# Diego López de Medrano y Vergara

Diego López de Medrano y Vergara (Soria, c. XV century – Málaga, June 1487) was a ricohombre and nobleman from the House of Medrano, Lord of San Gregorio and Cañaveruelas, knight, a member of the 12 lineages of Soria, and a member of His Majesty's Council in the Kingdom of Castile. He died at the siege of Malaga in June 1487.

## Early life

Diego López de Medrano was the son of Diego López de Medrano, Lord of San Gregorio [es], Cañaveruelas, de la Torre and Almarza de Cameros, and Juana de Vergara, from the aristocratic Vergara family. He belongs to the ancient Medrano family, one of the most noble lineages from the Kingdoms of Navarre and Castile. His mother Juana de Vergara was the daughter of the heir to the mayorazgo and the Vergara estate in the mountains. Diego's father, who died before 1482, was the alcaide of the castle of Medinaceli for Luis de la Cerda y de la Vega, 1st Duke of Medinaceli. Diego’s paternal uncle, Blasco de Medrano, married Catalina de Morales in 1517. Together, they had a long line of descendants.

### Lordship of San Gregorio

Diego was the grandson of Garcia González de Medrano, Lord of San Gregorio, and the great-grandson of Catalina Rodríguez de Medrano, founder of the Mayorazgo of San Gregorio in 1394, in favor of her son Garcia González de Medrano. His great-grandmother Catalina married with Gregorio Gil de Cabanillas in the 14th century. A genealogical chart of the Medrano family, Lords of San Gregorio, Cavañuelas and Fuenmayor, recorded in a manuscript, traces a lineage from Diego López de Medrano, mayordomo and guardian of King John II of Castile, who made his will in 1434, to his fifth-generation descendant, Maestre de Campo Diego López de Medrano, Comendador of the encomienda of Villahermosa.

### Atienza

Diego López de Medrano was a prominent ricohombre, lord, knight, noble and councilor of His Majesty in the Kingdom of Castile. His father-in-law, Garcí Bravo de Lagunas, migrated from Soria (or Sigüenza) to establish an estate in Atienza. When Garcí Bravo assumed the role of Alcaide of Atienza Castle, he relocated with his entire family, bringing along his wife, children, and sons-in-law. Among those who came with him were his daughter Magdalena Bravo de Lagunas and her husband, Diego López de Medrano, as well as their children: Diego, Garcí, Luis, Catalina, and Isabel. After settling in Atienza, Magdalena and Diego had at least four more children, including Luisa de Medrano.

### Garcí Bravo de Lagunas

At the onset of Queen Isabella the Catholic's reign in Castile, Atienza, like the rest of the kingdom, faced a crucial decision: whether to remain loyal to the reigning king or to support the prospective queen, Isabella. During the Castilian War of Succession, Diego’s father-in-law, Garcí Bravo de Lagunas, Alcaide of Atienza, played a pivotal role in securing the city of Sigüenza for Queen Isabella.

#### Siege of Sigüenza

In a decisive act during the conflict, Garcí Bravo de Lagunas and his relative, Pedro de Almazán, bravely scaled Sigüenza Castle, capturing Bishop Diego López of Madrid, a supporter of Juana la Beltraneja, thereby advancing Isabella’s cause. Garcí Bravo, Alcaide of Atienza Castle, along with Pedro de Almazán, assisted in the ascent of Garcí Bravo’s men, securing both the castle and the town, ensuring its allegiance to Queen Isabella I.

#### Alcaide of Sigüenza

Consequently, the descendants of Garci Bravo wielded considerable influence in Sigüenza and Atienza. Following the city's restoration to the Catholic Monarchs, Garci Bravo de Lagunas assumed the role of Alcaide of Sigüenza maintaining a prominent position in the castle of Atienza.

## Family

Diego López de Medrano y Vergara was born into the noble Medrano family, the son of Diego López de Medrano and Catalina de Vergara. The House of Medrano was one of the most powerful in the Sierra de Cameros [es] and in Soria. The House of Medrano, Lords of the towns of Cañaveruelas, Cabanillas, San Gregorio, and many other entailed estates of the Medrano lineage in Soria and its region, are knights of great antiquity and nobility. Their sheep grazed in those lands, and hundreds of times they walked to the pastures of Extremadura or the royal valley of Alcudia, in La Mancha. According to genealogical proofs provided by his descendant García de Medrano y Castejón, this branch of the family not only owned the entailed estate and fortress of San Gregorio but also possessed 15,000 sheep.
Educated at the University of Salamanca in Civil and Canon Law, the Medrano family prepared for roles as corregidores, judges, and advisors to the Crown’s Councils. Originating from Soria and Viana and linked to the castles of San Gregorio and Barajas (Madrid), they initially settled in Ciudad Real. Here, members of the Medrano family participated in the Reconquest of Alarcos in 1212 alongside Alfonso VIII of Castile at the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa and served as lords of the Torre de la Galiana. In the 15th century they became close aides to the Catholic Monarchs.
The Medrano family later established themselves in Daimiel, holding positions as high mayors, governors, and chief justices of the Order of Calatrava. Their influence extended to Toledo, where the Medrano family served as Marshals of Castile and lords of Caudilla and Novés, and finally to Tomelloso, with ties to the Ginel na h-Alba von Leuchtenberg y de Medrano & de Ugena Mondragón families.
The Medrano family established ties to the Constables of Castile through their connection to the House of Almazán and Mendoza, a noble lineage closely associated with Velasco family, Marquesses of Berlanga, who held the position of Constable of Castile. This link was solidified through the marriage of Juan Garcés to Juliana de Medrano, integrating the Medrano lineage into this influential noble network. However, their direct line eventually ended. Juliana de Medrano, widowed, passed away in Tarazona in 1371, leaving behind four children: Juliana, Juan, Hernando, and Isabel Garcés de Medrano.

### Siblings

* Francisco de Medrano y Vergara was the Lord of Cabanillas. Francisco married María de Vinuesa, sister of Juan de Vinuesa. Their offspring included Diego López de Medrano y Vinuesa, who inherited the title of Lord of Cabanillas.
* Francisca de Medrano y Vergara married Tristán del Arco in Borja.
* García de Medrano y Vergara, from Soria, who married a woman from the House of Barrionuevo, one of the 3 main lineages of the 12 from Soria, with numerous offspring.
According to Luis Núñez Burillo y Ginel de Medrano, a branch of the de Medrano y Mendoza de Borbón family lineage, which included the Counts of Coruña, Dukes of Bourbon (Peers of France), Marquesses of Santillana, and Dukes of Infantado—was renowned for its academic and intellectual achievements.

### Alliances

Through strategic marriages, the House of Medrano integrated with prominent noble families of Daimiel and Almagro, including Garnica, Rotolo/Rótulo (from Milan), Carrillo de Albornoz, von Schüren/Juren (a family belonging to the Westphalian gentry), Schedler/Jedler (from Cologne and Kempten-Bavaria, Germany), and Calderón. Subsequent generations moved to Argamasilla de Alba, where the Medrano family became notaries, town council secretaries, and lords of the House of Medrano in Argamasilla de Alba, established in the late 16th century by Jorge Pacheco and Ana de Anaya.
In Almagro, the Medrano family became connected to the von Schüren/Juren family, either through inheritance or purchase of houses that had once belonged to them, as noted by an investigative board in the town:
   On the said day, month, and year, we visited the houses where Juan de Medrano y Zúñiga currently resides, in relation to his deposition and presentation of documents. Upon inspection, we confirmed that they are among the most distinguished houses in this town, located in the Pradillo de las Franciscas ... We documented this as part of our inquiry and signed accordingly.
It remains unclear whether Juan de Medrano y Zuñiga acquired the houses through purchase, though it is believed that by that time, no direct members of the Juren family remained. However, he was related to them in some capacity.

## Construction of the castle of San Gregorio

Diego's castle of San Gregorio was catalogued as a National Monument in 1949 and declared a Cultural Interest Asset in 1980. The lordship of San Gregorio is located in the Almarza region (Comarca de Almarza). Above the door is the coat of arms of the Medrano family. A license was granted to build this medieval castle, signed by Juan de Oviedo, secretary to King Henry IV, in favor of Diego López de Medrano, the owner of the mayorazgo estate founded in 1394 by Catalina Rodríguez de Medrano. This license allowed him:
   to make, work on, and build the said house and tower with its barrier in the place of San Gregorio...
Diego's descendant Garcia de Medrano, of the Royal Council and Chamber of Castile, commissioned a renovation or construction at the castle of San Greogrio in 1677, which was commemorated in stone above the entrance. The title of Count of Torrubia was granted on August 29, 1694, to his son García de Medrano y Mendizábal, a knight of the Order of Calatrava and lord of San Gregorio.

### Origin of the castle

The origin of the castle of San Gregorio is recorded in the document drawn up in Medina del Campo and dated July 29, 1461, by which King Henry IV gave Diego López de Medrano permission to build this fortified house on the lands of the mayorazgo established by his ancestor Catalina Rodríguez de Medrano in favor of her son Garcia Gonzalez de Medrano, lord of San Gregorio. Catalina was the widow of Gregorio Gil de Cabanillas, lord of las Amayuelas, in 1394.
According to Juan Loperraez Corvalán, the Medrano family, Counts of Torrubia, controlled the surrounding area of San Gregorio, where a fortified structure, nearly modern in design, was constructed alongside a church and a house by Diego López de Medrano, a member of His Majesty's Council. He had established a Congregation of Fathers of Saint Philip there, but they soon left due to inadequate funding.

### Architecture

Diego López de Medrano chose to build a solid square house with a coat of arms, a central courtyard, defended with a barrier, part of which still exists, along with battlements on its walls, and round towers on three of its corners that still retain the stone-carved gargoyles and the artillery tubes from the 15th century. The castle of San Gregorio was designed in the medieval Gothic-style, attached to a Renaissance church and cloister. The San Gregorio estate covers an area of more than 1,500 m$^2$. It is a medieval architectural complex.

### Dominican convent of San Gregorio

Later, under the protection of his son Don Francisco de Medrano, a Dominican convent was founded in the 16th century, giving up a house and a estate for its establishment. The church and convent has different rooms of various sizes and uses, with a total usable area of 430 m² and a maximum capacity for 300 guests. Francisco de Medrano, who provided a house and estate to support a group of Dominican monks, died, and his heirs withdrew their support, forcing the monks to leave.
The church and convent were built by Francisco de la Piedra, a master stonemason. The architectural complex is well preserved, due to recent restoration. The church, attached to the Castle of San Gregorio, has a Latin cross plan and has a central nave with tiercerons, a wide dome and a beautiful portal. A classic polychrome choir is preserved under which there is a baptismal font from medieval times. The Church was a parish for many years under the patronage of the House of Medrano, Lords of San Gregorio. The cloister consists of two arcaded buildings at an angle and is paved with pebble stones in the traditional style of the great houses of Soria. It is now used for special events and wedding ceremonies.

## Marriage

Diego López de Medrano married Magdalena Bravo de Lagunas in 1476. Magdalena Bravo de Lagunas came from Berlanga de Duero and Atienza in the Kingdom of Castile and was the daughter of Garci Bravo de Lagunas, Alcaide of Atienza and Sigüenza, and his wife Catalina Núñez de Cienfuegos. Magdalena Bravo de Lagunas was the great-great-granddaughter of Alonso Pérez de Guzmán el Bueno, progenitor of the Dukes of Medina-Sidonia. His wife was also the first cousin of the comuneros captain of Segovia, Juan Bravo de Lagunas y Mendoza.

### Maternal majorat

The will of Magdalena Bravo de Lagunas was written in Atienza and dated December 1, 1527, preserved in the Archive of the Dukes of Villahermosa, and was opened on July 18, 1531, a few days after Magdalena's death. According to her will, the children who were still alive and had the right to their mother's inheritance in 1527 were Diego López de Medrano, Garcí Bravo de Medrano, Catalina and Isabel de Medrano. After her husband's death, Magdalena was received as the Lady of the Queen's Palace, with her daughter Catalina de Medrano, the latter appearing constantly within the retinue of the king. The maternal majorat was founded on July 4, 1504, in Medina del Campo, in favor of Magdalena's second son Garcí Bravo de Medrano, head of the House of Bravo in Atienza.

## Children

The history of Diego López de Medrano and Magdalena Bravo's children is traced through Magdalena's will, dictated in Atienza on December 1, 1527, and preserved in the Archive of the Dukes of Villahermosa. This document reveals that at least three of their children went to Salamanca University. They had numerous children:
* Diego López de Medrano, heir to the paternal estate, and to the fortress of San Gregorio, near Soria. He was born on July 30, 1477. He died after 1531. He married to Francisca de Vinuesa.
* Garcí Bravo de Medrano, heir to the maternal estate, was born on November 20, 1478.
* Francisco de Medrano, born on May 15, 1481, the date of his death unknown.
* María Bravo de Medrano, born on May 9, 1492, a nun in Soria, according to the will of her sister Catalina.
* Leonor de Medrano, the other nun sister, was born on June 14, 1483.
* Luisa de Medrano, born in Atienza on August 9, 1484, first female professor at the University of Salamanca, died in 1527.
* Luis de Medrano, rector of the University of Salamanca from 1507-1511, born on November 9, 1485, and died before 1527.
* Isabel Bravo de Medrano, born on January 6, 1487, and died after 1531.
* Catalina de Medrano, born on October 31, 1479, and died without children, in Atienza, on December 2, 1541, being buried in San Francisco.

### Luisa de Medrano

Lucio Marineo Siculo, chaplain and royal chronicler of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, wrote a letter to Diego's daughter Luisa de Medrano, the first female professor in Europe and Spain at the University of Salamanca. Part of it reads:
   You are not only learned and eloquent, but also beautiful and charming, surpassing all the Spanish men in eloquence in the Latin language. O happy parents who have given birth to such a daughter! You, my dearest girl, owe much to the Almighty God, who has bestowed great talents upon you, and also to your parents, who have not assigned you to the ordinary duties of women, nor to the unpleasant toils of the body, which are quickly destroyed, but have freed you for the pursuit of the most illustrious studies and arts, and have consecrated you to eternal memory.

### Diego López de Medrano

Diego's namesake son and heir, Diego López de Medrano y Bravo de Lagunas, married Francisca de Vinuesa. Together, they had two sons:
* Diego López de Medrano y Vinuesa
* García de Medrano y Vinuesa

#### Diego López de Medrano y Vinuesa

Diego López de Medrano y Vinuesa, Lord of San Gregorio, was the mayordomo mayor (High Steward) to Empress Isabel, wife of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. Diego López de Medrano y Vinuesa was the father of:
* Diego López de Medrano, Alcaide of Aranjuez, and the Caballerizo Mayor (Chief Equerry) to Prince Philip (the future Philip II of Spain)
* Francisco de Medrano, who served as accountant and treasurer to Prince Carlos, son of Philip II.
On 21 May 1550, Diego López de Medrano, a resident and regidor of Soria and Lord of San Gregorio, pursued a legal case against the council of Gallinero. The dispute centered on the price of meat supplies for the house of San Gregorio.
Diego López de Medrano is the ancestor of Francisco Antonio de Agurto y Salcedo Medrano Zúñiga, 1st Marquess of Gastañaga, who served as Governor and Captain General of the Habsburg Netherlands. He was the son of Catalina de Salcedo Medrano and the great–grandson of Diego López de Medrano y Zúñiga, the Lord of the ancestral House of San Gregorio with spiritual and temporal domain, and Maria Melchora Vallejo y Aguirre.

#### García de Medrano y Vinuesa

He was the father of his second son Garcia de Medrano y Vinuesa, who married Catalina de Castejon in November 1548. Together they had a son, García de Medrano y Castejón, born in 1550. A table of genealogy exists for García de Medrano, it begins with himself, as the brother of the Lord of San Gregorio. It ends with his seventh grandson, Martín de Castejón Medrano e Ibáñez de Leguizamón, the second Marquess of Velamazán.

### Confirmation of nobility

On 1 September 1552, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor issued the Carta Ejecutoria de Hidalguía to confirm the noble status of the Medrano family. The document presents detailed genealogical records supporting their claim to nobility. Created in Valladolid and Arenas, Spain, it concludes with official signatures and seals affirming their noble status. It also contains copies of earlier documents issued in the names of the Countess Juana Pimentel, King Henry III, Álvaro de Luna, and others. Through a comprehensive presentation of genealogical records and legal proceedings, it establishes the noble status of Bernardino de Medrano, Pedro López de Medrano, and Francisco de Medrano. The opening lines honor Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.

## Siege of Málaga and death (1487)

As a knight, Don Diego López de Medrano and his father in-law Garcí Bravo died in the Queen's service at the Siege of Málaga in June 1487. The Chronicle of the Catholic Monarchs by Don Juan M. Carriazo confirmed the news that Garci Bravo de Lagunas and Diego López de Medrano had died in battle. Juan Bravo's wife Catalina Núñez de Cienfuegos, on the occasion of the death of her husband and son-in-law in that action, received a heartfelt letter of condolences and gratitude from the Catholic Monarchs on June 7, 1487. The death of Diego López de Medrano during the siege of Malaga in 1487 is well-recorded. Mosén Diego de Valera writes about this battle:
   "And the Christians had received very great damage at the beginning and more than fifty of them were killed and others wounded. Among them, three principal men were killed: Garci Bravo, governor of Atienza; Diego de Medrano, his son-in-law; and Gabriel de Sotomayor, brave knights of noble lineage."

### Burial in the convent of San Francisco

Diego López de Medrano y Vergara died in battle and was buried in the convent of San Francisco in Atienza, together with his wife Dona Magdalena Bravo de Lagunas (d. 1531) and later his daughter Catalina de Medrano was buried alongside them (d. 1541).