House of Mendoza

Coat of arms of the Mendoza

The Mendoza family was a powerful line of Spanish nobles. Members of the family wielded considerable power, especially from the 14th to the 17th centuries in Castile. The family originated from the town of Mendoza in the province of Álava in the Basque countries. The province became part of the Kingdom of Castile during the reign of Alfonso XI (1312–1350), and the Mendozas participated in Castilian politics afterward, with its scions becoming advisers, administrators, and clerics.

Prehistory

The Tower of Mendoza in Álava

Álava was a mountainous region bounded by the kingdoms of Castile, Aragon, and Navarre in the 13th and 14th century. It had been loosely controlled by Navarre earlier, and retained its own distinctive customs and traditions. The town of Mendoza and the province of Álava itself was also a battlefield, where the clashing noble families of the area settled their disputes for generations. In 1332, the Mendozas had already been there at least a century, struggling with the rival clans such as Ayala, Orozco, and Velasco. They traced themselves as a stem of the House of Haro, another powerful clan of the Basque countries.

Once the region joined Castile, this interclan warfare generally ended, as they now jostled for position and privilege in Castile at large. By virtue of the Mendozas' status as knights and free men, they became Castilian nobility with the annexation (hidalgos). All members of the noble class were knights, administrators, or lawyers, and served in the administration of the realm. The largest family's responsibility was to form and maintain a local army that could make available if called by the king. The highest nobility became direct vassals of the king.

The Mendozas in the 14th century

Gonzálo Yáñez de Mendoza

Main article: Gonzálo Yáñez de Mendoza

The first Mendoza to occupy a high position in Castile was Gonzálo Yáñez de Mendoza. During the Reconquista, he fought in the Battle of Río Salado in 1340 and the siege of Algeciras in 1344 against the Muslim kingdoms of Spain. He served as chief huntsman to King Alfonso XI and settled in Guadalajara, which he ruled after marrying the sister of Íñigo López de Orozco. Orozco, another person originally from Álava, had received the post of mayor as a reward for his military services to the king. This pattern would later be replicated in the family several times: by serving the king in war, they would receive prestigious positions. Using these positions, they would then marry into power and wealth.

Pedro González de Mendoza

Main article: Pedro González de Mendoza (soldier)

The son of Gonzálo, Pedro González de Mendoza (1340–1385) participated in the Castilian Civil War. He aided the fortunes of his family greatly by siding with his stepbrother Henry II over Pedro the Cruel, as Henry's line eventually won the war. Pedro was taken prisoner by Edward, the Black Prince in the Battle of Najera, a crushing defeat for Henry's forces, but was eventually released after Edward left Pedro's side to return to England. Pedro was remembered as a hero for his actions in the Battle of Aljubarrota, another crushing Castilian defeat. When King John I's horse died, Pedro gave him his horse so that he could flee. Pedro was then slain in the battle with no way to escape. Still, his services were remembered, and the Mendoza family continued to grow in power and wealth.

Pedro was also a poet whose works include examples of the Galician tradition, a serrana, and coplas of a Jew's love.

Diego Hurtado de Mendoza

Main article: Diego Hurtado de Mendoza (Admiral of Castile)

Diego Hurtado de Mendoza inherited the fortunes of his father Pedro. He married the illegitimate daughter of King Henry II, and later married Leonor de la Vega an exceptionally powerful and well-connected widow to the La Vega family. King Henry III appointed him Admiral of Castile, and he fought against Portugal as commander of the fleet. Still, of the three engagements he commanded, his forces lost in all of them. When he died, he was considered among the richest men in Castile.

The Mendozas in the 15th century

Íñigo López de Mendoza

Main article: Íñigo López de Mendoza, marqués de Santillana

Íñigo López de Mendoza

Pedro González de Mendoza

Main article: Pedro González de Mendoza

The Mendozas in the 16th century

Decline and fall

Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar y Mendoza

Main article: Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar y Mendoza

Diego Hurtado de Mendoza

Main article: Diego Hurtado de Mendoza, 1st Count of Melito

Ana de Mendoza y de la Cerda

Main article: Ana de Mendoza e de la Cerda

Íñigo López de Mendoza y Quiñones

Main article: Íñigo López de Mendoza y Quiñones

References

• This article incorporates text translated from the Spanish Wikipedia article Familia de Mendoza, licensed under the GFDL.

External links

• Page dedicated to the Mendoza family, by Jose L. G. de Paz, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.
• Castillo de Calahorra of the Marquis of Cenete.