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Padilla possessed the personal bravery and
tactical skills of a natural warrior but lacked
the political cunning to match his military
qualifications. He led the insurgent forces
through a series of alternating victories and
reverses in what came to be known as the
“Revolt of the Comuneros” (a reference to
the alliance of Castilian communes that
defied royal authority). The high point of
the revolt came in August 1520, when the
insurgents captured the town of Tordesil-
las, giving them custody of Queen J
OANNA
,
who was still nominally co-ruler of C
ASTILE
with her son, Charles I. The “Prisoner of
Tordesillas” had been confined in the cas-
tle there for some years due to her alleged
mental illness. She received Padilla and his
companions in a friendly fashion when they
came to pay their respects to her, and they
hoped for a time to transform their revolt
into an uprising on behalf of the rightful
monarch. Joanna refused, however, to sign
documents denouncing her son and soon
lapsed into a state of total indifference to
their wishes.
Padilla continued to lead the rebel forces
during the early part of 1521 despite the
intrigues directed against him by some local
commanders and the defection of a major
ally who went over to the king's cause.
Padilla was finally encircled and defeated
by the ever-increasing troops of Charles
and, following his capture, was executed as
the arch rebel. Without its ablest military
commander, the Revolt of the Comuneros
soon collapsed.
of Coimbra, Pais joined the republican
movement and participated in the bloodless
revolution that overthrew King M
ANUEL
II
in 1910. During the troubled early years of
the new republic he held various cabinet
posts and represented Portugal in Germany.
Frustrated by the shortcomings of the new
regime, he engineered its downfall in 1917.
He presided over a provisional government
that brought an end to Portugal's disastrous
participation in World War I and won elec-
tion to the presidency in 1918. He ruled
dictatorially, anticipating the tactics of
A
NTÓNIO
C
ARMONA
and A
NTÓNIO
DE
O
LIVEIRA
S
ALAZAR
in the 1920s. Pais, however,
enjoyed only a brief tenure of power before
being assassinated in December 1918.
Palafox, José de (duque de
Zaragoza)
(1776-1847)
Spanish general
Born in Z
ARAGOZA
of a prominent family,
Palafox served with the Royal Corps of
Guards in a series of campaigns in the P
EN
-
INSULAR
W
AR
and by 1808 held the rank of
brigadier. When news of the French seizure
of M
ADRID
in early May and the deposition
of the Spanish house of B
OURBON
reached
Zaragoza, the senior officers there
responded with confusion and delay. In a
remarkable display of democracy A
RAGON
's
populace deposed the incumbent leaders
and proclaimed Palafox captain general of
Aragon. A native son with wide local rec-
ognition, he seemed the ideal soldier to
respond to the crisis. Showing great energy
and determination Palafox organized the
defense of the city by combining a small
force of regulars with thousands of urban
volunteers and peasant militiamen. The
French army began a series of massive
Pais, Sidónio
(1872-1918)
Portuguese statesman
A former military officer who became a
professor of mathematics at the University
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