Exhibition “From Pavia to Breda” at the Palace of Isabel II in Mahón

Mahón, October 29, 2025

The exhibition “From Pavia to Breda: 100 Years of Preeminence of the Spanish Tercios in Europe (1525-1625)” will open on November 3 at the Palace of Isabel II in Mahón (former Military Government building).

This is a traveling exhibition organized by the Spanish Army commemorating the centenary of the Battle of Pavia (1525) and the Siege of Breda (1625), highlighting one hundred years of Spanish military hegemony from the reigns of Charles V, Philip II, Philip III, and Philip IV. It also features the role of the Queens who mediated the conflicts: Isabella of Portugal, Eleanor of Austria, and Louise of Savoy, as well as the role of women in the army. The exhibition also showcases the battlefields where the various battles that shaped modern Europe took place: Pavia, Saint-Quentin, Lepanto, and the Siege of Breda.

The exhibition pays particular attention to the Spanish Tercios, their composition, and their methods of operation in the various battles in which they participated, generating a military supremacy that lasted for more than a century.

These feats became sources of inspiration for art.

The exhibition will be open until November 28, Monday to Friday, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Free admission.