Lope Díaz III de Haro (b. ? – d. June 8, 1288, Alfaro) was a Spanish noble and head of the House of Haro. He was the 8th

Lord of Biscay The Lordship of Biscay ( es, Señorío de Vizcaya, Basque: ''Bizkaiko jaurerria'') was a region under feudal rule in the region of Biscay in the Iberian Peninsula between 1040 and 1876, ruled by a political figure known as the Lord of Biscay. On ...

, a post which he gained by hereditary means after the death of his father. He held that title from 1254 until his own death in 1288 where he died attempting to assassinate the King of Castile.

Family origins

He was son of Diego López III de Haro and

Constanza de Bearne Guillem Ramon de Moncada or Guillermo II de Bearn (died 1229) was, from 1224 until his death, Lord of Montcada and Castellví de Rosanes (in Catalonia) and, as Guillermo II, Viscount of Bearn, of Marsan, of Gabardan and of Brulhois (in the sout ...

. His maternal grandparents were the Vizconde

Guillermo II de Bearne Guillem Ramon de Moncada or Guillermo II de Bearn (died 1229) was, from 1224 until his death, Lord of Montcada and Castellví de Rosanes (in Catalonia) and, as Guillermo II, Viscount of Bearn, of Marsan, of Gabardan and of Brulhois (in the sout ...

and his wife, Garsenda de Provenza. His paternal grandparents were Lope Díaz II de Haro, also Lord of Biscay, and of

Urraca Alfonso de León Urraca (also spelled ''Hurraca'', ''Urracha'' and ''Hurracka'' in medieval Latin) is a female first name. In Spanish, the name means magpie, derived perhaps from Latin ''furax'', meaning "thievish", in reference to the magpie's tendency to collect ...

, the illegitimate daughter of King Alfonso IX of León. Lope was the oldest of 5 siblings which included Teresa de Haro, who merged the Haro family with the House of Lara, and Diego López V de Haro who died during the Siege of Algeciras in 1310.

Biography

Lope took possession of the title of

Biscay Biscay (; eu, Bizkaia ; es, Vizcaya ) is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lordship of Biscay, lying on the south shore of the eponymous bay. The capital and largest city is Bilbao. B ...

while still a minor after the death of his father. Due to the unnatural way in which his father died and the fact that his father had actively supported the overthrow of Alfonso X of Castile and had sworn allegiance to the

King of Navarre This is a list of the kings and queens of kingdom of Pamplona, Pamplona, later kingdom of Navarre, Navarre. Pamplona was the primary name of the kingdom until its union with Kingdom of Aragon, Aragon (1076–1134). However, the territorial desig ...

, Lope's tutors brought the boy to Estella-Lizarra where he too offered his services to the Navarese King. After long, Lope was reconciled with Alfonso X who reinstated Lope as Lord of Haro, a privilege his father had lost the family. Lope entered the service of the Prince, Fernando de la Cerda, the eldest son and heir of King Alfonso X. Fernando however ended up dying in 1275, before his father throwing into question his line of succession. Disputes arose between two family members; Prince Fernando's young son, Alfonso de la Cerda and his uncle, Prince Fernando's younger brother, Sancho de Castilla who began jockeying for power and influence to see if he would gain power over the succession of the Castilian crown. Lope decided to throw his support behind Sancho which turned out to be a savvy move. On April 4, 1284, Alfonso X of Castile died and Sancho IV of Castile was named

King of Castile This is a list of kings and queens of the Kingdom and Crown of Castile. For their predecessors, see List of Castilian counts. Kings and Queens of Castile Jiménez dynasty House of Ivrea The following dynasts are descendants, in the ma ...

. Sancho IV was married to

María de Molina María Alfonso Téllez de Meneses (c. 1265 – 1321), known as María de Molina, was queen consort of Castile and León from 1284 to 1295 by marriage to Sancho IV of Castile, and served as regent for her minor son Ferdinand IV (1295 - c.1301) ...

who was the sister of Don Lope Diaz' wife. This good fortune made Lope a very powerful man, earning the Lord of Biscay the additional titles of Mayordomo Real of the Kingdom, Caniller y Alférez Mayor, and was given title of all the land from

Burgos Burgos () is a city in Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the province of Burgos. Burgos is situated in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, on the confluence of t ...

to Cantabria. In 1287, he was the regent of the Kingdom of Castile along with the Bishop of Astorga.

Death

Before long, the other nobles of Castile became envious of Lope's enormous power and began to take their issues up with the King. Things came to the breaking point on June 8, 1288, in a town in La Rioja called Alfaro. In a meeting with King Sancho IV, Lope Díaz III de Haro got in an argument with

Juan Alfonso López de Haro I ''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 ...

, a noble of the same House of Haro who held the title of

Señorío de Cameros The Lordship of Cameros (or Los Cameros) was a frontier lordship in the Sierra de Cameros in the province of La Rioja during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. It was originally part of the southern border of Navarre, comprising much of ...

. The argument allegedly resulted in Lope pulling out a knife and threatening the life of the King where after he was executed. The Spanish text of the incident from author Claudio Sánchez-Albornoz y Menduiña is as follows.

Marriage and descendants

He married

Juana Alfonso de Molina Juana is a Spanish female first name. It is the feminine form of Juan (English John), and thus corresponds to the English names Jane, Janet, Jean, Joan, and Joanna. Juanita is a common variant. The name Juana may refer to: People *Juana I (14 ...

, daughter of

Alfonso of Molina Alfonso of León, Lord of Molina (1202 – 6 January 1272) was an ''infante'' (prince) of León and Castile, the son of King Alfonso IX of León and his second wife Queen Berengaria of Castile. He was the brother of King Ferdinand III of Castile ...

, niece of the King Alfonso IX of León, and sister of the wife of King

Sancho IV of Castile Sancho IV of Castile (12 May 1258 – 25 April 1295) called the Brave (''el Bravo''), was the king of Castile, León and Galicia from 1284 to his death. Following his brother Ferdinand's death, he gained the support of nobles that ...

. He married Juana without the consent of the king which was considered a great affront at the time. The wedding took place at the Monasterio de Santa María y San Andrés and the following marriage brought two children: *

Diego López IV de Haro Diego López IV de Haro (died 1289) was a Spanish noble and the Lord of Biscay from 1288 to his death in 1289. Family Origins A member of the House of Haro, Diego López was the son of Lope Díaz III de Haro, from whom he inherited the title ...

(born ?, died 1289), who succeeded his father as

and as head of the House of Haro. After his death, there was a struggle over the succession of the Lordship of Biscay between Diego's paternal uncle, Diego López V de Haro, and his sister, María II Díaz de Haro who was supported by her husband and King Alfonso X. *

María II Díaz de Haro Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial *170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 *Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, da ...

(born , died 1342), Married

Juan de Castilla Juan de Castilla (1460–1510) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Salamanca (1498–1510) and Bishop of Astorga (1494–1498).

, son of Alfonso X of Castile, the King of Castile and León. She became the Señora de Vizcaya or Lady of Biscay in 1310, after the death of her paternal uncle Diego López V de Haro, with whom she had been fighting for the title. Diego V was successful in his attempts to capture the lordship after the death of

. Maria was the mother of Juan de Haro 'el Tuerto' who was assassinated in Toro in 1326 by order of the King Alfonso XI de Castilla.

References

Bibliography