Suero Rodríguez (died 23 April 1206) was the fifth
grand master of the
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 pilgr ...
from 1204 until his death.
Suero was a
Galician, the son of Rodrigo Velázquez. He may have been a member of the confraternity of
Cáceres organized by
Pedro Fernández de Castro
Pedro Fernández de Castro (Algeciras, 1342), nicknamed ''el de la Guerra'' ('of the War'), was a powerful Galician noble and military figure of the House of Castro, descended by illegitimate lines from the kings of Castile-Leon- Galicia. Pedr ...
, which became the Order of Santiago in 1170. He served the order as ''
comenda
In Portugal, a is a benefit that was granted to knights in military orders, but now describes a purely honorary distinction. In the past, could be a piece of land given as a reward for services, together with the duty to defend it from enemies ...
dor'' of
Palmela
Palmela () is a town and a municipality in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 62,831, in an area of 465.12 km².
The municipality is located in the Lisboa Region and Setúbal District, about south of Lisbon. The municipal holiday is 1 Ju ...
and its chief representative in
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 ...
, where King
Sancho I gave him lands in
Santarém and for a new house for the order in 1193–94.
[Carlos de Ayala Martínez]
"Rodríguez, Suero"
'' Diccionario biográfico español'' (Real Academia de la Historia, 2018).
Suero succeeded
Gonzalo Rodríguez upon the latter's resignation in 1204. During his two years as master, Pope
Innocent III
Pope Innocent III ( la, Innocentius III; 1160 or 1161 – 16 July 1216), born Lotario dei Conti di Segni (anglicized as Lothar of Segni), was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 to his death in 16 J ...
confirmed the orders rule. In 1205, King
Alfonso VIII of Castile
Alfonso VIII (11 November 11555 October 1214), called the Noble (''El Noble'') or the one of Las Navas (''el de las Navas''), was King of Castile from 1158 to his death and King of Toledo. After having suffered a great defeat with his own army at ...
donated a property in the village of to the order and confirmed the donation of the castle of
Carabanchel
Carabanchel is a district of Madrid, Spain. It lies on the southern (right) bank of the Manzanares, spanning southward down to the M-40 ring road. The district is made up of the neighbourhoods of Abrantes, Comillas, Opañel, Puerta Bonita, San ...
by Count
Fernando Núñez de Lara
Fernando Núñez de Lara ('' fl.'' 1173–1219) was a count of the House of Lara. He spent most of career in the service of the Kingdom of Castile, but at times served the neighbouring Kingdom of León as well. He was a courtier late in the reign ...
. Alfonso also gave to the during Suero's tenure. Because Alfonso was at peace with the
Almohads
The Almohad Caliphate (; ar, خِلَافَةُ ٱلْمُوَحِّدِينَ or or from ar, ٱلْمُوَحِّدُونَ, translit=al-Muwaḥḥidūn, lit=those who profess the unity of God) was a North African Berber Muslim empire fo ...
, Suero sent his knights to
Aragon
Aragon ( , ; Spanish and an, Aragón ; ca, Aragó ) is an autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces (from north to sou ...
to fight the Almohads.
[
Older sources sometimes have Suero resigning the mastership in 1205, but he held it until his death the following year. He was succeeded by ]Fernando González de Marañón Fernando González de Marañón (died April 1219) was the sixth Grand Master of the Order of Santiago from 1206 until 1210.
Fernando was born in the second half of the twelfth century. His family was of Navarrese origin, but active in the kingdom ...
.[
]
References
{{reflist
12th-century births
1206 deaths
Grand Masters of the Order of Santiago