# Juan Vélaz de Medrano y Echauz

Juan Vélaz de Medrano y Echauz (15th century –16th century) was a high ranking nobleman and military leader, serving as merino of the merindad of Estella during the final years of an independent Kingdom of Navarre. Head of the ancient House of Medrano in Navarre, the Vélaz de Medrano mayorazgo and the Palace of Vélaz de Medrano, a ricohombre of Navarre, Lord of Igúzquiza, Aguinano, Orendain, Zabala, Arróniz, the 4th Lord of Learza and a descendant of Queen Joan II of Navarre and King Philip III of Navarre. He became the Alcaide (governor) of the castles of Del Castillo, Santacara, and Monjardin. Juan served as the Major Knight of King John III of Navarre and Henry II of Navarre. In 1524 the Lord of Igúzquiza accepted the general pardon issued by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor after the Spanish conquest of Navarre. Juan was a significant representative of the Agramontese faction, rivals of the Beaumontese.

## Life

He is the son of Juan Velaz de Medrano y Goni and Elvira de Echauz y Beaumont. Juan was born in the Palace of Vélaz de Medrano, near Estella, where the Medrano family also owned the Palace of the Kings of Navarre—a Romanesque royal residence that served as the seat of Navarrese monarchs from the late 12th century to the mid-15th century. He was the maternal grandson of Charles, 15th Viscount de Baigner (Baigorri) and Juana Margarita de Beaumont. Juana was the sister of the 1st Count of Lerín, Luis de Beaumont, and the aunt of Louis de Beaumont, 2nd Count of Lerín. Through his mother Elvira, Juan is the maternal great-great-great-grandson of Queen Joan II of Navarre from the House of Capet, and King Philip III of Navarre from the House of Évreux.

### Family

The Medrano lineage produced knights of great antiquity and nobility. Juan Vélaz de Medrano belongs to a rich and warrior family of the Navarrese high nobility. His life spanned crucial battles and political turmoil as he fought to keep the Kingdom of Navarre independent alongside his brother Jaime Vélaz de Medrano y Echauz, mayor and alcaide of Amaiur-Maya, captain of the kings standing army, and royal guard of the monarchs of Navarre.
Juan Vélaz de Medrano's coat of arms was listed in the official archives of the Kingdom of Navarre. The Medrano family is a very ancient house of noble origin, it is found in different times and in different places. Many principles are attributed to them by authors and historians:
   ...for its antiquity, its splendor, for their military prowess and virtue and for every other value of chivalry that prospered with this family, in great numbers, magnificent and generous. The family origin is very old; [they] were related in some way to royalty.

### Palace of Vélaz de Medrano

Juan Vélaz de Medrano's Palace of Vélaz de Medrano was always considered a nobleman's palace and a major defensive structure in the Kingdom of Navarre. After Juan's palace-fortress was sieged in 1512, it was deemed a potential threat to Castilian control, leading to the appointment of a military commander, Colonel Villalba, as its governor (alcaide).

### Receiving a royal donation

In 1496, King John III of Navarre gave Juan Vélaz de Medrano y Echauz the property that belonged to Langarot de Yaniz, who was declared a traitor.

## Governor of Santacara (1500-1510)

Juan Vélaz de Medrano y Echauz was the last independent Navarrese Governor of Santacara. A distinguished lord and knight in the Kingdom of Navarre, he also held the office of merino of the Merindad of Estella. Following the death of the Prince of Viana in 1461, Louis de Beaumont, 2nd Count of Lerín, allied with Juan II of Aragon by marrying his daughter and pledging loyalty to both the King of Aragon and Ferdinand the Catholic. As a consequence, the Count of Lerín was expelled from Navarre and lost his titles and lands.

### Castle and manor of Santacara

After the exile of the Count of Lerín, the former owner of the castle, the Prince of Viana granted the royal castle and manor of Santacara to Juan Vélaz de Medrano y Echauz y Beaumont in 1500, in recognition of his ties to the Beaumont family. He resided in the castle for eight to ten years. Prior to Medrano’s governorship in 1500, the Agramontese faction seized control of Santacara and its castle in 1494. However, the Count of Lerín, with the support of Castilian forces, besieged and recaptured it.

## Uprising of the Merindad of Estella

In October 1512, Lord Juan Vélaz de Medrano, merino of the merindad of Estella, and his brother, Jaime, led a rebellion in the merindad of Estella against the invading forces of Fernando el Católico of Castile and Aragon. In 1513, Juan Vélaz de Medrano was already listed among the quarter remitters of the merindad (administration and financial governance of the Estella region). He fiercely resisted the Castilian conquest for years until he ultimately accepted the general pardon issued by Emperor Charles V in 1524.

### War against Castile and Aragon (1512)

Despite his maternal Beaumont ancestry, Juan and his family chose to support the Agramont faction. The Agramont faction was represented by the most significant lineages from the Kingdom of Navarre: Navarra, Garro, Goni, Enriquez de Lacarra, Velaz de Medrano, Ezpeleta, Rada, Baquedano, Mauleon and other significant Houses.
At the beginning of the invasion of Navarre in 1512, Juan Vélaz de Medrano and his palace of Vélaz de Medrano became strategic during the uprising of his merindad of Estella, as he served as merino during the insurrection of Navarre. In October 1512, Juan Vélaz de Medrano y Echauz, Lord of Iguzquiza, went to war against the Castilian and Aragonese invaders led by Ferdinand II of Aragon. The lords, in the face of an external threat, summoned the Medrano surname, distributed arms and organized an army to join the other Navarre valleys in support of Henry II of Navarre.
Juan Vélaz de Medrano y Echauz defended Estella, and the castles of Del Castillo, Monjardin and Santacara. After bravely fighting against the Castilian invasion, and following the conquest of Navarre by Ferdinand II of Aragon, Juan Vélaz de Medrano followed his legitimate king to France and participated in the unsuccessful attempt to restore the Navarrese Monarchy.

### Final act of resistance (1522)

After the regaining of Navarre's temporary independence, Juan's brother Jaime Vélaz de Medrano and his nephew Luis Vélaz de Medrano played a leading role in the defense of the legitimists as the mayor and alcaide of the royal fortress and town of Amaiur-Maya in 1522, "having personified the Navarrese resistance to the Spanish conquest like no other."

### Fealty to Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Spain (1524)

Following the unsuccessful attempt to reclaim Navarre, Juan Vélaz de Medrano accepted the general pardon issued by Charles V in 1524 and reclaimed his lands in Navarre. In that same year, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, imposed travel restrictions on several notable figures, including Juan Vélaz de Medrano, Lord of Igúzquiza. He was prohibited from visiting Pamplona, Puente-la-Reina, and Huarte-Araquil—locations under the constable's control—except for significant events such as the entry and coronation of Their Highnesses in Pamplona.

## Marriage and heir

Don Juan Vélaz de Medrano y Echauz married Ana de Mauleon y Navarra. Don Juan made his will and testament on 30 April 1531, and his wife Ana de Mauleon made hers on 4 May 1506.

### Heir

His namesake son and heir Juan Vélaz de Medrano y Mauleon y Navarra, considered the oldest of nobility, was summond to the noble estate of the Courts of Navarre in the year 1580.

### Ana de Mauleon y Navarra

His wife Ana de Mauleon y Navarra was the daughter of Landrón de Mauleón y Claver and Juana de Navarra y Enríquez de Lacarra, who married in 1480. Ana’s mother, Juana, was the daughter of Pedro de Navarra, 3rd Viscount of Muruzábal and 5th Marshal of Navarre, and Inés Enríquez de Lacarra. She was also the sister of Pedro de Navarra, 6th Marshal of Navarre, making him Juan Vélaz de Medrano’s uncle by marriage.
Ana de Mauleón y Navarra was a maternal great-great-great-granddaughter of King Charles II of Navarre through his son, Prince Leonel de Navarra, 1st Viscount of Muruzábal and half-brother of Joan of Navarre, Queen of England. The title Viscount of Muruzábal originated from an old royal manor town, Muruzábal. In 1407, King Charles III of Navarre incorporated the town into the newly created viscounty, granting the title to his brother, Prince Leonel de Navarra, thereby establishing the lineage of the Viscounts of Muruzábal.
Juan’s mother-in-law, Juana de Navarra y Enríquez de Lacarra, was the daughter of Pedro de Navarra y Peralta, 3rd Viscount of Muruzábal, and Inés Enríquez de Lacarra y Foxán. Inés Enríquez de Lacarra y Foxán, the 3rd Viscountess consort of Muruzábal, was a descendant of King Henry I of Navarre. She was the daughter of Beltrán "el Joven" Enríquez de Lacarra y Moncayo, 4th Lord of Ablitas. Beltrán, in turn, was the grandson of Martín Enríquez de Lacarra, 1st Lord of Ablitas, the great-grandson of Juan Enríquez de Lacarra, Prince of Navarre, and the great-great-grandson of King Henry I of Navarre and Garaztar de Lacarra.

## Ancestry
### Maternal royal ancestry

Juan Vélaz de Medrano's mother Elvira de Echauz y Beaumont was the daughter of Carlos de Echauz, 15th Viscount of Baigner and Juana Margarita de Beaumont. Juana Margaret de Beaumont was the daughter of Carlos de Beaumont, the granddaughter of Prince Louis of Navarre, Duke of Durazzo, King of Albania in 1376, and the great-granddaughter of Queen Joan II of Navarre and King Philip III of Navarre, of the house of Évreux, which is a minor branch of the Capetian dynasty.

### Paternal ancestry

His father Juan Vélaz de Medrano y Goni was the fifth of the name, Lord of Igúzquiza, Agos, Aguinano, the 3rd Lord of Learza, and alcaide of the castle of Monjardín. He was a prominent nobleman and knight during the reign of John III of Navarre and Catherine of Navarre. His father was the son of Ferran Vélaz de Medrano and Elvira de Goni.

#### Paternal grandfather

Juan's paternal grandfather Ferran Vélaz de Medrano was the Lord of Iguzquiza, the 2nd Lord of Learza, and a ricohombre of Navarre. In 1455, the king gave Ferran Vélaz de Medrano the Pechas de Muez, Mendoza and Legaria as compensation for the two thousand florins he had spent in the conquest of Geneville, and in 1471, he was given the valleys of Allin and Santesteban de la Solana.
In 1456, Ferran was the alcaide of the castle of Monjardín, and in 1461, he was the lord of Igúzquiza. In 1471, the king granted him the taxes of the valleys of Allín and Santesteban de la Solana. Ferran rebuilt the Palace of Vélaz de Medrano, which was famous for the splendor of the festivities held by Ferran Velaz de Medrano and his children and grandchildren, which were often attended by the Navarrese monarchs themselves.

#### Paternal great-grandfather

Juan's great-grandfather Juan Vélaz de Medrano was the fourth of the name, royal chamberlain of the Kings of Navarre and Aragon, lord of Iguzquiza, Arguiñano, Arzoz, Artazu, Zabal, Orendáin, the 1st lord of Learza, founder of the Vélaz de Medrano mayorazgo in 1437 (the oldest in Viana) and the Royal Chamberlain of the Kings of Navarre.