Come satiri selvaggi. il guerriero canario e l’invasione normanno-castigliana del XV secolo

Abstract

The objective of this article is to analyze the Art of war of the native societies of the Canary archipelago, which were wiped out in the 15th century during the invasion called «Norman-Castillian». Despite the technological backwardness that distinguished them, their resistance lasted for almost a century, which was also due to the way in which they knew how to exploit their advantages and leverage on the opponent’s weaknesses. Aboriginal people left no written record of their cultures, and accounts of their characteristic features are therefore due to the victors who write history. The study of the salient war episodes of the conquest of the islands is therefore a tool to highlight the fighting techniques, the geopolitical organization and other aspects of great importance, such as the fragile demographic stability. The sources used are medieval and modern ones of European production, with the support of the current academic bibliography.