Duke of Frías () is a hereditary title in the peerage of Spain accompanied by the dignity of

Grandee 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 ...

, created in 1492 by King

Ferdinand II of Aragon Ferdinand II, also known as Ferdinand I, Ferdinand III, and Ferdinand V (10 March 1452 – 23 January 1516), called Ferdinand the Catholic, was King of Aragon from 1479 until his death in 1516. As the husband and co-ruler of Queen Isabella I of ...

and conferred to his son-in-law Don Bernardino Fernández de Velasco, 2nd Count of Haro,

Constable of Castile Constable of Castile () was a title of a military nature created by John I, King of Castile in 1382, as a result of the Third Fernandine War against the Portuguese and the English. The post substituted the title of ''Alférez Mayor del Reino'' ...

, and Viceroy of Granada. It is one of the most important titles in Spain and one of the first titles to receive the honor of Grandee of Spain by Emperor

Charles V Charles V may refer to: Kings and Emperors * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise Others * Charles V, Duke ...

in 1520. The House of Velasco was one of the most powerful and influential noble Castilian families of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Modern Era. Its original territories were situated around

Burgos Burgos () is a city in Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populous municipality of the province of Burgos. Burgos is situated in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, on the confluence of th ...

Álava Álava () or Araba (), officially Araba/Álava, is a Provinces of Spain, province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country, heir of the ancient Basque señoríos#Lords of Álava, Lordship ...

and eastern

Cantabria Cantabria (, ; ) is an autonomous community and Provinces of Spain, province in northern Spain with Santander, Cantabria, Santander as its capital city. It is called a , a Nationalities and regions of Spain, historic community, in its current ...

. The lineage was of distant royal origin, being the Velascos a minor branch of the

Astur-Leonese dynasty The Asturian or Astur-Leonese dynasty (Spanish ''dinastía asturiana'' or ''astur-leonesa'', Asturian ''dinastía asturllionesa''), known in Arabic as the Banī Adhfūnsh ("sons of Alfonso"), was the ruling family of the kingdom of Asturias and ...

, but re-elevated when Don Juan de Velasco (1368–1418), was appointed hereditary Lord High Chamberlain-Chancellor or ''Camarero mayor'' to the Kings of Castile. His elder son, Pedro Fernández de Velasco, became the first Count of Haro. When the 1st Count died in the 1470s, he was succeeded by his eldest son

Pedro Fernández de Velasco, 2nd Count of Haro Pedro Fernández de Velasco, 2nd Count of Haro (in full, ) (c. 1425 – 1492) was a Spanish nobleman and military figure of the last stages of the Reconquista. Biography Fernández de Velasco was born in Burgos, the son of Pedro Fernández de V ...

who became the hereditary

, the highest-ranking military office in Spain not considering the King. His son, Don Bernardino de Velasco, 3rd Count of Haro and second hereditary Constable of Castile, received the title of Duke of Frías. After becoming a widow, he then married Doña Juana de Aragón, illegitimate daughter of King

. In 1520, Emperor

made the 2nd Duke of Frías one of the first

Grandees of Spain Grandees of Spain () are the highest-ranking members of the Spanish nobility. They comprise nobles who hold the most important historical landed titles in Spain or its Spanish Empire, former colonies. Many such hereditary titles are held by extend ...

, thus making the Dukedom of Frías one of the 25 most important titles in the

Kingdom of Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, known as of "''Grandeza Inmemorial''" or "''Inmemorial Grandeeship''".

Counts of Haro (1430)

* Pedro Fernández de Velasco, 1st Count of Haro *

(1430–1492)

Dukes of Frías (1492)

Bernardino Fernández de Velasco, 1st Duke of Frías Don Bernardino Fernández de Velasco, 1st Duke of Frías, Grandee of Spain (c. 1450 – 9 February 1512) was a Spanish nobleman and prominent military figure of the last stages of the Reconquista. The son of Fanciso Fernández de Velasco and Maria ...

(c.1450 - 9 February 1512) *

Íñigo Fernández de Velasco, 2nd Duke of Frías Íñigo Fernández de Velasco (1462–17 September 1528), 2nd Duke of Frías, Grandee of Spain, and Constable of Castile (), was a Spanish nobleman. Fernández de Velasco was the son of Pedro Fernández de Velasco and of Beatriz Manrique ...

(c.1460 - 15 December 1528) *

Pedro Fernández de Velasco, 3rd Duke of Frías Pedro Fernández de Velasco, 3rd Duke of Frías (c. 1485 – 10 November 1559), Grandee of Spain (in full, ) was a Spanish nobleman. Fernández de Velasco was the son of Íñigo Fernández de Velasco, 2nd Duke of Frías and of Doña María de Tov ...

(c. 1485) *

Íñigo Fernández de Velasco, 4th Duke of Frías Inigo is a masculine given name deriving from the Castilian rendering (Íñigo) of the medieval Basque name Eneko. Ultimately, the name means "my little (man)". While mostly seen among the Iberian diaspora, it also gained a limited popularity ...

(c. 1530 - 1585) *

Juan Fernández de Velasco, 5th Duke of Frías ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. The name is of Hebrew origin and has the meaning "God has been gracious." It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking countries around the world and in the Philipp ...

(c. 1550 - 15 March 1613) * Bernardino Fernández de Velasco, 6th Duke of Frías (c. 1610 - 1652) * Íñigo Melchor de Velasco, 7th Duke of Frías (c. 1635 - 27 September 1696) * José Fernández de Velasco y Tovar, 8th Duke of Frías (c. 1660 - 9 January 1713) * Bernardino Fernández de Velasco y Tovar, 9th Duke of Frías (1685-1727) * Agustín Fernández de Velasco, 10th Duke de Frías (1669-1741) * Bernardino Fernández de Velasco, 11th Duke of Frías (1707-1771) * Martín Fernández de Velasco, 12th Duke of Frías (1729-1776) * Diego Fernández de Velasco, 13th Duke of Frías (1754–1811) * Bernardino Fernández de Velasco, 14th Duke of Frías (1783-1851) * José María Fernández de Velasco y Jaspe, 15th Duke of Frías (1836-1888) * Bernardino Fernández de Velasco y Balfe, 16th Duke of Frías (1866-1916) * Guillermo Fernández de Velascoy Balfe, 17th Duke of Frías (1870-1936) * José María Fernández de Velasco y Sforza-Cesarini, 18th Duke of Frías (1910-1986) * Francisco de Borja de Soto y Moreno-Santamaría, 19th Duke of Frías (1985-)

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Frias, Duke of Dukes of Frías, Dukedoms of Spain

Counts of Haro (1430)

Dukes of Frías (1492)

See also

References

Bibliography