PHILIP II AND THE LAST SPANISH HABSBURGS
Charles V was succeeded by his son Philip II, on whose empire ‒it was said‒ the sun never set. The maritime war fronts opened in such vast dominions were countless. The king had to resort to the experience of coastal towns, and in particular those on the Basque coast, whose seamen were famous throughout the world. In 1574, Hondarribia had to contribute to the royal fleet with ships and seamen. The drafts were repeated in the years ’75, ’77, ’82, ’86 and finally, in 1588 for the disaster of the Invincible Armada. At last, exhausted from so much effort, the town had to acknowledge that it could do no more. In 1604, it was exempt from the seizure of ships and the recruitment of seamen for war.
The entire Kingdom started to show signs of exhaustion. From the beginning of the 17th century, the signs of decadence were increasingly worrying. The great figures of Charles V and Philip II were succeeded by the last Spanish Habsburgs, dominated by their royal favourites. The peninsula was becoming depopulated. The royal coffers were empty and there were too many open fronts.
To make matters worse, the Count-Duke of Olivares ‒favourite of Philip II‒ led Spain into a disastrous war, called the “Thirty Years’ War”. The nation hung by a thread, but it seemed that nothing was too much to defend the Catholic cause against the advance of Protestantism.
The all-powerful Cardinal Richelieu, the Chief minister of France, laughed to himself as he watched the suicidal idealism of his gentlemanly and weak neighbour. He knew well that not only was faith at stake in this war, but a new political balance in Europe, and he was determined to end Spanish hegemony once and for all. The pragmatic Cardinal did not hesitate to join the Protestant side, if only to give Spain the coup de grace, which was interpreted as a huge betrayal.

THE SIEGE OF 1638
This is the background for the most famous and memorable military event in the town’s history: the siege of 1638, an event that acquired mythical proportions and which every year is remembered during the patron saint celebrations of Hondarribia. Let’s allow the chronicler to say it in his own words:
On 1 July 1638, with Hondarribia completely unaware, a French army of 18,000 men led by the Prince of Condé besieged it, after taking over Irun, Oiartzun, Lezo, Errenteria and Pasaia.
At that moment in the town there were, between soldiers of the castle and locals, 700 armed men, an insufficient number for its defence. The Province contributed 77 men from nearby towns, and a few days later, taking advantage of the high tide, another 320 managed to enter. In total, some 1100 defenders had to face a very superior army with abundant artillery.
Before the siege fully encircled the town, some brave women managed to sneak up to the sanctuary of Guadalupe, in the mountain, and bring back the statue of the Virgin to the town’s parish church. Before it, the city pledged that if it was victorious, it would always celebrate that day.
In late July, just before the siege was completing its first month, the besieged townspeople were read a letter from the Admiral of Castile, informing them that he was gathering a large army that would come to their defence. They replied urging him to make haste, as they were running low on gunpowder, munition and provisions, and did not know how long they would be able to resist. They also managed to receive a letter from King Philip IV, stating that he was proud of their bravery and promising to perpetuate their memory and compensate all the damage.
Weeks went by and aid was not forthcoming. On 15 August, day 46 of the siege and the festivity of the Assumption of the Virgin, the people gathered at the church to intensify their prayers to their patron saint. As nothing seemed to change, after a few days they carried the statue in a procession so that, by seeing the ruins of the town, it may be moved to compassion.
On 31 August the French attempted an assault using ladders that the defenders repelled by pouring burning tar. In September, the situation became unbearable. The walls had fallen and the enemy had surpassed the moat; the defenders were few and they were defenceless due to a lack of munition.
The French made a surrender offer. The mayor silenced the voices that wished to accept it: “the first person I find talking about surrender, I will stab to death myself”, he said to them. The official reply was given by the governor of the stronghold, telling them to attempt the assault, that they did not need outside aid and that Hondarribia itself had enough for its defence.
The assaults continued. As there were not enough hands to close the breaches, a group of young men, with shotguns and muskets, defended one of the fortress walls, climbing over stones and dead bodies.
At last, on 7 September, day 69 of the siege, the relief army arrived under the command of the admiral of Castile. The French abandoned their positions and fled, many of them perishing from gunshots and drowning.
The admiral of Castile described the battle in a letter to his wife, using these simple words, which have become famous: “My friend, as you know not about war, I will tell you that the enemy camp was divided into four parts: one fled, another we killed, another we captured, and the other drowned. May God be with you – I shall dine in Hondarribia”.
The following day, the admiral observed the city in ruins. 16,000 cannonballs had fallen on it. No building was left undamaged, and many had collapsed. The sick and wounded lay in corners and doorways. Their emaciated faces laid bare the true magnitude of the tragedy.
Of the 1100 armed men, only 400 remained. The lack of munition had become desperate at the end of the siege: all the iron and lead in the town had been consumed and they had resorted to the pewter in homes, and even silver was used.
News of the victory was celebrated with festivities throughout the kingdom. Theatre plays, ballads and poems were written about the event. One of them, composed by Calderón de la Barca himself, spoke ironically of the trouncing the French had suffered. The defence of Hondarribia was compared to those of Saguntum and Numantia, to build a new myth that the decadent monarchy was in urgent need of.
The king had pledged great rewards. His royal favourite, the count-duke, promised “more favours than you can imagine”. But it was just rhetoric, as the Crown was bankrupt… A year later the breaches in the wall were still there and the city was in ruins. All he could still do was grant titles. For its heroic defence Hondarribia received the title of “city”. The “Most noble, most loyal and most valiant” city of Hondarribia.
The following year, on the anniversary of the liberation, the mayor reminded the town of its pledge, and all the inhabitants climbed in a solemn procession to the sanctuary of Guadalupe. It was 8 September 1639, and since then it has been celebrated every year except for some rare occasions.