Tom Holland

The Spanish are only a tiny element of this battle.

But the Spanish, because it's on the high moors, that favours the Spanish horses.

And Oviedo's account is great, actually.

He says it started with this sort of Lord of the Rings, Battle of the Pelennor Fields, charged by the Spanish cavalry.

They were all shouting, Santiago.

And I quote, "'They attacked fiercely, trampling the Indians under their horses and causing great bloodshed with their lances.

Terrible bravery and fury were shown by either side.

The Indians rallied to a cry that this was the moment to fight for their liberty.

The Spaniards shouted that their very lives were at stake.'

The Indians' bravery was exceptional, although they saw the battlefield soaked in blood and covered with the bodies of their dead.

And although they realized their doom, they fought on with marvelous vigor, lacking neither strength nor spirit.

So it's this great sort of Tolkien-esque clash.

And Rumiñahui's men were in danger of breaking, but then they rallied.

They killed some of the horses.

Maybe they did manage to club them to death or hit them with a drum or whatever.

And they forced the Spanish to fall back.

And night falls and the two sides are deadlocked.

And you would think this might be a disaster for the Spanish since they're outnumbered.

But overnight, the Spanish tricked the Khitans.

They left their campfires burning, but they slipped away in the darkness.