María López de Mendoza y Pacheco, commonly known as María Pacheco, (c. 1496 – March 1531) was a leader in the

Revolt of the Comuneros The Revolt of the Comuneros ( es, Guerra de las Comunidades de Castilla, "War of the Communities of Castile") was an uprising by citizens of Castile against the rule of Charles I and his administration between 1520 and 1521. At its height, th ...

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 ...

, an uprising of the citizens against the monarchy. She was born in Granada, the daughter of

Íñigo López de Mendoza y Quiñones Íñigo López de Mendoza y Quiñones, (1440 – 20 July 1515) was the first Marqués de Mondéjar, and second Conde de Tendilla. He was known as ''El Gran Tendilla'', and was a Spanish noble of the House of Mendoza. He was the son of Íñig ...

and Francisca Pacheco and a member of 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 ...

. She would go on to marry

Juan López de Padilla Juan López de Padilla (1490 – 24 April 1521) was an insurrectionary leader in the Castilian War of the Communities, where the people of Castile made a stand against policies of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and his Flemish ministers. ...

, yet kept her family name because it held a higher prestige than her husband's.Connell, Abigail, "Juana I of Castile and Maria Pacheco: Leadership and Power in Early Modern Spain" (2018). Student Symposium. 4. https://digitalcommons.owu.edu/studentsymposium/2018/poster_session/4 When her husband, the chief of the Comuneros, was captured and killed in the

battle of Villalar The Battle of Villalar was a battle in the Revolt of the Comuneros fought on 23 April 1521 near the town of Villalar in Valladolid province, Spain. The royalist supporters of King Charles I won a crushing victory over the comuneros rebels. ...

in 1521, she took command in his name and successfully led the defence of the city of Toledo against the royalist forces until the arrangement of a peaceful surrender of the city six months later. Pacheco managed to escape to

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

, and lived in

Oporto Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropo ...

till her death, in March 1531, aged about 35. She was buried in

Oporto Cathedral The Porto Cathedral ( pt, Sé do Porto) is a Roman Catholic church located in the historical centre of the city of Porto, Portugal. It is one of the city's oldest monuments and one of the most important local Romanesque monuments. Overview U ...

References

* Martínez Gil, Fernando (2005). María Pacheco: la mujer valerosa, historia de doña María Pacheco, comunera de Castilla (1497-1531). Volumen 3 de Biografías Castilla-La Mancha. Almud / Centro de Estudios de Castilla-La Mancha, D.L. (Ciudad Real). . * Connell, Abigail, (2018). Juana I of Castile and Maria Pacheco: Leadership and Power in Early Modern Spain. Student Symposium. 4. 1490s births 1531 deaths People from Granada Women in 16th-century warfare Toledo, Spain Women in war in Spain People of the Revolt of the Comuneros {{Spain-mil-bio-stub