Íñigo López de Mendoza y Quiñones, (1440– 20 July 1515) was the 1st Marquis of Mondéjar () and 2nd Count of Tendilla (). He was known as ("The Great Tendilla") and 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 ...

. He was the son of Íñigo López de Mendoza y Figueroa, 1st Count of Tendilla, and the grandson of the poet Íñigo López de Mendoza, 1st Marquis of Santillana.

Early life

Íñigo was born in

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( ; ) is the capital and the most populous city in the western Mexican List of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco, as well as the most densely populated municipality in Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population ...

Kingdom of Castile The Kingdom of Castile (; : ) was a polity in the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages. It traces its origins to the 9th-century County of Castile (, ), as an eastern frontier lordship of the Kingdom of León. During the 10th century, the Ca ...

, and was educated along with his brother,

Diego Hurtado de Mendoza y Quiñones Diego Hurtado de Mendoza y Quiñones (b. Guadalajara, Castile-La Mancha, Guadalajara, Spain, 1444 – d. Madrid, October 14, 1502) was a Spanish noble from the House of Mendoza and the Archbishop of Sevilla. Biography He was the son of Íñigo ...

(who would later become a cardinal), in the palatial house of his grandfather. He would also receive instruction in political and military matters from his father, the ambassador to

Pope Pius II Pope Pius II (, ), born Enea Silvio Bartolomeo Piccolomini (; 18 October 1405 – 14 August 1464), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 August 1458 to his death in 1464. Aeneas Silvius was an author, diplomat, ...

in the council of

Mantua Mantua ( ; ; Lombard language, Lombard and ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italian region of Lombardy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, eponymous province. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the "Italian Capital of Culture". In 2 ...

and from his uncle, the powerful cardinal Pedro González de Mendoza.

Biography

Succeeding his father in 1479 as Conde de Tendilla, he entered the Royal Court at Toledo in 1480 to show his loyalty to the

Catholic Monarchs The Catholic Monarchs were Isabella I of Castile, Queen Isabella I of Crown of Castile, Castile () and Ferdinand II of Aragon, King Ferdinand II of Crown of Aragón, Aragon (), whose marriage and joint rule marked the ''de facto'' unification of ...

and offered his services for the ongoing conquest of

Granada Granada ( ; ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada (Spain), Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence ...

. It was in the

Granada War The Granada War was a series of military campaigns between 1482 and 1492 during the reign of the Catholic Monarchs, Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon, against the Nasrid dynasty's Emirate of Granada. It ended with the defeat o ...

that he first showed his military prowess. His nephew, Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar y Mendoza, the son of Cardinal Pedro González de Mendoza, who educated Íñigo, served under him during this time. He was there named Alcaide de

Alhama de Granada Alhama de Granada is a town in the province of Granada (province), Granada, approx. 50 km from the city of Granada. The name is derived from the Hot spring, thermal baths located there, which are called ''al-hammah'' in Arabic language, Ar ...

and was made, at his own expense, to defend those lands against the armies of Muley Hacén from 1484 to 1485. In 1486, the Catholic Monarchs named Íñigo ambassador to

Pope Innocent VIII Pope Innocent VIII (; ; 1432 – 25 July 1492), born Giovanni Battista Cybo (or Cibo), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 29 August 1484 to his death, in July 1492. Son of the viceroy of Naples, Cybo spent his ea ...

. During his tenure, he accomplished a very ambitious agenda which included: pushing for a peace treaty between the Pope and the

Kingdom of Naples The Kingdom of Naples (; ; ), officially the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was established by the War of the Sicilian Vespers (1282–1302). Until ...

, renewing the

papal bull A papal bull is a type of public decree, letters patent, or charter issued by the pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the leaden Seal (emblem), seal (''bulla (seal), bulla'') traditionally appended to authenticate it. History Papal ...

favoring the Crusade of 1482, reforming the church, and giving the power to appoint bishops to the king. He was also able to get the pope to recognize the illegitimate children of his uncle, the cardinal Pedro González de Mendoza. Pope Innocent VIII gifted the Conde with a sword which can still be seen on display today at the Museum of Lázaro Galdiano in Madrid. While in Rome, Conde Íñigo befriended the humanist

Peter Martyr d'Anghiera Peter Martyr d'Anghiera ( or ''ab Angleria''; ; ; 2 February 1457 – October 1526), formerly known in English as Peter Martyr of Angleria,D'Anghiera, Peter Martyr. ''De Orbe Novo'' . Trans. Richard Eden a''The decades of the newe wo ...

, with whom he would have a lifelong friendship, bringing him to Spain as a tutor for his children. In August 1487, he returned to military campaigning, this time against the Nazarí Kingdom of Granada after being named the High

Adelantado ''Adelantado'' (, , ; meaning 'advanced') was a title held by some Spain, Spanish nobles in service of their respective kings during the Middle Ages. It was later used as a military title held by some Spanish ''conquistadores'' of the 15th, 16th a ...

Andalucía Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...

. He fought in many actions here under the command of

Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba (1 September 1453 – 2 December 1515) was a Spanish general and statesman. He led military campaigns during the Conquest of Granada and the Italian Wars, after which he served as Viceroy of Naples. For his e ...

. After the defeat of Boabdil and conquest of Granada in winter of 1492, King Ferdinand named Íñigo Governor of

Alhambra The Alhambra (, ; ) is a palace and fortress complex located in Granada, Spain. It is one of the most famous monuments of Islamic architecture and one of the best-preserved palaces of the historic Muslim world, Islamic world. Additionally, the ...

and Captain General of Granada. During his tenure as governor, Conde Íñigo subdued the first Moorish uprising in Granada (1500–1502), which was brought about by the forced mass conversions enacted by Cardinal

Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros, OFM (1436 – 8 November 1517) was a Spanish cardinal, religious figure, and statesman. Starting from humble beginnings he rose to the heights of power, becoming a religious reformer, twice regent of Spain, ...

. He later would command troops against further uprisings in

Alpujarras The Alpujarra (, ) is a natural and historical region in Andalusia, Spain, on the south slopes of the Sierra Nevada and the adjacent valley. The average elevation is above sea level. It extends over two provinces, Granada and Almería; ...

along with King Ferdinand and the "Gran Capitan",

. After the death of

Isabella I of Castile Isabella I (; 22 April 1451 – 26 November 1504), also called Isabella the Catholic (Spanish: ''Isabel la Católica''), was Queen of Castile and List of Leonese monarchs, León from 1474 until her death in 1504. She was also Queen of Aragon ...

in 1504, Íñigo was one of the only nobles, along with the future Duke of Alba who controlled Castile, who remained faithful to King Ferdinand. Infighting against the supporters of

Philip I of Castile Philip the Handsome (22 June/July 1478 – 25 September 1506), also called the Fair, was ruler of the Burgundian Netherlands and titular Duke of Burgundy from 1482 to 1506, as well as the first Habsburg King of Castile (as Philip I) for a bri ...

broke out. Conde Íñigo also fell out of favor with his cousin Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar y Mendoza, the Marquesado del Venete and with the "Gran Capitan". In September 1512, Íñigo obtained the title of Marqués de Mondéjar from

Ferdinand II of Aragon Ferdinand II, also known as Ferdinand I, Ferdinand III, and Ferdinand V (10 March 1452 – 23 January 1516), called Ferdinand the Catholic, was King of Aragon from 1479 until his death in 1516. As the husband and co-ruler of Queen Isabella I of ...

. The title was later nominally ratified by the queen, Juanna la Loca.

Marriage and descendants

Íñigo's first wife was Maria Lasso de la Vega y Mendoza. Maria was from 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 ...

and brought as her dowry, part of the village of

Mondéjar Mondéjar is a municipality located in the Guadalajara (province), province of Guadalajara, Spain. According to the 2008 census (Instituto Nacional de Estadística (Spain), INE), the municipality has a population of 2,637 inhabitants. Refe ...

. Maria died childless in 1477 and Íñigo took up his second wife, Francisca de Pacheco y Portocarrero, daughter of Juan Pacheco, the first Marquis de Villena. The couple had seven children together: * María de Mendoza, born in 1489, married the Conde de Monteagudo in 1503. * Luis Hurtado de Mendoza y Pacheco, 3rd Count of Tendilla, a friend and advisor to

Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain (as Charles I) from 1516 to 1556, and Lord of the Netherlands as titular Duke of Burgundy (as Charles II) ...

. * Antonio de Mendoza y Pacheco, the first

Viceroy of New Spain This article lists the viceroys who ruled the Viceroyalty of New Spain from 1535 to 1821 in the name of the monarch of Spain. In addition to viceroys, this article lists the highest Spanish governors of the viceroyalty, before the appointment o ...

and the second Viceroy of the Perú. *

María Pacheco María López de Mendoza y Pacheco (–1531) was a Castilian revolutionary who led the Revolt of the Comuneros in the Kingdom of Toledo. Born into the House of Mendoza in the Kingdom of Granada, she was given a classical education and over ...

, wife of Juan López de Padilla, the comunero. * Bernardino de Mendoza y Pacheco, Captain of the galleys of the Mediterranean. * Francisco de Mendoza y Pacheco, Bishop of Jaén. * Diego Hurtado de Mendoza, poet, prose writer and ambassador of

Death

Íñigo López de Mendoza y Quiñones died in

on 20 July 1515 having a few days before given his final testament to Juan de Luz, son of an artillery man and resident of the Alhambra Gonzalo de Luz.

References

*''The information in this article is based on that in its Spanish equivalent''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Lopez de Mendoza y Quinones, Inigo 1440 births 1515 deaths Counts of Spain

Inigo Inigo is a masculine given name deriving from the Castilian rendering (Íñigo) of the medieval Basque name Eneko. Ultimately, the name means "my little (man)". While mostly seen among the Iberian diaspora, it also gained a limited popularity ...

Marquesses of Mondéjar

Early life

Biography

Marriage and descendants

Death

See also

References