Abstract

This paper is about Diego Duque de Estrada, who was firstly a soldier and then a Brother (under the name of Justo de Santa Maria), author of a fictitious biography in the picaresque style where he tells of his compelling adventures: "Comentarios del desengañado de sí mismo". In the text he glorifies his own talent and praises his military merits. It was these talents - according to him - that allowed him to conquer a role on the front line in Sardinia, where he arrived as a Brother of the Hospitaller Order, when the Sardinian city of Oristano was attacked by a French contingent. Duque de Estrada tells of the initiatives taken in that situation to defend the city of Cagliari. It is difficult to outline with accuracy that role that was actually held by Justo de Santa Maria: in the "Comentarios" he presents himself as one of the key players in a dramatic moment; the documentation leads one to think that his role was minor. In any case, the account of the matter is significant enough to understand how in the Seventeenth Century being a religious individual did not impede the use of weapons. Loyalty to the sovereign (and his defence) was considered to be a statement of ones loyalty to God.