García Álvarez de Toledo y Osorio, 4th Marquess of Villafranca del Bierzo (29 August 1514 – 31 May 1577), was a Spanish general and politician.

Biography

He was born at Villafranca del Bierzo, the son of Pedro Álvarez de Toledo, Maquesss of Villafranca, Viceroy of Naples between 1532 and 1553. His mother was Juana Pimentel, Marchioness of Villafranca del Bierzo. The Duke of Alba, Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, was his first cousin. Among his many siblings was Eleonora of Toledo, wife of Cosimo I, Grand Duke of Tuscany. He started his military career under the command of

Andrea Doria Andrea Doria, Prince of Melfi (; ; 30 November 146625 November 1560) was an Italian statesman, ', and admiral, who played a key role in the Republic of Genoa during his lifetime. From 1528 until his death, Doria exercised a predominant influe ...

in the galleys of Naples, as commander of two ships. In 1535, already the commander of six galleys, he distinguished himself in the battles of La Goletta,

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, Sfax, Calibria y Mebredia. After this he was named Capitain General of the Galleys of Naples. He was Capitain General of the expedition to Greece, and ''Capitán General del Mar'', a title he received in 1544 after having fought

Hayreddin Barbarossa Hayreddin Barbarossa (, original name: Khiḍr; ), also known as Hayreddin Pasha, Hızır Hayrettin Pasha, and simply Hızır Reis (c. 1466/1483 – 4 July 1546), was an Ottoman corsair and later admiral of the Ottoman Navy. Barbarossa's ...

. He was Viceroy of Catalonia between 1558 and 1564. He then became Colonel General of the Infantry of 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 ...

and finally, after his conquest of Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera in 1564,

Viceroy of Sicily A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the Anglo-Norman ''roy'' (Old Frenc ...

. As Viceroy of Sicily he accomplished his greatest achievement, the relief of the

Siege of Malta (1565) The Great Siege of Malta ( Maltese: ''L-Assedju l-Kbir'') occurred in 1565 when the Ottoman Empire attempted to conquer the island of Malta, then held by the Knights Hospitaller. The siege lasted nearly four months, from 18 May to 8 September 156 ...

. For this he received from King

Philip II of Spain Philip II (21 May 152713 September 1598), sometimes known in Spain as Philip the Prudent (), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from 1580, and King of Naples and List of Sicilian monarchs, Sicily from 1554 until his death in 1598. He ...

the titles Duke of Fernandina and Prince of Montalbán on 24 December 1569. He died at

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

in 1577.

Marriage and issue

In 1552, in Naples, the Duke married Donna Vittoria Colonna, the daughter of Don Ascanio Colonna, 2nd Duke of Paliano, and Giovanna d'Aragona and the niece of famed poet and diplomat

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, with whom she shares a name. They had six children: * Pedro de Toledo Osorio, 5th Marquess of Villafranca and

Grandee of Spain Grandee (; , ) is an official royal and noble ranks, aristocratic title conferred on some Spanish nobility. Holders of this dignity enjoyed similar privileges to those of the peerage of France during the , though in neither country did they ha ...

; * María de Toledo, married Fadrique Álvarez de Toledo, 4th Duke of Alba; * Juana de Toledo, married Bernardino Pimentel, 3rd Marquess of Távara; * Ana de Toledo, married Gómez Dávila, 3rd Marquess of Velada; * Inés de Toledo, married Juan Pacheco, 2nd Marquess of Cerralbo. * Leonor de Toledo, married her cousin Pietro de' Medici, Prince of

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

. He also had two illegitimate children: * Fadrique Álvarez de Toledo, Señor de Gaipuli; * Delia de Toledo, a

Carmelite The Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel (; abbreviated OCarm), known as the Carmelites or sometimes by synecdoche known simply as Carmel, is a mendicant order in the Catholic Church for both men and women. Histo ...

nun.

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alvarez De Toledo, Garcia 1514 births 1577 deaths People from El Bierzo Garcia 101 16th-century Italian nobility Marquesses of Spain Spanish politicians 16th-century Spanish military personnel Spanish admirals Viceroys of Catalonia Viceroys of Sicily