Francisco de Navarra y Hualde was born in Tafalla, Kingdom of Navarre, in 1498. He was the son of Pedro, Marshall of Navarre, and a lady from Tafalla surnamed Hualde. As a young man he was affected by the conquest of Navarre. During the Siege of Hondarribia (1522-1524), he was listed in December 1523 along with his brother Pedro among the Navarrese loyalists not spared by the Emperor Charles V's pardon. Eventually, following the general pardon decreed by the emperor Charles V that paved the ground to the end of the Siege of Hondarribia, he was appointed prior of Roncesvalles, later removed from Navarre.