Catalina de Erauso

Catalina de Erauso (in Spanish) or Katalina Erauso (in Basque), also known in Spanish as La Monja Alférez (English, The Nun Lieutenant) (San Sebastián, Spain, 1592 — Cuetlaxtla (near Orizaba), New Spain, 1650), was a personality of the Basque Country, Spain and Spanish America in the first half of the 17th century. For nearly 400 years, Catalina Erauso's story has remained alive through historical studies, biographical stories, novels, movies and comics.

De Erauso's (alleged) autobiography claims that she was born in 1585. However her baptismal certificate dates her birth in 1592. Her parents were Captain Miguel de Erauso and Maria Pérez de Arce Gallarraga, both of whom had been born and lived in San Sebastián. Her father was an important military commander of the Basque province under the orders of King Philip III of Spain. From an early age she took part with her father and brothers in the arts of warfare.

Around the year 1589, when she was 4 years old, she entered the Dominican convent of her hometown (San Sebastian), with her sisters Isabel and Maria. In the convent, her aunt Mrs "Ursula de Uriza and Sarasti", a cousin of her mother, held the position of prioress. At that time, it was normal for young girls to enter education according to the criteria of Catholicism promoting the learning of female tasks and subsequently to be betrothed "as God intended". Because of her explosive character and given the difficulty the nuns had to control her, she was transferred to the Monastery of San Bartolome de San Sebastian until she was 15, where the rules were much stricter. She realized that she had no religious vocation, for which she felt imprisoned and refused to profess her vows. Catalina de Erauso was detained in her cell because of the constant fights she had with a widow novice named Mrs Catalina de Alirli. For this reason, on the night of March 18, 1600, the eve of San Jose, she found the keys of the convent hanging in a corner and took advantage of it to escape. She made menswear with the materials she found, cut her hair and hid her habit.

From this moment, she began the life of a fugitive. Later, she narrated this in her autobiography, which gave her great fame. She ate what she found on the way walking through different villages, this is how she reached Vitoria, a city 20 miles from San Sebastian. There she met a doctor and professor Mr. Francisco de Cerralta, who gave her clothes and took her in without recognising her. He was married to her mother's cousin. She stayed with him for 3 months, during which she learnt some Latin . After having forced her to continue studying and attempted sexual abuse,Catalina took money from the doctor and met a mule driver and went to Valladolid with him. In which the court of King Philip III resided, widely influenced by the Duke of Lerma, "Valido del Rey". Catalina, disguised as a man, by the name of Francisco de Loyola, served in the court as a page of the secretary of King Juan de Idiaquez for seven months. She had to flee from Valladolid when she met her father, who came looking for his good friend Mr. Juan de Idiáquez. Her father asked for information to find her, describing her physical appearance and the way she escaped from the convent. Surprisingly, her father did not recognise her despite having spoken with her. however, she decided to run away again. This time, she took the longest route towards Bilbao. When she arrived, she was not as lucky as before, she did not find a place to sleep nor a patron. In addition, she had a fight with some young men who tried to assault her, so she took a stone and wounded one of them. Thus, she was arrested and stayed in prison for a month. Once released from prison she went to Estella de Navarra and managed to settle herself as a page of an important lord of the town called Alonso de Arellano. Catalina was his servant for two years, always well treated and well dressed. Between 1602 and 1603, After her years of service to Arellano, she returned to San Sebastián, her hometown, where she lived as a man, taking care of her relatives, whom she saw frequently. She also attended mass in her old convent with her former colleagues. It's said that she has also served her aunt without ever being recognized. After some time, she came to Puerto de Pasajes, where she met Captain Miguel de Berróiz, who took her to Seville. They were there for only two days. She later returned to Sanlucar de Barrameda, where she found a job as a cabin boy on a ship. Captain Estaban Eguiño, who was a cousin of her mother, owned the galleon. According to her memoirs, she embarked on Holy Monday, 1603 to America. According to the website http://www.euskomedia.org, "Erauso apparently felt the same way as many Basques of her time: the calling of the Indies."

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