# Diego López de Medrano y Zúñiga

Diego López de Medrano y Zúñiga (14th century – 15th century) was a noble, knight and the lord of Fuenmayor, Almarza de Cameros, Azofra and Montalvos in the region of La Rioja, Kingdom of Castile and León. Diego was born into the ancient House of Medrano, high nobility and ricoshombres from the Kingdom of Navarre and Castile; and the House of Zúñiga on his mother's side.

## Background

Diego López de Medrano y Zúñiga was the son of Juan Martínez de Medrano, lord of Fuenmayor and Almarza de Campos, and Aldonza de Zúñiga. He is the paternal grandson of Álvar Díaz de Medrano y Zúñiga and Toda Hurtado de Mendoza. Diego's father Juan was the brother of Diego López de Medrano, Lord of Agoncillo, Maria de Medrano, Aldonza Sanchez de Medrano and Toda Hurtado de Medrano.

## Lord of Almarza de Cameros and Fuenmayor

Diego was the Lord of Almarza de Cameros and the Tower of Islallana (conquered by the Count of Aguilar in 1486). By the 18th century, the Lordship of Almarza de Cameros was a jurisdiction comprising 2,263 hectares and a population equivalent to 68.5 households. It was under the lordship of Juan de Paternina y Medrano, who collected a feudal tax known as the martiniega, amounting to 303 reales. The lord also held the right to appoint the municipal clerk.

### Fuenmayor

Diego López de Medrano y Zúñiga's lordship of Fuenmayor (basque: Fuenmaior) begins with the ancient lords of Fuenmayor from the House of Medrano in the early 12th century. His ancestor Doña María Ramírez de Medrano is one of the most important residents of Fuenmayor in the year 1185, mentioned as the lady of Fuenmayor in a later manuscript dated 1411 in the Municipal Archive of Fuenmayor. Her husband Fortún de Baztán, lord of Baztán was of Navarrese descent, descended from the early Navarrese kings.
Doña María Ramírez de Medrano was from La Rioja, from the important Medrano family, who were one of the great families of Fuenmayor, and who inherited from Doña María Ramírez de Medrano the title of lords of Fuenmayor, which led to disputes with the council for centuries. Fuenmayor was one of the towns, along with Entrena, Medrano, and the Valle de Baztan (from where Doña María and her husband came), that paid for the maintenance of María's hospital, convent, church and commandery of San Juan de Acre in Navarrete with their tithes, which gave them the right to choose the commander who directed it. The Medrano family were for many years the commanders of the hospital of San Juan de Acre.
The House of Medrano, who have a historical claim to the title and privileges of Lord of Fuenmayor, as demonstrated in lawsuits against the Medrano family, were involved in a dispute popularly called "El Pleito de la Tumba," involving D. Fernando de Medrano. Fernando de Medrano insisted on placing himself on a platform in front of the coffin at funerals in his supposed role as Lord of the Village, which the residents did not tolerate, leading to altercations and disputes. A letter from the residents of Fuenmayor to the king around 1670, requested that the Council address the longstanding disputes with the Medrano family. The letter seemed to have an effect, and the Council of Castile ruled in favor of the residents.
In a lawsuit that was settled in the Royal Chancery of Valladolid over many centuries, the disputed lordship of the Medrano family was settled, although for this, the residents of Fuenmayor had to pay large sums of money to continue maintaining their independence from these lords of Fuenmayor.

### Fuenmayor, one of seven Villas de Campo

Queen Estefanía de Nájera, widow of King García Sánchez III of Pamplona, received the privilege of joining the villages of Campo, which together with Navarrete, Hornos, Medrano, Entrena, Velilla and Fuenmayor thus benefited from the joint use of water, pastures and paths. On September 1, 1054, Fuenmayor is documented as one of the seven Villas del Campo, namely: Navarrete, Fuenmayor, Coscujos, Hornos de Moncalvillo, Medrano, Vilella (or Velilla), and Entrena.
Line 119 in a 1378 manuscript states that the towns of Baztán, where Doña María Ramírez de Medrano's husband was from, along with Entrena, Medrano, and Fuenmayor, were all part of the jurisdiction or domain of María's hospital of San Juan de Acre in Navarrete.

### Future lords of Fuenmayor and Almarza de Cameros

The ancient and noble House of Medrano was one of the most powerful in the Sierra de Cameros and in Soria. The House of Medrano married into the Salvadores and Barnuevo lineage, incorporating them into the ancient 12 lineages of Soria [es]. The House of Medrano managed their lordships and maintained their main resources, maize cultivation and especially sheep farming. Their livestock grazed in those lands, and hundreds of times they walked to the pastures of Extremadura or the royal valley of Alcudia, in La Mancha.
A table of genealogy exists for the House of Medrano, lords of Fuenmayor, starting with Juan Vélaz de Medrano, the Noble, and ends with his tenth grandson, Andrés Vélaz de Medrano y Puelles, Marquess Consort of La Lapilla, Lord of Fuenmayor and Almarza de Cameros.

#### Marquessate of La Lapilla, Grandees of Spain

Andrés Felix Vélaz de Medrano, Lord of the House of Medrano and the towns of Fuenmayor and Almarza de Cameros, married with María Felipa de Fonseca, II Marchioness of La Lapilla. María-Felipa de Fonseca, his first cousin, was the second Marchioness of La Lapilla, Lady of the Mayorazgo of the Tercias of Badajoz, and head and Lady of the House of Fonseca. She was the daughter of Diego de Fonseca Villagómez, Knight of the Order of Santiago and Perpetual Councilor of Logroño, and Ana Brassa Varona, his wife, Lady of this Mayorazgo in Miranda de Ebro.
They had two daughters, Gaspara Vélaz de Medrano y Fonseca and Doña Baltasara Vélaz de Medrano y Fonseca, the third and fourth ladies of the Fonseca house, respectively, and both titled Grandee of Spain. Gaspara María Vélaz de Medrano y Fonseca (died April 30, 1684), was the third Marchioness of La Lapilla, Lady of Fuenmayor and Almarza de Cameros. She married Diego Fernando de Acuña, III Count of Requena de Campos, Gentleman of His Majesty's Chamber, mayordomo of Charles II of Spain, on May 6, 1668. Upon her death in 1684, her sister succeeded her as Marchioness of La Lapilla and Lady of Fuenmayor and Almarza de Cameros.
Doña Baltasara Vélaz de Medrano y Fonseca inherited the family titles upon her sister's death in April 1684, having married Luis Sarmiento de Valladares Meira y Arines Troncoso, named the first Marquess of Valladares by Carlos II in 1673. The Marquessate of Valladares was created on June 6, 1673, by King Charles II of Spain for Luis Sarmiento de Valladares y Meira, 1st Viscount of Meira. The Viscountcy of Meira had been granted in 1670 to Diego Sarmiento de Valladares, Bishop of Plasencia and Grand Inquisitor of Spain, for his nephew Luis, who later became the first Marquess.
Baltasara Vélaz de Medrano y Fonseca, Marchioness of La Lapilla, Lady of Fuenmayor and Almarza de Cameros and Grandee of Spain became the patroness and benefactor of the main chapel of the Collegiate Church of Santa María, fulfilling an old promise to the railing. On January 24, 1674, Don Luis de Valladares Meyra y Sarmiento, Marquess of Valladares, Viscount of Meyra, Knight of Santiago, and Chief Magistrate of the Inquisition, married Doña Baltasara Vélaz de Medrano y Fonseca, IV Marchioness of La Lapilla, daughter of Andrés Felix Vélaz de Medrano y Villagómez, lord of Fuenmayor and Almarza de Cameros.

## Ancestry

His father Juan Martínez de Medrano y Hurtado de Mendoza, Lord of Almarza de Cameros and Fuenmayor, was the son of Álvar Díaz de Medrano y Zúñiga and Toda Hurtado de Mendoza. Álvar Díaz de Medrano was the son of Juan Martínez de Medrano and Mencía López de Stúñiga (Zúñiga).

### Paternal ancestry

Diego's paternal grandfather Alvar Díaz de Medrano y Zúñiga, lord of Fuenmayor, Agoncillo and Almarza de Cameros, married Lady Toda Hurtado de Mendoza. Lady Toda Hurtado de Mendoza was the daughter of Diego Hurtado de Mendoza, commander of Santiago in Valdericote, and María de Rojas. Álvar Díaz de Medrano y Zúñiga was the son of Juan Martínez de Medrano and Mencía López de Zúñiga. Alvar also had a daughter named María Álvarez de Medrano y Hurtado de Mendoza, Abbess of Santa María la Real de Vileña since September 4, 1374. Diego's paternal great-grandfather was named Juan Martínez de Medrano, the Noble. Diego's paternal great-great-grandfather was named Juan Vélaz de Medrano, the Noble.

### Maternal ancestry

Diego's mother Doña Aldonza de Zúñiga y Pavia was the daughter of Iñigo Ortiz de Stúñiga y Medrano, Lord of Azofra since 1355, married to Doña Sancha Núñez de Pavia, daughter of Gonzalo Fernández de Pavia and Constanza Fernández de Párraga. Iñigo Ortiz de Stúñiga y Medrano was the son of Lope Díaz de Stúñiga and Doña Constanza de Medrano, daughter of Don Fernando de Medrano, lord of Fuenmayor and Almarza, and Elvira Ramírez.
Diego's maternal great-grandfather was called Iñigo Ortiz de Estúñiga, Lord of las Cuevas and Chief Justice of Castile in 1317. He married Doña Mencía Álvarez de Haro, daughter of Alvar Díaz de Haro, from the House of Haro, and María Alonso Potocarrero, lords of los Cameros. He died in the plains of Granada in 1319 and was buried in the monastery of Santa María de Herrera.
Diego's maternal great-great-grandfather was called Íñigo Ortiz de Estúñiga or de las Cuevas, son of Ortún Ortiz de Zúñiga. He is the first to leave the Kingdom of Navarre to settle in the Kingdom of Castile in 1274. He married Doña Inés Alfonso de los Cameros, daughter of Juan Alfonso de Haro, the elder, and Doña Constanza Alfonso de Meneses. Íñigo died in Seville in 1315. Íñigo Ortiz de Estúñiga was the son of Ortún Ortiz de Zúñiga and Doña Teresa de Rada, daughter of Gil de Rada and Doña Teresa de Beaumont. Diego's maternal great-great-great-grandfather was named Fortún Ortiz de Stúñiga, lord de Stúñiga and Mendavia.

## Family

Diego's father Juan Martínez de Medrano y Hurtado de Mendoza died in the battle of Aljubarrota on August 14, 1385, alongside Juan Ortiz de Zúñiga, his father's brother in-law. The battle took place at São Jorge, between the towns of Leiria and Alcobaça in central Portugal. The outcome was a decisive victory for the Portuguese and secured John as the undisputed King of Portugal. The memory of Diego's father Juan Martínez de Medrano y Hurtado de Mendoza, lord of Fuenmayor, is in the will and testament of King John I of Castile of Castile, where he orders Juan Martínez de Medrano to have the knife of King Henry III of Castile. Another Juan Martínez de Medrano died in the battle of Santarém on July 17, 1393. He was part of the retinue of King John I of Castile. In 1475, another Juan Martínez de Medrano, sailor, donated a panel to the church of Zumaia after he was victorious against a Portuguese fleet in 1475.

### Maternal family

Diego's maternal grandfather Íñigo Ortiz de Zúñiga y Medrano married Lady Sancha Núñez de Pavía, who was the daughter of Gómez Fernández de Pavía, and his wife Lady Constanza de Párraga. Diego's maternal grandparents married in the year 1383. From this marriage was born Diego's mother, Lady Aldonza de Zúñiga, wife of Juan Martínez de Medrano y Hurtado de Mendoza.

### Lordships of Azofra and Montalvos

Diego López de Medrano y Zúñiga was called to the entail of the lordships of Azofra and Montalvos, linked to him by his maternal grandfather Íñigo Ortiz de Zúñiga y Medrano. In the document detailing the entail founded in 1434 by Bishop Don Diego de Zúñiga, Íñigo Ortiz de Zúñiga y Medrano is recognized as the successor to a significant estate that included various properties and jurisdictions across notable locations. This entail outlined a succession plan that included female heirs in the absence of male ones, Íñigo's attempt to ensure the continuity of the Zúñiga lineage. Diego López de Medrano, coming from Fuenmayor, is mentioned in this document as a subsequent heir, positioned after the lines of Doña Leonor and Doña Constanza de Zúñiga, the sisters of the founder, Bishop Don Diego de Zúñiga. His role in this arrangement was significant as a contingency beneficiary, representing the broader family network and its integration into the entail's provisions.
Specifically, Diego López de Medrano y Zúñiga, as the nephew of Bishop Don Diego de Zúñiga through his sister Doña Aldonza de Zúñiga, was recognized as part of the inheritance plan, which stipulated that in the absence of direct descendants from Íñigo Ortiz de Zúñiga and the named female lines, the estate would pass to him or to the nearest relative from the father's side of the Zúñiga lineage.

### Alliances

In the early 15th century, Diego and his father were part of the political clientele of Diego de Zuñiga, Bishop of Calahorra. Several references to esquires of Bishop Don Diego López de Zúñiga can be found. It is documented that Diego López de Medrano y Zúñiga, lord of Almarza and Fuenmayor, who made a will in 1449, was the Bishop's nephew, being the son of his sister Aldonza de Zúñiga, married to the lord of Fuenmayor and Almarza, Juan Martínez de Medrano.
Diego López de Medrano y Zúñiga helped his maternal nephews with strong financial donations and lands in many La Rioja towns. The house of Medrano later alternately aligned themselves with The first Count of Aguilar, son of the first Count of Arellano from the house of Arellano. The House of Medrano also made an alliance with the first Duke of Nájera from the House of Manrique de Lara, lords of Requena de Campos.

## Marriage and children

Diego López de Medrano y Zúñiga married Doña Aldonza Ramírez de Ulloque (also known as Doña Aldonza Ramírez de Arellano, from the house of the Counts of Arellano) and they had a very illustrious offspring, including:
* Juan López de Medrano, Lord of Fuenmayor and Almarza de Cameros
* Pedro Gomez de Medrano
* Isabel de Medrano
* Maria de Medrano
* Martin de Medrano.

### Juan López de Medrano

His son Juan López de Medrano y Arellano was the lord of Fuenmayor and Almarza de Cameros. He joined the house of the Lord of Cameros, Juan Ramírez de Arellano. Juan López de Medrano y Arellano was the father of:
* Hernando de Medrano
* Juan de Medrano
* Alvaro de Medrano
* Bernardo de Medrano
* Diego López de Medrano
* Toda de Medrano
* Aldonza de Medrano
* Maria Ramírez de Medrano
* Leonor de Medrano
* Isabel de Medrano.

#### Hernando de Medrano

Juan's son and heir, Hernando de Medrano, Lord of Fuenmayor and Almarza de Cameros during the reign of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, married on 21 June 1525, with succession and many descendants.
Juan López de Medrano y Arellano aligned himself to the house of Pedro Manrique de Lara, Duke of Nájera, where his son Hernando de Medrano began serving as a page at the age of thirteen.

#### Dispute with the Dukes of Nájera

In 1552, a bitter conflict arose between Don Hernando de Medrano and his lord, the Duke of Nájera, over jurisdiction and control of the lordship of Fuenmayor and over certain vassals and tenants of the place of Fuenmayor. As a result, Hernando de Medrano decided to serve in the house of the Count of Aguilar, son of the Count of Arellano, who welcomed him despite the Duke's objections.
The Medrano family's dispute with the Dukes of Nájera in the 16th century was part of a broader power struggle among Riojan nobility, dating back to the 15th century. Bishop Diego de Estúñiga (Zúñiga), a relative of the Medrano family, had previously contested control of Nájera against the Manrique de Lara family, who later became the Dukes of Nájera. His conflicts weakened the monarchy’s influence in the region and fueled ongoing noble rivalries in La Rioja.

### Pedro Gómez de Medrano

There is a well-documented case regarding the lifetime grant of the place of Cocera (a village in the municipality of Almarza de Cameros) by the Lord of los Cameros, Juan Ramírez de Arellano, to Diego López de Medrano y Zuñiga. Despite receiving Cocera as a lifetime grant, Diego López de Medrano y Zuñiga passed it down to his son Pedro Gómez de Medrano, who, in turn, conveyed it to the council of Nieva de Cameros. The first Count of Aguilar, son of the first Count of Arellano, after litigating in the Chancery of Valladolid, succeeded in compelling the council of Nieva to restore the said place.