Juan de Tassis y Acuña, 1st Count of Villamediana, (Valladolid 15?? - Madrid 1607) was a Spanish diplomat and official, awarded his title by king

Felipe III of Spain Felipe is the Spanish language, Spanish variant of the name Philip (name), Philip, which derives from the Greek adjective ''Philippos'' "friend of horses". Felipe is also widely used in Portuguese language, Portuguese-speaking Brazil alongside Fili ...

in 1603, and the General Head of Spanish Post Offices. The Somerset House Conference 19 August 1604

Life

The family was originally Italian, and its members extended through Europe, from

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. The Holy Roman Emperor Charles V awarded them positions as heads of public lodgings (''Hostes'') and postal offices (''postas''). Johann Baptist von Taxis was the head of the Reichspost. His oldest son, Raymond de Tassis (circa 1515 - 1579), went to Spain and became postmaster general of the kingdom. Raymond married Catalina de Acuña (circa 1515 - 1579). Juan de Tassis was his son and heir. Under king

Philip II of Spain Philip II) in Spain, while in Portugal and his Italian kingdoms he ruled as Philip I ( pt, Filipe I). (21 May 152713 September 1598), also known as Philip the Prudent ( es, Felipe el Prudente), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from ...

he was in the service of the unfortunate Prince

Don Carlos ''Don Carlos'' is a five-act grand opera composed by Giuseppe Verdi to a French-language libretto by Joseph Méry and Camille du Locle, based on the dramatic play '' Don Carlos, Infant von Spanien'' (''Don Carlos, Infante of Spain'') by Friedri ...

, who died as a teenager. He participated in the war fighting the Morisco revolt in

Granada Granada (,, DIN 31635, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the fo ...

and in North African towns such as

Oran Oran ( ar, وَهران, Wahrān) is a major coastal city located in the north-west of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria after the capital Algiers, due to its population and commercial, industrial, and cultural ...

, now in

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

. He was made a Knight of the

Military 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 ...

, serving the

3rd Duke of Alba Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (disambiguation) * Third Avenue (disambiguation) * High ...

in the conquest of

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

, Portugal, 29 June 1581. While he was there, his only son,

Juan de Tassis y Peralta, 2nd Count of Villamediana Don Juan de Tassis y Peralta, 2nd Count of Villamediana, ( es: ''Don Juan de Tassis y Peralta, segundo conde de Villamediana''; baptised 26 August 1582 – 21 August 1622), was a Spanish poet. In Spain he is simply known as Conde de Villamediana. ...

was born. In 1583 Tassis returned to Madrid with the king. He was created the 1st Count of

Villamediana Villamediana is a municipality located in the province of Palencia, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census (INE), the municipality had a population of 229 inhabitants. In Spanish history a prominent role was played by Juan de Ta ...

by king Philip III of Spain on 12 October 1603, confirming him as Correo Mayor, or Head of the Postal Communications within the Spanish Empire. He was married to Maria de Peralta Muñatones.

Embassy to England

Tassis headed a Spanish-Flemish delegation which visited England in 1603 to seek an end to the war with England which had begun in 1585. Elizabeth had recently died and her successor James I sought to end the long and draining conflict with Spain which he inherited. There was a false rumour of his arrival in England in June 1603. He arrived at Dover on 23 August. The

Earl of Devonshire The title of Earl of Devonshire has been created twice in the Peerage of England, firstly in 1603 for the Blount family and then recreated in 1618 for the Cavendish family, in whose possession the earldom remains. It is not to be confused with ...

brought him to lodge at

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

before meeting King James and

Anne of Denmark Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I; as such, she was Queen of Scotland The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional fo ...

at Woodstock Palace. Efforts were made to ensure his reception was equal to that given to the French ambassador, the Marquis of Rosny. However, one of his entourage died of the plague at Oxford, and so his audience with the King was deferred. Arbella Stuart wrote that he brought perfumed leather goods as gifts for courtiers. Tassis moved to Southampton, and was received by King James and

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

on 24 September. He gave a speech in Spanish which was translated into Italian for King James.

Lewes Lewknor Sir Lewes Lewknor (c.1560–1627) was an English courtier, M.P., writer, soldier, and Judge who served as Master of the Ceremonies to King James I of England. M.P. for Midhurst in 1597 and for Bridgnorth 1604–10. His career has been descri ...

gave the King's reply in Spanish. At Salisbury, landlords were dissatisfied with payments for lodging his retinue, and there was a riot during which a Spanish man was killed. Tassis attended the court masque ''

The Vision of the Twelve Goddesses ''The Vision of the Twelve Goddesses'' was an early Jacobean-era masque, written by Samuel Daniel and performed in the Great Hall of Hampton Court Palace on the evening of Sunday, 8 January 1604. One of the earliest of the Stuart Court masqu ...

'' in January 1604, and danced with

Lucy, Countess of Bedford Lucy Russell, Countess of Bedford ( Harington; 1580–1627) was a major aristocratic patron of the arts and literature in the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras, the primary non-royal performer in contemporary court masques, a letter-writer, and a ...

. The French ambassador Christophe de Harlay, Count of Beaumont was not invited. In April Tassis asked King James if the Constable

Velasco Velasco (also Belasco or Belasko) is a Spanish family name. According to the academy of Basque language, it is derived from the Visigothic name 'Vela' (Vigila) and the Basque suffix ''–sco''.https://www.euskaltzaindia.eus/en/ (Onomastics, Belas ...

could be lodged at

Somerset House Somerset House is a large Neoclassical complex situated on the south side of the Strand in central London, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The Georgian era quadrangle was built on the site of a Tudor palace ("O ...

, and Anne of Denmark granted his request. In June, as the Constable had not yet arrived, Tassis moved into the lodging at Somerset House that had been prepared for Velasco. Tassis and the Constable bought jewels as gifts for the ladies of the court of Denmark, some from

Arnold Lulls Arnold Lulls (floruit 1580–1625) was a Flemish goldsmith and jeweller in London. He served the court and made several pieces intended as diplomatic gifts. Career He was born in Antwerp, and settled in London before 1585, and became a denizen of E ...

in London, several from goldsmiths in Brussels.Gustave Ungerer, 'Juan Pantoja de la Cruz and the Circulation of Gifts', ''Shakespeare Studies'', vol. 26 (1998), p. 151. The Anglo-Spanish peace treaty was successfully signed on 28 August 1604.

Later life

Tassis died in 1607 and was buried at the Principal Chapel of the Convento de San Agustín,

Valladolid Valladolid () is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and de facto capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the province o ...

. His son,

, assassinated in 1622, inherited the Villamediana title and the position of head of the Imperial Posts.

References

*Otis H. Green, "Villamediana as Correo mayor in the Kingdom of Naples", ''Hispanic Review'' 15:2 (Apr., 1947), pp. 302–306. {{DEFAULTSORT:Tassis, Juan de, 1st Count Of Villamediana 1607 deaths People from Valladolid Tassis y Acuna, Juan de Spanish politicians Spanish diplomats Ambassadors of Spain to England Year of birth unknown