# Garcí Bravo de Medrano

Garcí Bravo de Medrano (Soria, 20 November 1478 – Atienza, 16th century) was a Castilian-Basque nobleman and military figure from the House of Medrano, serving as the perpetual Alcaide (Governor) of Atienza Castle and Lord of the House of Bravo in Atienza. He inherited this position through his maternal lineage, tracing back to his grandfather Garcí Bravo de Lagunas, who established a military testament in his favor. He became the ecclesiastical patron of the main chapel in the Franciscan monastery of Atienza, reconstructed by his sister Catalina de Medrano, which also served as the family mausoleum.

## Early life

Garcí was the second son of Diego López de Medrano y Vergara, a member of His Majesty's Council, ricohombre of the Kingdom of Castile, and Magdalena Bravo de Lagunas (m. 1476). His paternal grandfather Diego Lopez de Medrano, 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.

### Arrival in Atienza

Garcí Bravo de Medrano accompanied his grandfather, Garcí Bravo de Lagunas, when he migrated from Soria (or Sigüenza) to establish an estate in Atienza. Upon assuming the role of alcaide (warden) of Atienza Castle, his grandfather relocated with his entire family. He brought along his wife, Catalina Núñez de Cienfuegos, children, and sons-in-law. Among those who came with Garcí Bravo de Lagunas were his daughter Magdalena Bravo de Lagunas and her husband, Diego López de Medrano y Vergara, as well as Garcí Bravo and his siblings: Diego, Luis, Catalina, and Isabel. After settling in Atienza, Magdalena and Diego had at least four more children, including Garcí Bravo's sister Luisa de Medrano.

### Background

The House of Medrano was one of the most powerful in the Sierra de Cameros [es] and in the Province of Soria. The Medrano family, 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.
His father Diego López de Medrano y Vergara, along with his maternal grandfather Garcí Bravo de Lagunas, died in the Queen's service at the Siege of Málaga in June 1487. After her father's death, his mother Magdalena was received as a lady of Queen Isabella I of Castile's court, alongside her daughter, Catalina de Medrano, who frequently appeared in the retinue of King Ferdinand II of Aragon.
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. In Ciudad Real, 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.

### Garcí Bravo de Lagunas

His maternal grandfather Garcí Bravo de Lagunas, whom Garcí was most likely named after, played a leading role in the capture of Sigüenza. At the onset of Queen Isabella the Catholic's rule in Castile, Atienza, like the rest of the kingdom, faced the choice between loyalty to the reigning king and the prospect of allegiance to the prospective queen, Isabella. In the Castilian War of Succession, Diego's maternal grandfather Garcí Bravo de Lagunas, alcaide of Atienza, secured the city of Sigüenza for Queen Isabella I of Castile.

## Alcaide of Atienza castle

His maternal grandfather Garcí Bravo de Lagunas made a military testament in the royal style, which was later legally recorded on 31 May 1570, by Juan Sánchez Canales, a notary in Toledo. Through this disposition, he established a trust for a third and a fifth of his assets and the perpetual alcaidía (wardenship) of Atienza in Garci Bravo de Medrano, his grandson, the second son of his daughter Magdalena and Diego López de Medrano y Vergara. This marked the origin of the Bravo estate in Atienza.

### Maternal mayorazgo in Atienza

Garcí Bravo de Medrano became the perpetual Alcaide of the Atienza castle and Lord of the House of Bravo in Atienza, linked to him by his mother and grandfather Garcí Bravo de Lagunas. The will of Magdalena Bravo de Lagunas was written in Atienza and dated 1 December 1527, preserved in the Archive of the Dukes of Villahermosa, and was opened on 18 July 1531, a few days after Magdalena's death.
According to his mother's will, the children who were still alive and had the right to their mother's inheritance in 1527 were Diego López, Garci Bravo de Medrano, Catalina and Isabel. Magdalena Bravo de Lagunas obtained royal authorization from the Catholic Monarchs through a Royal Decree issued in Seville on 5 January 1500, allowing her to establish a mayorazgo (majorat) in Atienza, which she officially designated for her son, Garcí Bravo de Medrano. The maternal majorat was founded on 4 July 1504, in Medina del Campo, in favor of Magdalena's second son Garci Bravo de Medrano, head of the House of Bravo in Atienza.
This mayorazgo, which later incorporated the eastern Canary Islands, would become the focal point of multiple legal disputes for the Marquessate of Lanzarote.
In the early 17th century, Diego López de Medrano, son and heir of Diego López de Medrano and Ana Merino, was involved in a legal dispute with Luisa Bravo de Guzmán, 4th Marchioness of Lanzarote, widow of Antonio de Mendoza y Zúñiga. The case revolved around the mayorazgo (entailed estate) established by Magdalena Bravo de Lagunas. Diego sought to overturn a ruling by Alcalde Fernando de Villaseñor, which had declared that the estate was not responsible for a 1,408-ducat censo (census-based loan) or its interest. He argued that the censo should be recognized as valid and that he had the right to collect both past and future interest from it.

## Franciscan monastery in Atienza

The Franciscan monastery of Atienza, established in the 13th century, saw significant expansion in the 16th century under the patronage of Garcí Bravo de Medrano and his sister Catalina de Medrano y Bravo de Lagunas. Ecclesiastical patronage, especially during the Spanish Renaissance, notably unknown to historiography, was one of the greatest demonstrations of supremacy and distinction that the nobility of the time could exercise. The appropriation of patronage afterwards was not as common.
While Catalina and her husband, Hernando de Sandoval y Rojas, funded the construction of chapels and enriched the monastery with altarpieces, tapestries, and wrought-iron gates, Garcí Bravo de Medrano assumed patronage of the main chapel. Garcí's ecclesiastical patronage is considered a pinnacle moment of the Franciscan monastery in Atienza. In 1507, during the regency of Francisco Ximénez de Cisneros, the convent was declared the Royal Convent of Atienza, granting its Guardian two votes in the town council, along with the power to appoint a designated successor.
The monastery flourished under the House of Medrano, drawing visits from Spanish monarchs Philip II (1592), Philip III, Philip IV (1660), and Philip V (1706). However, in 1811, Napoleonic forces devastated the site, leading to the loss of much of the Medrano family's contributions.

### Patrons of Saint Francis of Assisi

The House of Medrano's patronage of the Franciscan Order began in 1211 when Saint Francis of Assisi visited their castle of Aguas Mansas in Agoncillo. During his stay, he is said to have miraculously healed the ailing heir, securing the Medrano lineage and their dominion over the town of Agoncillo. That same year, Garcí's relatives, the lords of Agoncillo, donated land and a tower in Logroño to Saint Francis, enabling him to establish Spain’s first Franciscan convent. In recognition, the Medrano family became its perpetual patrons and founded a chapel within the convent.

## Marriage

Garcí Bravo de Medrano married Catalina de Mendoza (also known as Catalina de Molina y Mendoza), daughter of Íñigo de Molina, third Lord of Embid, Santiuste, and El Pobo in the lordship of Molina, and Catalina de Mendoza, from the influential House of Mendoza. Catalina was the maternal granddaughter of Pedro Carrillo de Mendoza, 2nd Count of Priego, and María de Quiñones, whose brother, Diego Fernández de Quiñones, was 1st Count of Luna and chief merino of León and Asturias [es].

### Royal bloodline

Through his wife's maternal grandfather, Pedro Carrillo de Mendoza, 2nd Count of Priego, Garcí Bravo de Medrano's children descended from the kings of Castile and León. Juan Alfonso Carrillo, 2nd Lord of Priego, was the son of Alfonso Ruiz Carrillo, who was granted lordship in 1298 by King Ferdinand IV of Castile. Alfonso Ruiz Carrillo was the son of Garci Gómez Carrillo, Lord of Mazuelo, and Urraca Alonso, daughter of Prince Alfonso de Molina—himself the son of King Alfonso IX of León and Queen Berengaria of Castile. Prince Alfonso de Molina received Priego as part of a dowry, along with other estates in the bishopric of Cuenca and the land of Molina. The lordship of Priego was elevated to a county in 1465.

## Children

Garcí Bravo de Medrano and Catalina de Mendoza (also known as Catalina de Molina y Mendoza) had two sons:
* Garcí de Medrano y Molina Mendoza (also known as Garcí Bravo de Medrano and even Garcí Bravo de Laguna), Alcaide of Atienza.
* Baltasar de Medrano, married to Mariana de Loaísa.

### Heir

Garcí's namesake son, Garcí Bravo de Medrano (also known as Garcí Bravo de Laguna), married Ana de Ayala y Sarmiento (b. Atienza, 1503), his third cousin, daughter of Martín de Ayala, Knight of the Order of Santiago and Councilor of Toledo. Garcí's wife Ana Sarmiento Rojas de Ayala inherited the mayorazgos previously owned by Gutiérrez de Armendáriz and his wife, Mayor, as well as that of Francisco de Rojas.
His son Garcí Bravo de Medrano had two daughters with Ana Sarmiento Rojas de Ayala:
* Luisa de Medrano y Ayala (also known as Luisa Bravo de Lagunas Ayala Mendoza y Rojas), who carried on the family lineage.
* Beatriz Sarmiento de Medrano y Ayala, who became the second wife of Juan Duque de Estrada, Lord of the House of Duque de Estrada in Talavera de la Reina and a Knight of Santiago. Her descendant Juan Francisco Duque de Estrada y Bravo de Guzmán became the 6th Marquess of Lanzarote after her sister's line went extinct.

#### Alliance with the House of Guzmán

Garcí's granddaughter Luisa de Medrano y Ayala became the wife of Pedro de Guzmán, Lord of Olmedilla, and a member of the powerful House of Guzmán. They had two sons, Jerónimo and Francisco Bravo de Guzmán y Medrano. Jerónimo's only child was:
* Luisa Bravo de Guzmán, 4th Marchioness of Lanzarote, and Lady of Fuerteventura, born in Alcalá de Henares in 1595, she died in Madrid on 24 November 1661.
Luisa Bravo de Guzmán's Marquessate led to the establishment of the Bravo de Laguna (also known as the Bravo de Medrano) family as one of the most powerful in the Canary Islands. Luisa Bravo de Guzmán was a relative of Manuel de Guzmán y Silva, 8th Duke of Medina Sidonia, and his children, Gaspar Alfonso Pérez de Guzmán, 9th Duke of Medina Sidonia, and Luisa de Guzmán, Queen-consort of Portugal, wife of King John IV of Portugal.

### Baltasar de Medrano

Garcí Bravo de Medrano's second son Baltasar de Medrano wed María de Loaísa, and together they had three daughters—Bernardina, Juana, and Catalina—who all took religious vows and entered the Convent of El Rosal. They also had a son, Luis de Medrano, who became a friar in the Order of St. Francis. Baltasar's daughter, Bernardina de Medrano, was married to Francisco de Medrano y Morales, Lord of Olmedilla. She was the mother of Inés de Medrano, who in turn was the mother of Martín Juan de Castejón y Medrano, 5th Lord of Velamazán and grandfather of Martín Pedro González de Castejón Medrano Belvís e Ibáñez, 9th Marquess of Lanzarote.

## Marquessate of Lanzarote

In 1660, Luisa Bravo de Guzmán (Alcalá de Henares 1595 – Madrid, 24 November 1661), great-great-granddaughter of Garcí Bravo de Medrano and Catalina de Mendoza, incorporated the marquessate of Lanzarote and lordship of Fuerteventura into Garcí Bravo de Medrano's mayorazgo. Luisa was the widow of Agustín de Herrera y Rojas, 2nd Marquess of Lanzarote, 4th Lord of Fuerteventura and Lanzarote. Following the death of their son, Agustín de Herrera y Rojas, 3rd Marquess, she inherited the title as the 4th Marchioness, despite not being the direct heir. She later remarried twice and died in Madrid in 1661, leaving no descendants.

### Incorporation of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura into Garcí Bravo de Medrano's mayorazgo

According to the will of Luisa Bravo de Guzmán, the Canarian titles were linked to the mayorazgo of the Bravo de Laguna family of Atienza, created in favor of Garcí Bravo de Medrano, Alcaide of Atienza, second son of Diego López de Medrano y Vergara and Magdalena Bravo de Lagunas.
To secure a successor, she decreed in 1660 that the Marquessate of Lanzarote be incorporated into her family’s mayorazgos, naming a member of the Bravo de Guzmán family as heir, and ultimately the House of Garcí Bravo de Medrano (also known as the House of Bravo de Laguna). However, her designated successor, Fulgencio Bravo de Guzmán (5th Marquess), died without heirs, as did Garci de Guzmán.

### Collateral of Beatriz Sarmiento de Medrano y Ayala

After the death of Fulgencio Bravo de Guzmán, 5th Marquess of Lanzarote, the title passed to the descendants of Beatriz Sarmiento de Medrano y Ayala, daughter of Garcí Bravo de Medrano and Ana de Ayala, including Juan Francisco Duque de Estrada y Guzmán (6th Marquess), Manuel Duque de Estrada (7th Marquess), and finally Leonor Duque de Estrada (8th Marquess). Her death at age 13 without heirs triggered a new legal dispute over the Marquessate of Lanzarote, which was ultimately ruled in favor of the descendants of Garcí's second son, Baltasar de Medrano.

### Collateral of Baltasar de Medrano

After the death of the 8th Marchioness of Lanzarote, the descendants of Bernardina de Medrano, daughter of Baltasar de Medrano, successfully inherited the Marquessate of Lanzarote. Bernardina de Medrano and Francisco de Medrano y Morales, Lord of Olmedilla, were the parents of Inés de Medrano, who married Martín de Castejón y Andrade, 4th Lord of Velamazán. Their son, Martín Juan de Castejón y Medrano, V Lord of Velamazán, was the grandfather of Martín Pedro de Castejón Medrano Belvís e Ibáñez, 1st Marquess of Velamazán, 5th Marquess of Gramosa, and Viscount of Las Vegas de Matute, who ultimately secured the title of 9th Marquess of Lanzarote.

#### Decree of the Royal Council of Castile

Martín Pedro González Medrano de Castejón Belvís e Ibáñez obtained the Marquessate of Lanzarote through a ruling of the Council of Castile on 14 March 1729. His claim was upheld after the death of Leonor Duque de Estrada, which led to the extinction of the main line of the Bravo de Laguna lineage. As a result, the succession reverted to Martín Pedro González de Castejón Medrano Belvís e Ibáñez, who came from the line of Baltasar de Medrano, the second son of Garcí Bravo de Medrano and Catalina de Mendoza, and was a descendant of the original designated successor to the mayorazgo of Bravo de Laguna in Atienza.
The 14 March 1729 ruling further affirmed that Garcí Bravo de Medrano's descendant, Martín Pedro González de Castejón Medrano Belvís e Ibáñez, Marquess of Velamazán, had a legitimate claim to the mayorazgos established by Mariana Bravo de Laguna and Luisa Bravo de Guzmán, which had been united. The decision, based on the Laws of Toro, granted him possession of these mayorazgos, along with all associated properties, revenues, and rents accrued since the death of Leonor Duque de Estrada, up until their formal transfer and restitution.

## Siblings

Garcí's siblings are recorded in his mother 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. Garcí Bravo de Medrano was the brother of:
* 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 Francisca de Vinuesa.
* 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 to 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.

### Royal officials in Kingdom of Castile

His brother's son Diego López de Medrano y Vinuesa (Garcí's paternal nephew) became the Mayordomo Mayor (High Steward) to Empress Isabella of Portugal, wife of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. His sister Catalina de Medrano was a lady-in-waiting for Queen Isabella I of Castile. His sister Luisa de Medrano became the first female professor in Europe and Spain at the University of Salamanca.
Garcí's nephew, Diego López de Medrano, Lord of San Gregorio and Alcaide of Aranjuez, became the first Equerry to Prince Philip (the future Philip II of Spain). His second nephew, Francisco de Medrano, served as accountant and treasurer to Prince Carlos, son of Philip II. Both were sons of Garcí's brother, Diego López de Medrano y Bravo de Lagunas, Mayordomo Mayor to the Holy Roman Empress.
On 1 September 1552, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, issued the Carta Ejecutoria de Hidalguía, confirming the noble status of the ancient Medrano family. Compiled in Valladolid and Arenas, Spain, it includes genealogical records, official signatures and seals, and copies of rulings from Countess Juana Pimentel, King Henry III, and Álvaro de Luna. Written in Gothic script on 20 parchment sheets, the document features the Holy Roman Emperor's coat of arms with gold floral decorations. It formally recognizes Bernardino de Medrano, Pedro López de Medrano, and Francisco de Medrano, with its opening lines honoring Charles V. By this time, the House of Medrano in Soria was a large and powerful branch of the family, as evidenced by numerous geneology charts held in European Archives.