Gonzalo II Fernández de Córdoba, 3rd Duke of Sessa, 1st Duke of Baena (27 July 1520 – 3 December 1578) was a Spanish aristocrat who held several dukedoms and many other lesser titles, Spanish and Italian; he was Captain General of the Spanish Troops in Italy, Great Admiral of the Kingdom of Naples, and a member of the Spanish King Royal Council for Italy and the Royal War Council.

Early life

Fernández de Córdoba was born at Cartagena on 27 July 1520. His mother,

Elvira Fernández de Córdoba y Manrique Elvira is a female given name. It is believed to have first been recorded in medieval Spain, while other sources claim that it is likely of Germanic name, Germanic (Gothic name, Gothic) origin. In the Balkans, Elvira is popular among Bosniaks, C ...

, died in 1524, when he was four, in childbirth. His father, Luis Fernández de Córdoba, died in 1526, when he was six, while on campaign in Italy. Through his mother, the eldest daughter of her father, he was the grandson 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 ...

, 1st

Duke of Sessa Duke of Sessa is a Spanish noble title awarded to Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba by Ferdinand II in 1507. It was the fifth ducal title bestowed on Gonzalo, after the ducal titles of Santángelo (1497), Terranova (1502), Andría (1507) and M ...

, who was

Viceroy of Naples This is a list of viceroys of the Kingdom of Naples. Following the conquest of Naples by Louis XII of France in 1501, Naples was subject to the rule of the foreign rulers, first for a short time by the King of France and later by Spain and the Hab ...

Career

He was twice a

Governor of the Duchy of Milan The governor of Milan was a political and military office of the Duchy of Milan, the title of the representatives of the foreign sovereigns who held dominion over the Milanese area, substantially from the 16th century until the Unification of It ...

, first from 1558 to 1560 then from 1563 to 1564, and was made Knight 213 of the

Order of the Golden Fleece The Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece (, ) is a Catholic order of chivalry founded in 1430 in Brugge by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, to celebrate his marriage to Isabella of Portugal, Duchess of Burgundy, Isabella of Portugal. T ...

in 1555. The Lordship of

Baena Baena is a town and municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain located in the Córdoba Province, Spain, province of Córdoba, Andalusia. It is situated near the on the slope of a hill southeast of Córdoba, Spain, Córdoba by road. The popu ...

he had inherited from his father was converted to a

dukedom Dukedom may refer to: * The title and office of a duke * Duchy, a realm ruled by a duke or duchess * Dukedom, Kentucky and Tennessee, United States * ''Dukedom'' (game), a land management game See also * Lists of dukedoms Lists of dukedoms incl ...

by 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 ...

on 19 August 1566, making Gonzalo the 1st Duke of Baena. In 1552, he sold his title and the Duchy of Andria to Fabrizio Carafa, Count of Ruvo.

Personal life

On 30 November 1538 he married at

Valladolid Valladolid ( ; ) is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and ''de facto'' capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the pr ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, María Sarmiento de Mendoza, the sister of Diego de los Cobos y Hurtado de Mendoza, 1st Marquess of Camarasa, and the daughter of

Úbeda Úbeda () is a municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain located in the Province of Jaén (Spain), province of Jaén, Andalusia. The town lies on the southern ridge of the so-called Loma de Úbeda, a Table (landform), table sandwiched in bet ...

-born

Francisco de los Cobos Francisco de los Cobos y Molina (c. 1477 – 10 May 1547) was the secretary of State and '' Comendador'' for the kingdom of Castile under the rule of the King Charles I of Spain, who was elected as Holy Roman Emperor in and reigned as Charles ...

, powerful Secretary of State and Financial Accountant of King

Charles I of Spain 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) fr ...

, who was also

Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans (disambiguation), Emperor of the Romans (; ) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period (; ), was the ruler and h ...

Charles V Charles V may refer to: Kings and Emperors * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise Others * Charles V, Duke ...

. There was no issue from this marriage. Fernández de Córdoba died, without issue, in

Villaviciosa de Odón Villaviciosa de Odón () is a municipality in the western zone of the Community of Madrid in Spain. The town is located 15 km west of Madrid's city center, in the western zone of the metro area. The Spanish Air Force Museum and the Univers ...

on 3 December 1578.

Succession of titles

The succession to many of his titles, including the Dukedom of Sessa, Couny of Cabra and Dukedom of Baena went to his youngest sister, who had described herself until then as Francisca Fernández de Córdoba, who had married Álvaro de Zúñiga y Sotomayor, 4th Marquess of

Gibraleón Gibraleón is a town and municipality located in the province of Huelva, Spain. According to the 2005 census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population info ...

, 6th Count of Belalcázar (d. 1559) in 1542. When his sister Francisca died without issue in 1597, the titles passed to their nephew,

Antonio Fernández de Córdoba y Cardona Antonio Fernández de Córdoba y Cardona, 5th Duke of Sessa (2 December 1550 – Valladolid, 6 January 1606), was a Spanish nobleman. He held numerous titles including the 5th Duke of Sessa, 4th Duke of Soma, 3rd Duke of Baena, and 7th Count of ...

(1550–1606), the son of their sister Beatriz.

Notes

References

External links

Grandee of SpainComune Caraffa del Bianco
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fernandez De Cordoba, Gonzalo 02 1520 births 1578 deaths Governors of the Duchy of Milan Dukes of Spain Knights of the Golden Fleece 16th-century Spanish people Politicians from Cartagena, Spain Dukes of Sessa