Rodrigo ''Díaz de Vivar'' Gómez de Sandoval y Mendoza (4 April 1614 – 14 January 1657) was a Spanish noble 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 ...

and the 7th

Duke of the Infantado Duke of the Infantado ( es, Duque del Infantado) is a Spanish peerage title that was granted to Diego Hurtado de Mendoza y Figueroa, son of Íñigo López de Mendoza, 1st Marquis of Santillana, by the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand II of Aragon ...

, serving in this office from 1633 until his death in 1657.

Family Origins

The Dukedom of the Infantado had been in the hands of the Mendoza family since the very first duke, Diego Hurtado de Mendoza y Figueroa. The Mendoza family rose to power when it merged with the

House of Lasso de la Vega 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 line from the Kingdom of Castile. The family origins lie in the ...

through the marriage of

Leonor Lasso de la Vega Leonor Lasso de la Vega (b. before 1367 - d. 1432) was a Spanish noble woman from Cantabria and head of the prestigious House of Lasso de la Vega from 1367 - 1432. Family origins Leonor was the paternal great-granddaughter of Garci Lasso de ...

, the last direct member of that line, and Admiral Diego Hurtado de Mendoza, the admiral of Castile. He inherited the title from his grandmother, Ana de Mendoza y Enríquez de Cabrera.

Biography

Rodrigo actively fought in the Portuguese Restoration War as a member of

Philip IV of Spain Philip IV ( es, Felipe, pt, Filipe; 8 April 160517 September 1665), also called the Planet King (Spanish: ''Rey Planeta''), was King of Spain from 1621 to his death and (as Philip III) King of Portugal from 1621 to 1640. Philip is remembered ...

's staff. He also participated in putting down the Catalan Revolt and in the

Siege of Lérida In the Siege of Lérida from 29 April to 13 May 1810, an Imperial French army under Louis Gabriel Suchet besieged a Spanish garrison led by Jaime García Conde. On 13 May, García Conde surrendered with his 7,000 surviving soldiers. Lleida (L ...

. He was later named the Spanish ambassador to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, Governor of

Milán Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city has ...

, and Viceroy of

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

. He died in 1657 without leaving any heirs. As such, the title of

passed on to his sister, the Duchess of Pastrana, Catalina Gómez de Sandoval y Mendoza which united the two houses and increased the power of the family.

Marriage

Rodrigo married in 1630 with María de Silva y Guzmán, the daughter of Ruy III Gómez de Silva y Mendoza de la Cerda, the Duque de Pastrana. The couple never conceived any children.

References

*Much of the information on this page was translated from its Spanish equivalent. 1614 births 1657 deaths 7

Rodrigo Rodrigo is a Spanish, Portuguese and Italian name derived from the Germanic name '' Roderick'' (Gothic ''*Hroþareiks'', via Latinized ''Rodericus'' or ''Rudericus''), given specifically in reference to either King Roderic (d. 712), the last Vi ...

Viceroys of Sicily {{Spain-noble-stub