The House de la Vega, Laso de la Vega or Lasso de la Vega (sometimes even Garci Lasso de la Vega or Garcilaso de la Vega depending on the family member referenced) is a Spanish

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, Gr ...

line from the

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 cent ...

. The family origins lie in the areas now known as

Torrelavega Torrelavega ( Cantabrian: ''Torlavega'') is a municipality and important industrial and commercial hub in the single province Autonomous Community of Cantabria, northern Spain. It is situated roughly 8 kilometres from the Cantabrian Coast and 27.5 ...

which was established in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

. The House of de la Vega was one of the most important families in the territory which now makes up

Cantabria Cantabria (, also , , Cantabrian: ) is an autonomous community in northern Spain with Santander as its capital city. It is called a ''comunidad histórica'', a historic community, in its current Statute of Autonomy. It is bordered on the east ...

and they dominated a large amount of the terrain and property between the Torre de la Vega and the Castillo de Argüeso. This noble house merged with the

House of Mendoza The Mendoza family was a powerful line of Spanish nobles. Members of the family wielded considerable power, especially from the 14th to the 17th centuries in Castile. The family originated from the village of Mendoza (Basque ''mendi+oza'', 'c ...

which subsequently adopted its motto, "Ave Maria, Gratia Plena", after the marriage of Leonor Lasso de la Vega, the daughter and only heir of Garci Lasso Ruiz de la Vega, and Diego Hurtado de Mendoza, the Head Admiral of Castile. From this marriage was born Íñigo López de Mendoza, the first Marqios of Santillana. After this union, the lordship the House of de la Vega was passed on as property of his successors, the Dukes of the Infantado. The family reached the height of its power in the 15th Century when facing off against the monarchy. They were able to set up a system of Mayordomazgos independent of the crown and based in the Castillo de Pedraja which belonged to the family. During this time, there were a great many power struggles going on in the area of Cantabria, creating a number of social conflicts.VVAA; ''Volume 1 de I Encuentro de Historia de Cantabria: Actas del Encuentro Celebrado en Santander los Días 16 a 19 de Diciembre de 1996: The Feudal Society of Cantabria''. Ed. Universidad de Cantabria (1999). . After the merger with the House of Mendoza, the Cantabrian surname "Lasso de la Vega" was passed on through the maternal line at later times throughout the years and is associated with various soldiers, poets, and

Golden Age The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology, particularly the '' Works and Days'' of Hesiod, and is part of the description of temporal decline of the state of peoples through five Ages, Gold being the first and the one during which the G ...

writers such as Garcilaso de la Vega, the soldier and poet, and

Inca Garcilaso Inca Garcilaso de la Vega (12 April 1539 – 23 April 1616), born Gómez Suárez de Figueroa and known as El Inca, was a chronicler and writer born in the Viceroyalty of Peru. Sailing to Spain at 21, he was educated informally there, where he l ...

, the historian from the

Viceroyalty of Peru The Viceroyalty of Peru ( es, Virreinato del Perú, links=no) was a Spanish imperial provincial administrative district, created in 1542, that originally contained modern-day Peru and most of the Spanish Empire in South America, governed fro ...

Head of House

References

{{reflist * (The information on this page was translated from its Spanish equivalent.)

Bibliography

* VVAA; ''Diccionario histórico, genealógico y heráldico de las familias ilustres de la monarquía española'' (1860).

Lasso de la Vega A lasso ( or ), also called lariat, riata, or reata (all from Castilian Spanish, Castilian, la reata 're-tied rope'), is a loop of rope designed as a restraint to be thrown around a target and tightened when pulled. It is a well-known tool ...

Cantabrian nobility History of Cantabria