Diego López III de Haro (b. ? – d. October 4, 1254,

Bañares Bañares is a municipality of La Rioja (Spain), La Rioja, Spain. It is located in the Comarcas of Spain, comarca of Santa Domingo de la Calzada, some 45 km west of Logroño. Its economy is primarily based on agriculture. Especially in the c ...

). Was the eldest son of

Lope Díaz II de Haro Lope Díaz II de Haro "''Cabeza Brava''" (b. 1170 – d. 15 November 1236) was a Spanish noble of the House of Haro, the sixth Lord of Biscay, and founder of the Municipalities of Spain, municipality of Plentzia. He was the eldest son of Diego L� ...

and of Urraca Alfonso de León, the illegitimate daughter of King

Alfonso IX of León Alfonso IX (15 August 117123 or 24 September 1230) was King of León from the death of his father Ferdinand II in 1188 until his own death. He took steps towards modernizing and democratizing his dominion and founded the University of Salaman ...

. Diego succeeded his father as the

Lord of Biscay The Lordship of Biscay (, 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. One of the Basque ''señor� ...

between the years 1236 and 1254.

Biography

In his young adulthood, Diego loyally served his uncle, the King

Ferdinand III of Castile Ferdinand III (; 1199/120130 May 1252), called the Saint (''el Santo''), was King of Castile from 1217 and King of León from 1230 as well as King of Galicia from 1231. He was the son of Alfonso IX of León and Berengaria of Castile. Through his ...

. After his father fell out of favor with the king, Ferdinand III decided to revoke the hereditary titles of lordship over

La Rioja La Rioja () is an autonomous communities in Spain, autonomous community and provinces of Spain, province in Spain, in the north of the Iberian Peninsula. Its capital is Logroño. Other List of municipalities in La Rioja, cities and towns in the ...

but left him with

Castilla la Vieja Old Castile ( ) is a historic region of Spain, which had different definitions across the centuries. Its extension was formally defined in the 1833 territorial division of Spain as the sum of the following provinces: Santander (now Cantabria) ...

. In defiance, Diego rebelled against the king several time, each time being forgiven after the fact. Diego then remained loyal until Ferdinand III's death in 1252.

Alfonso X of Castile Alfonso X (also known as the Wise, ; 23 November 1221 – 4 April 1284) was King of Castile, Kingdom of León, León and Kingdom of Galicia, Galicia from 1 June 1252 until his death in 1284. During the April 1257 Imperial election, election of 1 ...

ascended to the throne after the death of Ferdinand III. Diego, his cousin, continued to serve him in his same position, but their relationship was incredibly strained. Finally, Diego exercised his right to refuse obedience to the king (a law recognized in Middle Age legislation to feudal lords) and began searching for another qualified candidate to become

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 ...

Death

On October 4, 1254, Diego López III de Haro died in a town of

called

Baños de Río Tobía Baños de Río Tobía is a village of La Rioja, in Spain. Located near the Najerilla river, in 2021 it had a population of 1,583 inhabitants. Its Chorizo, wood and plywood industry is notable. Places of interest * Town Hall: 16th century. * S ...

. He was killed in a bathing tub filled with boiling water under the pretext that it would cure his

rheumatism Rheumatism or rheumatic disorders are conditions causing chronic, often intermittent pain affecting the joints or connective tissue. Rheumatism does not designate any specific disorder, but covers at least 200 different conditions, including a ...

. He was buried in the Monastery of

Santa María la Real of Nájera Santa María la Real is a monastery in the small town of Nájera in the La Rioja (autonomous community), La Rioja community, Spain. Originally a royal foundation, it was ceded by Alfonso VI of Castile, Alfonso VI to the Cluny, Cluniac order. It ...

where his father and family members were previously entombed.

Marriage and Descendants

Diego married Constanza de Bearne, daughter of Vizconde Guillermo II de Bearne and his wife, Garsenda de Provenza. The couple had the following five children: * Lope Díaz III de Haro - (b. 1245? – d. Alfaro 1288). Inherited the Lordship of Biscay after the death of his father. Married Juana Alfonso de Molina, daughter of Alfonso de Molina and niece of the king,

. He was killed in Alfaro in 1288 by

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 (now parts of Spain) from 1284 to his death. Following his brother Ferdinand's death, he gained the s ...

, the king of Castile and León. *

Diego López V de Haro Diego López V de Haro, nicknamed '' el Intruso'' ( 1250 – 1310), was a Castilian noble of the House of Haro and held the title of the Lord of Biscay which he took from the pretender to the title, John of Castile. He further served in ...

- (b. 1250? – d. 1310). Noble from Biscay, married

Violante de Castilla y Aragón Violant of Castile (; 1265 – 1287/1308) was infanta of Castile and Lady of Biscay on her marriage to Diego López V de Haro. She was the daughter of Alfonso X of Castile, and Violant of Aragon. Life She was the daughter of Alfonso X of Castil ...

, daughter of King

. He died during the Siege of Algeciras in 1310. His body was buried in the Monasterio de San Francisco de Burgos which no longer exists today. * Urraca Díaz de Haro - Married Fernando Rodríguez de Castro, a noble who held title over Cigales and

Cuéllar Cuéllar () is a municipality in the Province of Segovia, within the autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. The municipality had a population of 9,730 inhabitants according to the municipal register of inhabitants (INE) as of 1 Janu ...

and son of Rodrigo Fernández de Castro, Vizconde of Cabrera and lord of Cigales, and his wife

Leonor González de Lara Leonor or Léonor is the Spanish form of the given name Eleanor. People bearing the name include: * Leonor Acevedo Suárez (1876–1975), Argentine translator and mother of Jorge Luis Borges * Leonor Allende (1883–1931), Argentine writer and j ...

. * Teresa de Haro. - Married

Juan Núñez I de Lara Juan Núñez I de Lara y León (died Córdoba, April 1294), also known as "''el Gordo''" or "the Fat", was a Spanish noble. He was the head of the House of Lara, Lord of Lerma, Amaya, Dueñas, Palenzuela, Tordehumos, Torrelobatón, and la ...

, head of the

House of Lara The House of Lara (Spanish: ''Casa de Lara'') is a noble family from the medieval Kingdom of Castile. Two of its branches, one of the Dukes of Nájera and one of the Marquises of Aguilar de Campoo were considered Grandees of Spain. The Lara fami ...

and son of Nuño González de Lara "el Bueno", also head of the House of Lara. * Sancha Díaz de Haro (b. ? – d. after 1287) On April 22, 1287, her brother Diego donated to her the aldea de Santa Olalla.Real Academia de Historia, Colección Salazar y Castro, Ref. M-22, fº 236v y 237

References

* Most of the information on this page was translated from its Spanish equivalent

Bibliography

* * * * *

External links