Alvaro de Sande

Don Álvaro de Sande (Cáceres 1489 – Milan October 20, 1573) was a Spanish nobleman and military leader.

He was the son of Don Juan de Sande, second señor de Valhondo.
Don Alvaro de Sande participated in numerous campaigns in the Spanish Army, including the Conquest of Tunis (1535), the conquest of Duren and Roermond in 1543, and the grand Battle of Muhlberg in 1549, in which Sande distinguished himself. When the German Campaign ended, Sande fought in the Italian War of 1551–1559 against France in the Tercios of Milan.

Despite his high age, he participated in 1560 in the Battle of Djerba against the Turks, which ended in disaster. After the sea battle, the surviving soldiers took refuge in the fort they had completed just days earlier. When Giovanni Andrea Doria managed to escape in a small vessel, Sande became commander of the force in the fort, which was soon attacked by the combined forces of Piyale Pasha and Turgut Reis. After a siege of three months,, the garrison surrendered and 5,000 prisoners, including Alvaro de Sande, were carried back to Istanbul. After 5 years, Sande was ransomed for 60,000 escudos and returned to Spain. He fought against the Turks again at the Siege of Malta in 1565.

He was received Valdefuentes from King Philip II and was made first Marqués de la Piovera.
He became interim Governor of the Duchy of Milan on August 21, 1571, a position that he held until April 7, 1572.

He married Antonia de Guzmán and had a son Rodrigo de Sande, 2nd marquês de la Piovera.

Sources

• El Periodico Extremadura (Spanish)
• GeneAll.net

Preceded by Gabriel de la Cueva, 5th Duke of Alburquerque

Governor of the Duchy of Milan 1571-1572

Succeeded by Luis de Requesens y Zúñiga

Persondata
Name	Sande, Alvaro De
Alternative names
Short description	General and Governor of the Duchy of Milan
Date of birth	1489
Place of birth	Cáceres, Spain
Date of death	October 20, 1573
Place of death	Milan, Italy