Alonso de Aragón or Alfonso de Aragón (1468 – 24 February 1520) was Archbishop of Zaragoza, Archbishop of Valencia and Lieutenant General of Aragon. Born in

Cervera Cervera () is the capital of the '' comarca'' of Segarra, in the province of Lleida, Autonomous Community of Catalonia, Spain. The title Comte de Cervera is a courtesy title, formerly part of the Crown of Aragon, that has been revived for Leonor ...

, he was an illegitimate son of

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 ...

by a Catalan noblewoman called Aldonza Ruiz de Ivorra (1454–1513). In his youth his tutor was Antonio Geraldini, brother of the humanist scholar Alessandro Geraldini.

Ecclesiastical career

Alonso was more a politician than a clergyman. His ecclesiastical career was determined by his father when he was five years old; his half-uncle, Juan de Aragón, Archbishop of Zaragoza and illegitimate son of King

John II of Aragon John II (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Juan II'', Catalan language, Catalan: ''Joan II'', Aragonese language, Aragonese: ''Chuan II'' and ; 29 June 1398 – 20 January 1479), called the Great (''el Gran'') or the Faithless (''el Sense Fe''), was ...

, died. Ferdinand II decided that Alonso would succeed him, but

Pope Sixtus IV Pope Sixtus IV (or Xystus IV, ; born Francesco della Rovere; (21 July 1414 – 12 August 1484) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 August 1471 until his death in 1484. His accomplishments as pope included ...

thought that he was too young and appointed Ausías de Puggio. By 1478, the Pope couldn't withstand the pressure any more and appointed Alonso as new archbishop on 14 August. However, he was not ordained as a priest until 7 November 1501, a day before being ordained as a bishop. On 23 January 1512, Alonso was appointed Archbishop of Valencia. He was enthroned as such on 4 April 1512.

Political career

His father made him Lieutenant General of the Kingdom of Naples in 1507, to replace

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 ...

. In 1512, he was in command of the troops that conquered Tudela in the Spanish conquest of Iberian Navarre. When his father died in 1516, the Archbishop was appointed by his will as Lieutenant General of Aragon and de facto ruler of Aragon, due to the alleged insanity of his half-sister, Queen Joanna, who inherited the crown. When Joanna's son and co-ruler, Charles I, arrived in November 1518, the Archbishop was confirmed as Lieutenant General of Aragon. He died two years later in Lécera. Aragón also realised important modifications on the La Seo Cathedral, where he was buried.

Issue

Despite being Archbishop, Alonso had seven children with Ana de Gurrea (1470–1527), including: * Juan (1498–1530), next Archbishop of Zaragoza * Hernando (1498–1575), also Archbishop of Zaragoza and Viceroy of Aragón * Antonio (died 1552), Lord of Quinto * Juana (died 1520), married to Juan de Borja, 3rd Duke of Gandía and mother of Saint

Francis Borgia Francis Borgia (; ; 28 October 1510 – 30 September 1572) was a Spanish Jesuit priest. The great-grandson of both Pope Alexander VI and King Ferdinand II of Aragon, he was Duke of Gandía and a grandee of Spain. After the death of his w ...

Martin Martin may refer to: Places Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Europe * Martin, Croatia, a village * Martin, Slovakia, a city * Martín del Río, Aragón, Spain * M ...

, Lord of Argavieso * Ana, married the 5th and the 6th Duke of Medina Sidonia

Arms

File:Arms of Alonso of Aragon.svg, Former arms of Alonso of Aragon File:Coat of Arms of Archbishop Alonso of Aragon.svg, Arms as archbishop
(and Lieutenant General)

References

ancestry.com: Alonso of ARAGON
*
Fundación Casa Ducal de Medinaceli: Alonso de Aragón "Gran Bastardo de Aragón"
*
rodovid.org: Alonso de Aragón y Ruiz de Ivorra n. 1470 d. 24 febrero 1520
* Aldonza de Ivorra - Wikipedia, la enciclopedia libre
PhiloBiblon: Alfonso de Aragón y Ruiz de Ivorra

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alonso De Aragon 1470 births 1520 deaths 15th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the Kingdom of Aragon 16th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Spain 16th-century regents Illegitimate children of Spanish monarchs Archbishops of Zaragoza Archbishops of Valencia Regents of Aragon Viceroys of Aragon Alonso House of Trastámara Sons of kings Children of Ferdinand II of Aragon Sons of counts