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The Pastrana Tapestries of Alfonso V
Portuguese Conquest of Tangier
Detail of Centre
Picture Source: Iolanda Andrade
The surrender of Tangier and the exit from the city
Following the conquest of Asilah, the Portuguese army marched into the city of Tangier, taking it without a fight on August 28th, 1471 on account of an agreement reached with the lord of Asilah. Despite his defeat, he surrendered the city to the Portuguese in order to continue his fight against the lord of Fes. The tapestry shows the entry of the Portuguese and the exit of the inhabitants of Tangier. On the left we can see the advance of the Portuguese army, arriving at the gates of the town. The middle of the composition is taken by the strongly-defended city and its bay, represented very naïvely and almost in a two-dimensional style, like the rest of nature in this series of four tapestries. Other fortresses appear far away, on the landscape. A soldier waves the coat of arms of Portugal from the top of the walls, and the defeated inhabitants of the city leave it on the right, taking along their belongings. The presence of women and children and the careful representation of Moorish robes are noteworthy.
