Pedro Téllez-Girón y Fernández de Velasco or Pedro Girón (died

Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...

, April 25, 1531), was a Spanish noble, 3rd Count of Ureña and a leader of 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 ...

. He was the son of

Juan Téllez-Girón, 2nd Count of Ureña Juan Téllez-Girón, 2nd Count of Ureña (in full, es, Don Juan Téllez-Girón de las Casas, segundo conde de Ureña, señor de Osuna, Tiedra, Peñafiel, Briones, Frechilla, Morón de la Frontera, Archidona, El Arahal, Cazalla de la Sierra, Gelve ...

and Leonor de la Vega Velasco, daughter of

Pedro Fernández de Velasco, 2nd Count of Haro Pedro Fernández de Velasco, 2nd Count of Haro (in full, es, Don Pedro Fernández de Velasco y Manrique, segundo conde de Haro, sexto Condestable de Castilla, señor de los valles de Saba y Ruesga, y de las villas de Briviesca, Puebla de Arganzó ...

. He married Mencía de Guzmán, daughter of

Juan Alfonso Pérez de Guzmán, 3rd Duke of Medina Sidonia ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, t ...

. When his brother-in-law

Enrique Pérez de Guzmán, 4th Duke of Medina Sidonia Don Enrique Pérez de Guzmán y Fernández de Velasco, 4th Duke of Medina Sidonia (died 1512) was the son of Juan Alfonso Pérez de Guzmán, 3rd Duke of Medina Sidonia. He was Duke of Medina Sidonia Duke of Medina Sidonia ( es, Duque de Medi ...

, died in 1512 without issue, Pedro Girón unsuccessfully claimed the title of Medina Sidonia through his wife. Pedro stated that

Alonso Pérez de Guzmán Alonso Pérez de Guzmán (1256–1309), known as ''Guzmán el Bueno'' ("Guzmán the Good"), was a Spanish nobleman and hero of Spain during the medieval period, the founder of the line from which the dukes of Medina Sidonia descend. Biography ...

, son of the third Duke and his second wife, was an illegitimate child. Pedro Girón had contacted the ''Junta de Tordesillas'' to defend his claims on the Duchy of Medina Sidonia, and became thus one of the leaders of the

comuneros Comunero may refer to: * Revolt of the Comuneros, a rebellion in Castile in 1520–1521 * Revolt of the Comuneros (Paraguay) The Revolt of the Comuneros ( es, Revolución Comunera) was a series of uprisings by settlers in Paraguay in the Vi ...

, together with

Juan de Padilla Juan de Padilla, OFM (1500–1542) was a Spanish Catholic priest and missionary who spent much of his life exploring North America with Francisco Vásquez de Coronado. He was killed in what would become Kansas by Native Americans in 1542. ...

and Antonio de Acuña. He was proclaimed unanimously Capitán General of the rebel army.

Leadership and defeat

In 1520, Pedro Girón led the comuneros army to

Medina de Rioseco Medina de Rioseco is a municipality located in the province of Valladolid, in the autonomous community of Castile and León and Spain. According to a 2011 census (INE), the municipality has a population of 4,967 inhabitants. The city also has ...

, establishing his headquarters at

Villabrágima Villabrágima is a municipality located in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census (INE), the municipality has a population of 1,173 inhabitants. Gallery Puerta del reloj de Villabrágima.JPG , Villa ...

, only a mile away from the royalist army. On December 2, Pedro Girón moved his army from Villabrágima to

Villalpando Villalpando is a municipality located in the province of Zamora, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census (INE), the municipality has a population of 1,624 inhabitants. Formerly the town was reputed for its saltpans, the Salinas ...

, and took that city without resistance. But this manoeuver opened the road to

Tordesillas Tordesillas () is a town and municipality in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León, central Spain. It is located southwest of the provincial capital, Valladolid at an elevation of . The population was c. 9,000 . The town is located ...

for the royalist army, which in fact moved on Tordesillas and took it on December 5, overwhelming the small garrison left in the city. The loss of Tordesillas was a serious setback for the comuneros, who lost access to Queen

Juana I Joanna (6 November 1479 – 12 April 1555), historically known as Joanna the Mad ( es, link=no, Juana la Loca), was the nominal Queen of Castile from 1504 and Queen of Aragon from 1516 to her death in 1555. She was married by arrangement to Phi ...

and the claim to fight in her name. Many leaders had also been captured or had fled. Pedro Girón was blamed for his troop movement and was forced to abandon his command. Some historians later accused Girón of not merely making an error, but rather intentionally betraying the comuneros and coming to an agreement with the leader of the royalist army, his maternal uncle Íñigo Fernández de Velasco. This theory is considered possible, but not likely. On Resurrection Day, 1524, Pedro Girón was pardoned by King Charles I of Spain. When his father died in 1528, he became 3rd Duke of Ureña. He died 3 years later. With only one daughter from his marriage with Mencía de Guzmán, his titles went to his brother

Juan ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, t ...

Leadership and defeat

See also