Captain Alatriste (El capitán Alatriste) is a series of books by Spanish author Arturo Pérez-Reverte. It deals with the adventures of the title character, a soldier living in the Spanish 17th century. Spanish stamp (2002) tribute to Captain Alatriste Arturo Pérez-Reverte (b. ... (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ...

Series

• El capitán Alatriste ("Captain Alatriste", 1996): In 1623, Diego Alatriste and the Italian Gualterio Malatesta are paid by two mysterious characters to kill a pair of unknown English visitors in Madrid.
• Limpieza de sangre ("Purity of Blood", 1997): Madrid, 1623. A woman is murdered in a church. Later, Quevedo solicits help from Alatriste to rescue a girl forced to enter in a convent; moreover, Alatriste's young squire Íñigo Balboa is investigated by the Spanish Inquisition because he had been accused of being a possible secret Jew.
• El Sol de Breda (Non translated to English, "Breda's Sun", 1998): Spanish Netherlands, 1624–1625. Alatriste and Íñigo join the Spanish Army and fight in the war against Dutch rebels.
• El Oro del Rey (Non translated, "The King's gold", 2000): Seville, 1626. After their participation in the Flanders War, Alatriste and Íñigo return to Spain and became corsairs under Royal protection.
• El Caballero del Jubón Amarillo (Non translated, "The Knight with the Yellow Jerkin" 2003): Again in Madrid, Alatriste initiates a relation with the famous actress María de Castro. However, the womanizing King Philip IV of Spain is also interested in conquering the lady at any price.

A movie based on the series, titled Alatriste, was released in September 1, 2006, starring Viggo Mortensen. Captain Alatriste (El capitán Alatriste) is a series of books by Spanish author Arturo Pérez-Reverte. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... Events August 6 - Pope Urban VIII is elected to the Papacy. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq... This article is about the Spanish capital. ... Limpieza de sangre is also a novel in the Captain Alatriste series by Arturo Pérez-Reverte. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Francisco Gómez de Quevedo y Villegas (September 17, 1580 – September 8, 1645) was a Spanish writer during the . ... Pedro Berruguete. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... This article or section should be merged with Seventeen Provinces The Spanish Netherlands was a portion of the Low Countries controlled by Spain from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century. ... Events January 24 - Alfonso Mendez, appointed by Pope Gregory XV as Prelate of Ethiopia, arrives at Massawa from Goa. ... Events March 27 - Prince Charles Stuart becomes King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... Seville (Spanish: Sevilla, see also different names) is the artistic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain, irrigated by the river Guadalquivir (, ). It is the capital of Andalusia and of the province of Sevilla. ... Events September 30 - Nurhaci, chieftain of the Jurchens and founder of the Qing Dynasty dies and is succeeded by his son Hong Taiji. ... Flanders (Dutch: Vlaanderen) has several main meanings: the social, cultural and linguistical, scientific and educational, economical and political community of the Flemings; some prefer to call this the Flemish community (others refer to this as the Flemish nation) which is, with over 6 million inhabitants, the majority of all Belgians... Depending on context, Corsair can refer to: a pirate who used to operate with a commission from a government (see privateer). ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Philip IV, King of Portugal (), (April 8, 1605 – September 17, 1665). ... Alatriste is a film-in-progress by the Spanish director Agustín Díaz Yanes, based on the main character of a series of novels written by Arturo Pérez-Reverte, Las aventuras del Capitán Alatriste (The Adventures of Captain Alatriste in English). ... September 1 is the 244th day of the year (245th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Viggo Mortensen at the world premiere of Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, in Wellington, New Zealand. ...

The series started as Pérez-Reverte disagreed with the lack of treatment of the history of the Spanish Golden Century in the lessons of his teenaged daughter Carlota. He commissioned Carlota to gather documentation (hence, she is billed as co-author of the first novel) and developed the stories. Pérez-Reverte is influenced by the works of Alexandre Dumas, specially the D'Artagnan Romances. He also applies the dark tone of his experiences as a war reporter. The siglo de oro (a Spanish-language phrase meaning golden century) was to the great age of Spanish wealth and power, roughly from the early-to-mid-16th century to the early-to-mid-17th century. ... Alexandre Dumas redirects here. ... The dArtagnan Romances are a set of three novels by Alexandre Dumas telling the story of the musketeer dArtagnan from his humble beginnings in Gascony to his death as a marshal of France in the siege of Maastricht in 1673. ...

The period settings allows him to insert references to the authors and artists of the time, one of the most brilliant in Spanish history. He reflections on Spain and the Spaniards as a people united that, in spite of being at war with all the major European powers, are capable of showing bravery and honour.

List of Main Characters

• Captain Diego Alatriste y Tenorio (1582–1643?), Leonese soldier since he was 13. Never an official captain, survives in peacetime as a sword for hire.
• Íñigo Balboa y Aguirre (1610–?), the young Basque squire of Alatriste, son of Lope Balboa.
• Angélica de Alquézar (c.1611–c.1640), Aragonese lady in the Queen's Court, niece of Luis de Alquézar, inspired by Dumas' Milady de Winter.
• Luis de Alquézar (ca.1570–?), Royal secretary of Aragonese origin.
• Francisco de Quevedo (1580–1645), famous, talented and ironic poet of the period, and friend of Alatriste.
• Gualterio Malatesta, a swordfighter from Palermo.
• Emilio Bocanegra, dominican friar and president of the Saint Inquisition Tribunal.
• Álvaro Luis Gonzaga de la Marca y Álvarez de Sidonia, Count of Guadalmedina.
• Martín Saldaña, former soldier and comrade of Alatriste, now lieutenant of alguaciles ("Police" of the period) in Madrid.
• Lope Balboa (c.1575–1621), former Alatriste's comrade and father of Íñigo Balboa.
• María de Castro, a famous actress from Madrid.
• Caridad la Lebrijana, owner of The Turk's Tavern, Alatriste's main residence in Madrid.
• Ambrosio de Spínola (1569–1630), Genoese military under Spanish command and governor of Milan.
• Gaspar de Guzmán y Pimentel, Count-Duke of Olivares (1587–1645).
• King Philip IV of Spain (1605–1665).
• Félix Lope de Vega y Carpio (1562–1635), famous Spanish writer.
• Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez (1599–1660), famous Spanish painter (not a lot at the time of the novels).