Garci Álvarez de Toledo y Meneses was a Spanish noble of the House of Oropesa. He was the Grand Master of the

Order of Santiago The Order of Santiago (; es, Orden de Santiago ), is a religious and military order founded in the 12th century. It owes its name to the Patron Saint of Spain, "Santiago" (St. James the Greater). Its initial objective was to protect the pilgri ...

from 1359 to 1366.

Family origins

Garci was from the prestigious House of Oropesa. He was the son of Garci Álvarez de Toledo, the head Alcalde of Toledo, and Mencía Téllez de Meneses y Gómez. He was the brother of

Gutierre Álvarez de Toledo Gutierre Álvarez de Toledo was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Plasencia (1496–1506). ''(in Latin)'' ''(in Latin)'' He was also appointed as Archbishop of Seville in 1506, but it is unlikely that he ever took possession of th ...

, bishop of Palencia and cardinal and chancellor of the Queen

Juana Manuel Juana Manuel (1339 – 27 March 1381) was Queen of Castile from 1369 until 1379 by marriage to king Henry II of Castile. She was also the heiress of Escalona, Villena, Peñafiel and Lara, as well as Lady of Biscay. Family She was the daughter ...

. He was also the brother of Fernán Álvarez de Toledo y Meneses, Marshall of Castile.

Marriage and descendants

Garci married Estefanía de Monroy, but had no children with her. He did however, have an illegitimate son with Catalina de Loaysa, Fernán Álvarez de Toledo y Loaysa. Some historians suggest the possibility that Garci eventually married in secret with Catalina.

Biography

Garci served the king

Peter of Castile Peter ( es, Pedro; 30 August 133423 March 1369), called the Cruel () or the Just (), was King of Castile and León from 1350 to 1369. Peter was the last ruler of the main branch of the House of Ivrea. He was excommunicated by Pope Urban V for ...

, being named head Mayordomo of his son Alonso. In 1359 he was named Grand Master of the

after the assassination of

Fadrique Alfonso de Castilla Fadrique Alfonso of Castile, 1st Señor de Haro (1334–1358), 25th Master of the Order of Santiago (1342–1358), was the fifth illegitimate child of Alfonso XI of Castile and Eleanor of Guzman. He was born in Seville. Biography Fadrique was ...

. In 1366, Garci was involved in the war between

Henry II of Castile Henry II (13 January 1334 – 29 May 1379), called Henry of Trastámara or the Fratricidal (''el Fratricida''), was the first King of Castile and León from the House of Trastámara. He became king in 1369 by defeating his half-brother Peter th ...

and of

. King Peter went to

Sevilla Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...

, leaving the defense of Toledo to Garci. Most of the nobility in Toledo pledged loyalty to Henry II. Garci, unable to defend the city properly, was made to surrender the Grand Mastership to Gonzalo Mexía (who already exercised that title in the court of Henry II), in exchange for the title of Conde of Oropesa and Valdecorneja.

Death

Garci died in 1370 during the Castilian siege of

Ciudad Rodrigo Ciudad Rodrigo () is a small cathedral city in the province of Salamanca, in western Spain, with a population in 2016 of 12,896. It is also the seat of a judicial district. The site of Ciudad Rodrigo, perched atop a rocky rise on the right ban ...

which was defended by the Portuguese forces of Ferdinand I of Portugal during the

Ferdinand Wars The Fernandine Wars (from the Portuguese ''Guerras Fernandinas'') were a series of three conflicts (1369–70, 1372–73, 1381–82) between the Kingdom of Portugal under King Ferdinand I and the Crown of Castile under Kings Henry II and later ...

. His estate at Oropesa was inherited by his son Fernán Álvarez de Toledo y Loaysa. His estate and title at Valdecorneja went to his brother Fernán Álvarez de Toledo y Meneses, beginning the bloodline of the

Dukes of Alba Duke of Alba de Tormes ( es, Duque de Alba de Tormes), commonly known as Duke of Alba, is a title of Spanish nobility that is accompanied by the dignity of Grandee of Spain. In 1472, the title of ''Count of Alba de Tormes'', inherited by ...

. Miguel Salvá Munar
Árbol genealógico de los señores de Valdecorneja
incluido en CODOIN, vol. XVI, pág. 285.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Toledo, Garci Alvarez De Year of birth missing 1370 deaths Spanish untitled nobility Order of Santiago Grand Masters of the Order of Santiago Knights of Santiago