Antonio Álvarez de Toledo y Beaumont, 5th Duke of Alba,

Grandee of Spain Grandee (; , ) is an official royal and noble ranks, aristocratic title conferred on some Spanish nobility. Holders of this dignity enjoyed similar privileges to those of the peerage of France during the , though in neither country did they ha ...

, (in full, ), (1568 – 29 January 1639) was a Spanish

nobleman Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...

and politician.

Biography

Antonio was the grandson of the Iron Duke

Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba Fernando Álvarez de Toledo y Pimentel, 3rd Duke of Alba (29 October 150711 December 1582), known as the Grand Duke of Alba (, ) in Spain and Portugal and as the Iron Duke () or shortly 'Alva' in the Netherlands, was a Spaniards, Spanish noblema ...

and became 5th Duke of Alba when his uncle Fadrique Álvarez de Toledo, 4th Duke of Alba died without an heir. In 1599

Philip III of Spain Philip III (; 14 April 1578 – 31 March 1621) was King of Spain and King of Portugal, Portugal (where he is known as Philip II of Portugal) during the Iberian Union. His reign lasted from 1598 until his death in 1621. He held dominion over the S ...

awarded him the

Order of the Golden Fleece The Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece (, ) is a Catholic order of chivalry founded in 1430 in Brugge by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, to celebrate his marriage to Isabella of Portugal, Duchess of Burgundy, Isabella of Portugal. T ...

. He was viceroy of Naples between 1622 and 1629. As viceroy, he was confronted with multiple problems: yet another Italian War over the

Valtellina Valtellina or the Valtelline (occasionally spelled as two words in English: Val Telline; (); or ; ; ) is a valley in the Lombardy region of northern Italy, bordering Switzerland. Today it is known for its ski centre, hot spring spas, bresa ...

valley; a bad harvest and high

food prices Food prices refer to the average price level for food across countries, regions and on a global scale. Food prices affect producers and consumers of food. Price levels depend on the food production process, including food marketing and food di ...

in 1624; the 1626 Naples earthquake which killed nearly 10,000 people in the town; frequent attacks by Turkish pirates; and constant requisitions of funds and resources by Conde-Duque de Olivares, the prime minister of Spain. In 1629, King

Philip IV of Spain Philip IV (, ; 8 April 160517 September 1665), also called the Planet King (Spanish: ''Rey Planeta''), was King of Spain from 1621 to his death and (as Philip III) King of Portugal from 1621 to 1640. Philip is remembered for his patronage of the ...

made him his Mayordomo mayor, chief of his Royal Household. He married Mencía de Mendoza, daughter of Don Íñigo López de Mendoza, Duke del Infantado, and had three children: * Fernando Álvarez de Toledo (1595–1667), his successor * María Álvarez de Toledo * Ana Álvarez de Toledo

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Alvarez De Toledo, Antonio 05 1568 births 1639 deaths Viceroys of Naples Dukes of Alba Dukes of Huéscar House of Alba

Antonio Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan language, Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language–speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top ...

Knights of the Golden Fleece Grandees of Spain 16th-century Spanish nobility