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The House of Lara (Spanish: ''Casa de Lara'') is a
noble A noble is a member of the nobility. Noble may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Noble Glacier, King George Island * Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Noble Peak, Wiencke Island * Noble Rocks, Graham Land Australia * Noble Island, Great B ...
family from the medieval
Kingdom of Castile The Kingdom of Castile (; es, Reino de Castilla, la, Regnum Castellae) was a large and powerful state on the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages. Its name comes from the host of castles constructed in the region. It began in the 9th centu ...
. Two of its branches, the Duques de Nájera and the Marquesado de Aguilar de Campoo were considered
Grandees of Spain Grandees of Spain ( es, Grandes de España) are the highest-ranking members of the Spanish nobility. They comprise nobles who hold the most important historical landed titles in Spain or its former colonies. Many such hereditary titles are held ...
. The Lara family gained numerous territories in Castile, León,
Andalucía Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a ...
, and Galicia and members of the family moved throughout the former Spanish colonies, establishing branches as far away as the Philippines and Argentina. The House of Lara were most prominent in the history of Castile and León from the 11th to the 14th century. Álvaro Núñez de Lara served as regent for
Henry I of Castile Henry I of Castile (14 April 1204 – 6 June 1217) was king of Castile. He was the son of Alfonso VIII of Castile and Eleanor of England, Queen of Castile (daughter of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine). He was the brother of Berengu ...
. They were dispossessed of much of their land by
Peter the Cruel 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 ...
, but most was returned by Henry II.


History

The family arose in 11th century Castile through a marriage that united the paternal lands around
Lara de los Infantes Lara de los Infantes is a town with 26 inhabitants in the province of Burgos in the autonomous region of Castille y León in Spain. It is the seat of the municipality of Jurisdicción de Lara, which includes a few more inhabitants as it include ...
belonging to Gonzalo Núñez with the inheritance of his wife, Goto Núñez, representing the holdings of the noble Álvarez and Alfonso families. By the 13th century, the Lara family origin had been linked to the protagonists in the epic ''
Cantar de los Siete Infantes de Lara The ''Cantar de los Siete Infantes de Lara'' ("Song of the Seven Lara Princes") is a legend, perhaps derived from a lost ''cantar de gesta'', that relates a tale of family feuding and revenge, centering on the murder of the eponymous seven ''infan ...
'' (Song of the Seven Lara Princes), a 10th-century tale of revenge set around the lands subsequently held by the Lara family, but there is no evidence that the tale reflected historical events and the names in the legend cannot be matched with the family's known ancestry.
Ramón Menéndez Pidal Ramón Menéndez Pidal (; 13 March 1869 – 14 November 1968) was a Spanish philologist and historian."Ramon Menendez Pidal", ''Almanac of Famous People'' (2011) ''Biography in Context'', Gale, Detroit He worked extensively on the history of t ...
, ''La Leyenda de los Siete Infantes de Lara'', Madrid: Hijos de José M. Ducazel, 1896; Sánchez de Mora.
From the 12th through 15th centuries, members of the Lara family found themselves at different times either supporting of or opposing their monarch. In 1113,
Pedro González de Lara Pedro González de Lara (died 16 October 1130) was a Castilian magnate. He served Alfonso VI as a young man, and later became the lover of Alfonso's heiress, Queen Urraca. He may have joined the First Crusade in the following of Raymond IV of Tou ...
supported Queen
Urraca of Castile Urraca (also spelled ''Hurraca'', ''Urracha'' and ''Hurracka'' in medieval Latin) is a female first name. In Spanish, the name means magpie, derived perhaps from Latin ''furax'', meaning "thievish", in reference to the magpie's tendency to collect ...
in her struggles against her former husband,
Alfonso I of Aragon Alfonso I (''c''. 1073/10747 September 1134), called the Battler or the Warrior ( es, el Batallador), was King of Aragon and Navarre from 1104 until his death in 1134. He was the second son of King Sancho Ramírez and successor of his brother Pet ...
. Pedro and his brother, Rodrigo, also confronted her son
Alfonso VII Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century (Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic kingdom in the Iberian peninsula. ...
in 1130. Rodrigo later helped Alfonso counter the rise of the
Almoravids The Almoravid dynasty ( ar, المرابطون, translit=Al-Murābiṭūn, lit=those from the ribats) was an imperial Berber Muslim dynasty centered in the territory of present-day Morocco. It established an empire in the 11th century that ...
.
Manrique Pérez de Lara Manrique Pérez de Lara (died 1164) was a magnate of the Kingdom of Castile and its regent from 1158 until his death. He was a leading figure of the House of Lara and one of the most important counsellors and generals of three successive Castilian ...
, Álvar Pérez and
Nuño Pérez de Lara Nuño Pérez de Lara (died 3 August 1177) was a Castilian nobleman, politician and military leader. He began his career at the court of the Emperor Alfonso VII, during whose reign he took part in the ''repoblación'' of the Extremadura and the d ...
disputed the regency of
Alfonso VIII Alfonso VIII (11 November 11555 October 1214), called the Noble (''El Noble'') or the one of Las Navas (''el de las Navas''), was King of Castile from 1158 to his death and King of Toledo. After having suffered a great defeat with his own army at ...
, and
Fernando Núñez de Lara Fernando Núñez de Lara ('' fl.'' 1173–1219) was a count of the House of Lara. He spent most of career in the service of the Kingdom of Castile, but at times served the neighbouring Kingdom of León as well. He was a courtier late in the reign ...
was Alfonso's ''
alférez In medieval Iberia, an ''alférez'' (, ) or ''alferes'' (, ) was a high-ranking official in the household of a king or magnate. The term is derived from the Arabic ('' al-fāris''), meaning "horseman" or "cavalier", and it was commonly Latinised ...
''. Álvaro Núñez de Lara became regent of
Henry I Henry I may refer to: 876–1366 * Henry I the Fowler, King of Germany (876–936) * Henry I, Duke of Bavaria (died 955) * Henry I of Austria, Margrave of Austria (died 1018) * Henry I of France (1008–1060) * Henry I the Long, Margrave of the No ...
. Nuño González de Lara served Ferdinand III and
Alfonso X Alfonso X (also known as the Wise, es, el Sabio; 23 November 1221 – 4 April 1284) was King of Castile, León and Galicia from 30 May 1252 until his death in 1284. During the election of 1257, a dissident faction chose him to be king of Germ ...
, but in 1270 led an alliance of nobles against the same king.
Juan Núñez I de Lara Juan Núñez I de Lara y León (died Córdoba, April 1294), also known as "''el Gordo''" or "the Fat", was a Spanish noble. He was the head of the House of Lara, Lord of Lerma, Amaya, Dueñas, Palenzuela, Tordehumos, Torrelobatón, and la ...
''el Gordo'',
Señor de Albarracín Señor or Senor may refer to: * Spanish-language honorific meaning Mr. * Dan Senor See also * Señorita (disambiguation) * * {{disambiguation, surname ...
, opposed the enthronement of Sancho IV, and had to temporarily flee to France.
Juan Núñez II de Lara Juan Núñez II de Lara ( – 1315), nicknamed ''el Mozo'' or ''el de la Barba'' (the bearded one), was a Spanish noble, and head of the House of Lara in the service of the Kingdom of Castile. Amongst other titles, he was the Mayordomo Mayor ...
headed various rebellions against
Alfonso XI Alfonso XI (13 August 131126 March 1350), called the Avenger (''el Justiciero''), was King of Castile and León. He was the son of Ferdinand IV of Castile and his wife Constance of Portugal. Upon his father's death in 1312, several disputes en ...
. Ultimately, the family suffered greatly after the victory of King
Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...
against his usurping half-brother, Henry II.


The Manrique de Lara

The only branch of the family to survive the Middle Ages were the Manrique de Lara, who supported the
Catholic Monarchs The Catholic Monarchs were Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon, whose marriage and joint rule marked the ''de facto'' unification of Spain. They were both from the House of Trastámara and were second cousins, being bot ...
in their war against the supporters of the contender
Joanna la Beltraneja Joanna ''la Beltraneja'' (21 February 1462 – 12 April 1530) was a claimant to the throne of Castile, and Queen of Portugal as the wife of King Afonso V, her uncle. Birth and parentage King Henry IV of Castile married Joan of Portugal, dau ...
. In 1520,
Emperor Charles V Charles V, french: Charles Quint, it, Carlo V, nl, Karel V, ca, Carles V, la, Carolus V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain ( Castile and Aragon) ...
raised the House of Lara to the position of
grandee Grandee (; es, Grande de España, ) 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 neith ...
, as dukes of Nájera and marquesses of Aguilar de Campoo. Members of the family were to serve the crown as viceroys, captain generals, ambassadors and cardinals. The first Count of Paredes de Nava became 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 pilgr ...
. The authors
Gómez Manrique Gómez Manrique y de Castilla (c. 1412 – c. 1490) was a Spanish poet, soldier, politician and dramatist. Biography Gómez Manrique was born in Amusco. The fifth son of Pedro Manrique de Lara y Mendoza, (1382–1440), adelantado mayor of L ...
and
Jorge Manrique Jorge Manrique (c. 1440 – 24 April 1479) was a major Castilian poet, whose main work, the ''Coplas por la muerte de su padre (Verses on the death of Don Rodrigo Manrique, his Father)'', is still read today. He was a supporter of the queen I ...
belong to this branch of the Lara. The original coat of arms is supposed to represent two cauldrons, which represent the ability of the family to sustain many followers.


Family tree

, - , style="text-align: left;", style="border-spacing: 2px; border: 1px solid darkgray;" - align="center" , Members of the House of Lara in the male line - Marriage or extramarital relationship - Descent - Extra-marital Descent , - , style="text-align: left;", Notes:


References


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * *


External links


Foundation for Medieval Genealogy: CASTILE & LEÓN NOBILITY (1): LARA
{{DEFAULTSORT:House Of Lara