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The year is 1467. The economic pressures on
the peasants exceeds their ability to provide. The abuses of such feudal lords
as the Moscosos, the Counts of Altamira become unbearable. The king, Henry IV
is blind to the pleas of his subjects. There isn´t even cake to eat! It is no
surprise that finally, the Irmandiños form a band and plot to overthrow their
masters. Supported by some of the clergy and even some minor squires (the
hidalgos, which means literally sons of some substance), it is estimated that
perhaps 80,000 rose in Galicia against the establishment between 1467 and 1469.
They succesfully attacked 130 forts, amongst them the castle in Vimianzo.
However, despite the rapid success of the
Irmandiños, their victory was short lived. As is so often the case, competing
interests and lack of control within the brotherhoods led to their downfall.
When the situation came to the notice of the king, he sent his support to the
nobles. The strength of the rebels at that time simply wasn´t enough. Vimianzo
was now not in the hands of the Moscosos, but Alonso II, the archbishop of
Santiago. The leaders of the rebellion were hanged; others were forced to
rebuild what they had destroyed. The end result is the castle we see today, which, by the way, is on The Little Fox House History and Mystery Tour if you are a pilgrim at the end of your Camino and lucky enough to be able to pay Foxy a visit for a couple of nights or three. (see www.thelittlefoxhouse.com )
Fast forward to 2013. Irmandiños and nobles eat and drink side by
side, that is until Luar na Lubre stops playing and the cry goes up: “Lume!”
Three slaves walk onto the stage, their
plight quite clear. The queen shows no mercy (the countess actually but the
facts here ruin the story!). The peasants begin to hurl abuse as the baddies
demonstrate their power. “The queen is a
dipshit!” catcalls the normally restrained (so he says) Reverand Stewart of
Saskatoon, one of the three pilgrims who stormed the castle with me this year.
These words will stay with me, Tracy Saunders, for the rest of my life!
“LUME!” The torches are lit, the drums
begin as we follow the Irmandiños toward the object of their discontent.
Someone takes up the cry: “Asalto a O Castelo!
Asalto a O Castelo!!". The castle hoves into site.
The story continues on the battlements and we
Irmandiños are repulsed by water balloons, but only for a while. The slaves reappear, a hand-to-hand battle is
fought and the Viscount gets the worse of it. “LIBERTAD!!!”
Down go the gates under the merciless
thrust of those manning (and womaning) the battering ram.
“LIBERTAD!!!”
And so the castle is ours once again, for a whole year.
I am not usually one for festivals, but I have my little
school in Vimianzo, and The Little Fox house is within its “Concello”. I hung a
banner out of the school window (OK so it's St Mark from Venice. I am a foreigner!) and we all dressed up very Medievally and
danced til 3 in the morning.
And I can´t wait for next year.“LUME!”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpQ5dWn6Lyc
