Martín Fernández de Vilches (also ''Martín de Vilches'') (born Vilches,

Kingdom of Jaén The Kingdom of Jaén ( es, reino de Jaén) was a territorial jurisdiction of the Crown of Castile since 1246 and until Javier de Burgos' provincial division of Spain in 1833. This was a "kingdom" () in the second sense given by the : the Crown ...

, ? – Bonilla de la Sierra, died (13 November 1469), was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as

Bishop of Ávila A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

(1456–1469).

Biografia

Of humble origins, he was born in the

. He worked as a bureaucrat during the reign of

John II of Castile John II of Castile ( es, link=no, Juan; 6 March 1405 – 20 July 1454) was King of Castile and León from 1406 to 1454. He succeeded his older sister, Maria of Castile, Queen of Aragon, as Prince of Asturias in 1405. Regency John was the ...

, and advanced to become counsellor for

Henry IV of Castile Henry IV of Castile ( Castilian: ''Enrique IV''; 5 January 1425 – 11 December 1474), King of Castile and León, nicknamed the Impotent, was the last of the weak late-medieval kings of Castile and León. During Henry's reign, the nobles became ...

. In 1436, he served as master of the Capella de Reyes Nuevos de la catedral de Toledo and canon de Jaén from 1449 until 1452. After the ascent of Henry IV to the throne (1454), he was named Canceller Major de La Poridad, replacing Rodrigo de Villacorta, who was in disagreement with the monarch. In 1456, he was nominated by the king as

Roman Catholic Diocese of Ávila The Roman Catholic Diocese of Ávila ( la, Abulen(sis)) is a diocese located in the city of Ávila in the Ecclesiastical province of Valladolid in Spain.

and confirmed by

Pope Paul II Pope Paul II ( la, Paulus II; it, Paolo II; 23 February 1417 – 26 July 1471), born Pietro Barbo, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 30 August 1464 to his death in July 1471. When his maternal uncle Eugene IV ...

, vacant since the death of

Alonso Tostado Alonso Tostado (also ''Al(f)onso Fernández de Madrigal'', variously known as ''Alphonsus Tostatus'', ''Tostatus Abulensis'', and in Spanish as ''El Tostado'' or ''El Abulense''; ca. 1410His year of birth is unknown; it is often estimated as c. 1 ...

, where he served until his death in 1469. During the Spanish civil war against Alfonso of Castile, he was a supporter of

References

Bibliography

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fernandez De Vilches, Martin 1469 deaths Bishops appointed by Pope Paul II 15th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Castile