in 1559 at the French court in order to marry Elizabeth, the daughter of Henry II, by proxy, for his sovereign; she had been at first destined for the crown prince, Don Carlos. About this time the Netherlands revnited, and Alva was entrusted with a considerable army and unlimited power to reduce the rebellious provinces. Scarcely had Alva reached Flan ders at the end of August 1567, when he es tablished the Council of Blood, at the head of which stood his confidant, Juan de Vargas. This tribunal condemned, without discrimina tion, all those whose opinions were suspected and whose riches excited their avarice. The anil the and Ihe dead, were subjected to trial and their property con fiscated. The cruelty of Alva was increased by
the defeat of his lieutenant, the Duke of Arem berg, and he caused the Counts of Egmont and Hoorn to be executed. He afterward defeated the Count of Nassau on the plains of Gem mingen. Soon after the Prince of Orange ad vanced with a powerful army, but was forced to withdraw to Germany. The Duke stained his reputation as a general by new cruelties, his executioners shedding more blood than his sol diers. The Pope presented him with a conse crated hat and sword, a distinction previously conferred only on princes. Holland and Zea land, however, still resisted his arms. A fleet fitted out at his command was annihilated, and he was everywhere met with insuperable cour age. This, and perhaps the fear of losing the favor of the King, induced him to request his recall. Philip willingly granted it, as he per ceived that the resistance of the Netherlands was rendered more obstinate by these cruelties, and was desirous of trying milder measures. In December 1573 Alva proclaimed an amnesty, resigned the command of the troops to Louis de Requesens, and left the land in which he had executed 18,000 men, as he himself boasted, and kindled a war that burned for 68 years, cost Spain $800,000,000, its finest troops and seven of,its richest provinces in the Low Coun tries. Alva led an army into Portugal, gained two battles in three weeks, drove out Don An tonio, and reduced all Portugal, in 1581, to sub jection to his sovereign. He made himself master of the treasures of the capital and per mitted his soldiers to plunder the suburbs and surrounding country with their usual rapacity and cruelty. It is said of him that during 60 years of warfare he never lost a battle and was never taken by surprise.