Alonso Meléndez de Guzmán (b. ? - d. 1342) was a

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

noble from León of the

House of Guzmán The House of Guzmán (''Casa de Guzmán'') is an old and noble Spanish family that emerged in Kingdom of Castile, Castile in the 12th century and became one of the most prominent dynasties of the Spanish kingdom until the 18th century. The origin ...

. Alonso was the Grand Master of the

Order of Santiago The Order of 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 pilgrims on the Way of S ...

from 1338 to 1342.

Family origins

He was the son of Pedro Núñez de Guzmán y González and his wife Juana Ponce de León y Meneses. His paternal grandparents were

Alvar Pérez de Guzmán An alvar is a biological environment based on a limestone plain with thin or no soil and, as a result, sparse grassland vegetation. Often flooded in the spring, and affected by drought in midsummer, alvars support a distinctive group of prairie ...

and his wife María González Girón. His maternal grandparents were Urraca Gutiérrez de Meneses and

Fernán Pérez Ponce de León I Fernan or Fernán is both a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: * Fernán Blázquez de Cáceres (fl. 14th-century), Spanish nobleman * Fernán Caballero (1796–1877), Spanish novelist * Fernando Fernán Gómez (1921– ...

Asturias Asturias (; ; ) officially the Principality of Asturias, is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in northwest Spain. It is coextensive with the provinces of Spain, province of Asturias and contains some of the territory t ...

, and also the head

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 ...

of the

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 ...

border region. Alonso's sister was Leonor de Guzmán, the lover of

Alfonso XI of Castile Alfonso XI (11 August 131126 March 1350), called the Avenger (''el Justiciero''), was King of Castile and León. He was the son of Ferdinand IV of Castile and his wife Constance of Portugal. Upon his father's death in 1312, several disputes ...

. His other sister, Juana de Guzmán married Enrique Enríquez "el Mozo" of Villalba de los Barros and head adelantado of Andalucia who was famous for commanding the Castilian army at the Battle of Linuesa.

Biography

He was named by the personal intervention of King

as head of the

. This appointment provoked disputes as previously, all order Grand Masters had been elected. Alonso de Guzman fought with king Peter I of Aragon, also known as "Peter the Cruel", in the

reconquista The ''Reconquista'' (Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese for ) or the fall of al-Andalus was a series of military and cultural campaigns that European Christian Reconquista#Northern Christian realms, kingdoms waged ag ...

of the Kingdom of Algeciras but was later assassinated by the king who named the infant Fadrique Alfonso de Castilla Grand Master. Faderique was only eight years old at the time of his appointment.

References

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Bibliography

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Melendez De Guzman, Alonso Year of birth missing 1342 deaths Spanish untitled nobility Grand masters of the Order of Santiago Knights of Santiago