page_title: Fernando de Valenzuela, 1st Marquis of Villasierra
section_title: Career
hierarchical_section_title: Fernando de Valenzuela, 1st Marquis of Villasierra / Career
caption_attribution_description: Español: La obra representa el momento en que se ordenó el arresto de Fernando de Valenzuela (1636-1692), primer marqués de Villasierra y confidente de la reina Mariana de Austria, que en 1677 fue detenido por orden de Juan José de Austria en el monasterio del Escorial y condenado a 10 años de destierro en las Islas Filipinas, aunque falleció en México, en 1692.
context_page_description: Fernando de Valenzuela, 1st Marquis of Villasierra, Grandee of Spain, who served as a trusted advisor and valido to Mariana of Austria, Queen Regent of Spain.
  Valenzuela came from the lower ranks of Spanish nobility or hidalgos and his appointment was resented by the grandees, the upper nobility who dominated government appointments. In 1677, he was removed from office and imprisoned in the Philippines; released in 1688, he settled in Mexico City, where he died in 1692.
context_section_description: Francisco de Valenzuela reportedly left Ronda after killing a man, although the details are unclear. He served with the Spanish army in Flanders and Milan, before settling in the Kingdom of Naples, then part of the Crown of Aragon. His brother Cristobal was Governor of the town of Barletta, in Apulia and Francisco was appointed Governor or Regidor of Sant'Agata, a town in the Province of Naples.
  After his death in 1640, Leonora returned to Madrid and secured her son a position as page in the household of Duke of Infantado. From 1648 to 1655, Infantado was successively ambassador to Rome, Governor of Milán, and finally Viceroy of Sicily, before retiring to Spain, where he died in 1657.
  Valenzuela served in the Spanish army in Italy but his career stagnated and he returned to Madrid in 1659. Two years later, he married Maria Ambrosia de Uceda, lady-in-waiting to Mariana of Austria, who gave him a position in her household as a wedding present. When Philip IV died in 1665, his son Charles II was only three years old and Mariana appointed regent by the Council of Castile. The next decade was dominated by a power struggle between Mariana and Charles' illegitimate half-brother, John of Austria the Younger, (1629-1679).
  As government became more complex, individual rulers could no longer manage the administrative burden on their own and needed to delegate, hence the use of validos or privados. Often translated as 'favourite', 'trusted advisor' is a better description of the role; it was used in Spain in various forms from the 15th century to the late 18th century and formalised by Philip IV in 1620. English-language biographies of Valenzuela, such as his entry in the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, often reflect the 17th century view women were incapable of ruling without a man and imply a sexual relationship. Rather than depending on one person or 'valido', in reality Mariana used a number of different advisors. 
  The instability that often accompanied royal minorities was heightened by Charles' ill-health and the likelihood he would die childless. The resulting contest between his co-heirs Louis XIV of France and Emperor Leopold split the Spanish political elite into Austrian and French factions. Mariana therefore preferred to rely on a small group of loyalists, who owed their careers to her. In addition to Valenzuela, these included her personal confessor Juan Everardo Nithard, who came with her from Vienna in 1659, and the Marquis de Aytona; all three were accused of being her lovers at one time or another.
  After Nithard was forced from office in 1669, his role as 'valido' was filled by Aytona; when he died in March 1670, Valenzuela became more prominent. In 1671, he was made a knight of the Order of Santiago and appointed 'Introducer of Ambassadors'; the position still exists and relates to protocol, rather than policy, the holder being responsible for co-ordinating acts and ceremonies related to Spanish foreign policy.
  In 1673, he was appointed the Queen's Master of Horse, a major position that controlled logistics, royal processions and security. 17th century monarchies used ostentatious display to project power; Valenzuela was put in charge of public entertainments and building works, including the expansion of El Pardo, as well as sports and hunting expeditions for Charles. Such positions were normally held by grandees and in a carefully regulated and hierarchical society, this meant Valenzuela was viewed with great resentment. 
  The regency was formally dissolved when Charles turned 14 in 1675, although the Council of Castile agreed his disabilities required Mariana to control the decision-making process. John was sent to Sicily to put down the Messina revolt and Valenzuela made Marquis of Villasierra and Ambassador to Venice; however, he remained in Spain as Captain-General of Granada.
  Valenzuela was recalled in June 1676 and made Master of Horse for the Royal Household, another post normally held by a grandee.  Mariana responded to complaints by making him a grandee, then first minister in November; this was a step too 
caption: The arrest of Fernando de Valenzuela, by Manuel Castellano
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