Juan III Núñez de Lara y de la Cerda (born Juan Fdez. de la Cerda y Núñez de Lara: 1313 - Burgos, 28 November 1350), Lord of Lara and Vizcaya, son of

Ferdinand de la Cerda (1275–1322) Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "courage" or "ready, prepared" related to Old High German "to risk, ventu ...

and Juana Núñez de Lara ''the Little Dove''. Despite belonging to the

House de la Cerda The House de la Cerda is a noble line of the Crown of Castile descending from the ''Infante'' Ferdinand de la Cerda, eldest son of King Alfonso X. It was one of four noble lineages that arose directly from the Castilian royal family during the th ...

and aspiring to the Castilian-Leonese throne during the reigns of

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 ...

Ferdinand IV of Castile Ferdinand IV of Castile (6 December 1285 – 7 September 1312) called the Summoned (''el Emplazado''), was King of Castile and King of León, León from 1295 until his death. Ferdinand's upbringing and personal custody was entered to his mother ...

and

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 ...

, he carried the family name of his mother which corresponded to the name of his lordship. He was Lord of Biscay by his marriage to María Díaz II de Haro, daughter of Don Juan de Haro ''the One-Eyed''. He was also Lord of Villafranca, Oropesa, Torrelobatón, Lerma, Paredes de Nava, Castroverde and Aguilar. Ensign of the King and Lord Steward of

. He was a great-grandson of Alfonso X the Wise,

King of Castile and León The Crown of Castile was a medieval polity in the Iberian Peninsula that formed in 1230 as a result of the third and definitive union of the crowns and, some decades later, the parliaments of the kingdoms of Castile and León upon the accessio ...

, and

Louis IX Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), also known as Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death in 1270. He is widely recognized as the most distinguished of the Direct Capetians. Following the death of his father, Louis ...

King of France France was ruled by monarchs from the establishment of the kingdom of West Francia in 843 until the end of the Second French Empire in 1870, with several interruptions. Classical French historiography usually regards Clovis I, king of the Fra ...

Family Origins

Son of

and Juana Núñez de Lara ''the Little Dove''. As such, he embodied the claim of his paternal grandfather, ''Infante''

Ferdinand de la Cerda Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "courage" or "ready, prepared" related to Old High German "to risk, ventu ...

, eldest son of King Alfonso X the Wise, while being heir to both the

Lara Lara may refer to: People * Lara (name), can be a given name or a surname in several languages * Lara (mythology), a naiad nymph, daughter of the river Almo in Ovid's ''Fasti'' Places *Lara (state), a state in Venezuela * Electoral district ...

holdings of his namesake maternal grandfather, Juan Núñez de Lara "the Fat", and to the lordship of Viscaya coming from his maternal grandmother Teresa Díaz of Haro.

Inheritance

On the death of his uncle, Juan Núñez de Lara the Younger in 1315, he became lord 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 ...

, although his uncle, the late ''Lord of Lara'', had arranged in his will that all his possessions were sold and the proceeds from its sale should go to prayers for the repose of his soul. However, the noblemen of Castile unwilling to remain without a ''Lord'' asked the king to appoint Juan Nunez de Lara, despite his young age, master of the

. The King concurred and the noblemen gathered a sum of money that included land, castles and villas for the lordship of Lara. In 1326, his signature appears on some border privileges. A year after the death of Juan de Haro, Juan Nunez de Lara was named ''Ensign of the King'', and as such appears confirmed in his privileges from that year, ranking first among the nobility. In 1329,

Don Juan Manuel Don Juan Manuel (5 May 128213 June 1348) was a Spanish medieval writer, nephew of Alfonso X of Castile, son of Manuel of Castile and Beatrice of Savoy. He inherited from his father the great Lordship of Villena, receiving the titles of Lord, D ...

, was at odds with

, because the king had imprisoned his wife, who was the daughter of Don Juan Manuel. Therefore, Don Juan Manuel, suggested that the Lord of Lara be married to María Díaz II de Haro. After approval of the marriage, Don Juan Manuel promised to make war on

Alfonso XI 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 en ...

, until María's father's, Juan de Haro, possessions were returned, along with the lordship of Vizcaya. Concluding the agreement, Juan Nunez de Lara and Don Juan Manuel went to the city of

Bayonne Bayonne () is a city in southwestern France near the France–Spain border, Spanish border. It is a communes of France, commune and one of two subprefectures in France, subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments of France, departm ...

, where María Díaz had been taken after the assassination of her father, fearing reprisals from Alfonso XI. In 1331, in the city of Bayonne, Juan Nunez de Lara married María Díaz II de Haro. Shortly thereafter, Don Juan Manuel arranged the marriage of his daughter Constance to Infante Pedro of Portugal, son of King

Alfonso IV of Portugal Afonso IVEnglish: ''Alphonzo'' or ''Alphonse'', or ''Affonso'' (Archaic Portuguese), ''Alfonso'' or ''Alphonso'' (Portuguese-Galician languages, Portuguese-Galician) or ''Alphonsus'' (Latin). (; 8 February 129128 May 1357), called the Brave (), w ...

. With this, Don Juan Manuel got the support of the Portuguese ruler who had been allied with Alfonso XI, soon to be joined by the Sultan of Granada. The agreement with the ruler of Granada was made with the intention of pressuring Alfonso XI to return María Díaz II de Haro's possessions that had been confiscated by him.

Revolts against Alfonso XI

In 1332, when Alfonso XI was crowned and instituted the

Knights of the Band The Order of the Band, Knights of the Band, or Equites Bindae, was a military order in Spain, instituted by Alfonso XI, King of Castile in 1332.''The New Cambridge Medieval History, vol. 6: c. 1300 - c. 1415'', Michael Jones (ed.) (Cambridge, 1 ...

in the kingdom of Castile and León, Juan Núñez de Lara and Don Juan Manuel, showing their disagreement with the king, were not present at the ceremonies. At that time, both Don Juan Manuel and Juan Núñez de Lara, fortified their positions and tried to alienate the king's servants and members of his house, such as Juan Martinez de Leyva, who left his post as Chamberlain in court and moved to the post of chief steward of Juan Nunez de Lara, despite the entreaties of Alfonso XI. Shortly thereafter, Don Juan Manuel and Juan Núñez de Lara began to make war on Alfonso XI, Don Juan Manuel from his Castle of Peñafiel and Juan Núñez de Lara from the city of Lerma. The king, who was in the city of

Burgos Burgos () is a city in Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populous municipality of the province of Burgos. Burgos is situated in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, on the confluence of th ...

, moved to the city of

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 ...

. A short time later, Alfonso XI seized the castle of Avia, which had been occupied by supporters of the rebel barons. In 1333, the Muslims besieged the city of

Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...

. Alfonso IX, who at that time was fighting against the two rebel nobles, sent the masters of the Military Orders to relieve Gibraltar, while he remained in Castile parleying with

and Juan Núñez de Lara to achieve peace. Soon after, the king sought the help of Manuel and de Lara to rescue the city of Gibraltar. Don Juan Manuel informed the king, that if he wanted his help he should give him the title of Duke, allow him to decide who inherited his possessions after his death and to be allowed to coin money in his own domain. For his part, Juan Núñez de Lara asked the king for the Lordship of Biscay to be returned to his wife and all the villas, estates and castles which had belonged to her father, Juan de Haro. Alfonso XI delayed the granting of a response to such demands, and shortly thereafter went to meet with Don Juan Manuel in Peñafiel. Despite the initial goodwill, a final agreement was not reached between the rebel noble and his sovereign. Meanwhile, troops of Juan Núñez de Lara devastated

Tierra de Campos Tierra de Campos ("Land of Fields") is a large historical and natural region or greater comarca that straddles the provinces of León, Zamora, Valladolid and Palencia, in Castile and León, Spain. It is a vast, desolate plain with practically ...

, the king was informed of the seriousness of the situation in the besieged Gibraltar crossing, so Alfonso XI, insisted that Juan Núñez de Lara and Don Juan Manuel accompany him. Meanwhile, the city of Gibraltar capitulated to the Muslims and Alfonso XI began to besiege it, but had to raise the siege before the arrival of troops from Granada and Algeciras. Shortly thereafter,

Juan Alfonso de Haro ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. The name is of Hebrew origin and has the meaning "God has been gracious." It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking countries around the world and in the Philippi ...

, who was at odds with the king, sided with Don Juan Manuel and Juan Núñez de Lara in their common struggle against Alfonso XI. During Lent of 1334, a squire of Juan Núñez de Lara gave Alfonso XI a letter, in which he informed the king that he was ending his vassal relationship with him. Enraged the king ordered the feet and hands the message bearer cut off, who was later beheaded. The king then considered attacking Juan Núñez de Lara, who was besieging the town of

Cuenca de Campos Cuenca de Campos is a municipality of Spain in the region of Tierra de Campos in Valladolid province, autonomous community of Castile and León. It covers an area of with a population of 272 inhabitants in 2012. Economy Its economy is based on a ...

. The king, after seizing the towns of Melgar and Morales, addressed

in order to recruit more troops. Soon after, they laid a series of ambushes against Juan Núñez de Lara, who managed to escape. Alfonso XI then decided to seize the strongholds of Vizcaya that were still loyal to María Díaz II de Haro, wife of Juan Núñez de Lara. Then the king besieged the fortresses of

Villafranca Montes de Oca Villafranca Montes de Oca is a municipality, former medieval bishopric and present Latin titular see located in the province of Burgos, Castile and León, northern Spain. According to the 2005 census ( INE), the municipality has a population of 1 ...

and Bustos and seized Peñaventosa, and ordered its demolition. Alfonso XI, after leaving some of his troops besieging the Peña de San Juan, he returned to Castile, where in the town of Agoncillo, ordered the execution of

, for abuses committed by him in the kingdom, for his support of rebel barons, and for having appropriated funds belonging to the Crown. After the execution, Alfonso XI besieged the town of Henry, where Juan Núñez de Lara was located, while the sovereign ordered Rodrigo Alvarez of Asturias to the town of

Torrelobatón Torrelobatón is a municipality located in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León, Spain. In the 2004 census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating populat ...

, where Juana Núñez de Lara was located. Finding himself surrounded and unable to get help from his ally, Don Juan Manuel, Juan Núñez de Lara decided to make peace with the king. In order to terminate disputes, Alfonxo XI confirmed the lordship of Biscay on Juan Núñez de Lara. Juan Núñez de Lara agreed, in the future, to recognize Alfonso XI as his king and give him all that he required. Shortly thereafter, Don Juan Manuel made peace with Alfonso XI.

Alfonso XI besieges Juan Núñez

In June 1336, Alfonso XI besieged the town of Lerma, where Juan Núñez de Lara was located. Meanwhile other armies were besieging Torrelobatón, Busto and Villafranca. Alfonso XI also sent 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 ...

and the

Order of Calatrava The Order of Calatrava (, ) was one of the Spanish military orders, four Spanish military orders and the first Military order (society), military order founded in Kingdom of Castile, Castile, but the second to receive papal approval. The papal bu ...

to besiege Castle Garcimuñoz, where Don Juan Manuel was located. The village of Torrelobatón soon capitulated to the king's troops, with Alfonso XI imposing the condition that they never return to power of Juan Núñez de Lara. Juan Núñez de Lara, finding himself surrounded and without possibility of receiving relief, agreed to negotiate peace with Alfonso XI. It was then agreed that Juan Núñez de Lara and his supporters would retain all their possessions, that the fortifications of Lerma, Busto, Villafranca would be demolished, and that de Lara could not fortify any cities without the consent of the king. Also to prevent further transgressions of Juan Núñez, he would give Alfonso XI hostages. Agreeing to terms between them, Alfonso XI appointed Juan Núñez de Lara, Ensign of the King and returned part of the Crown lands that had been theirs, giving also the towns of Cigales,

Villalón de Campos Villalón or Villalon may refer to: * Alberto Villalón (1882–1955), one of the greatest musicians in the Cuban trova style * Consuelo Villalon Aleman (1907–1998), a well-known Mexican pianist during the 20th century * Eric Villalon (bo ...

and Morales. In 1339, the ambassadors of King

Peter IV of Aragon Peter IV (Catalan: ''Pere IV d'Aragó;'' Aragonese; ''Pero IV d'Aragón;'' 5 September 1319 – 6 January 1387), called the Ceremonious (Catalan: ''El Cerimoniós''; Aragonese: ''el Ceremonioso''), was from 1336 until his death the king of ...

reported to Alfonso XI that they were willing to help in the fight against Muslims in the south of the

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, comprisin ...

. That same year, Juan Núñez de Lara was knighted by Alfonso XI in

Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...

. In 1339, Alfonso XI invaded the counties of

Antequera Antequera () is a city and municipality in the Comarca de Antequera, province of Málaga, part of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. It is known as "the heart of Andalusia" (''el corazón de An ...

and

Ronda Ronda () is a Municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Málaga, within the autonomous community of Andalusia. Its population is about 35,000. Ronda is known for its cliffside location and a deep canyon that ca ...

, held by the Muslims, joined by Juan Núñez de Lara,

Juan Manuel, Prince of Villena Don Juan Manuel (5 May 128213 June 1348) was a Spanish medieval writer, nephew of Alfonso X of Castile, son of Manuel of Castile and Beatrice of Savoy. He inherited from his father the great Lordship of Villena, receiving the titles of Lord, D ...

, and Alfonso Meléndez de Guzman. King

Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Othman Abu Al-Hasan 'Ali ibn 'Othman ( – 24 May 1351), () was a sultan of the Marinid dynasty who reigned in Morocco between 1331 and 1348. In 1333 he captured Gibraltar from the Castilians, although a later attempt to take Tarifa in 1339 ended in f ...

of Morocco. invaded Spain in 1340, and after a naval battle, defeated the army of Alfonso XI and surrounded the city of

Tarifa Tarifa () is a Spanish municipality in the province of Cádiz, Andalusia. Located at the southernmost end of the Iberian Peninsula, it is primarily known as one of the world's most popular destinations for windsports. Tarifa lies on the Costa d ...

. Alfonso XI, requested help from the kings of Aragon and Portugal, meeting

at city of Seville. In the

Battle of Río Salado The Battle of Río Salado also known as the Battle of Tarifa (30 October 1340) was a battle between the armies of King Afonso IV of Portugal and King Alfonso XI of Castile against those of Sultan Abu al-Hasan 'Ali of the Marinids and Yusuf ...

, Juan Núñez de Lara distinguished himself in battle, fought alongside Juan Manuel, Prince of Villena, the Master of the Order of Santiago and other nobles at the forefront. He took part in the success garnered by the Christian armies at that time. In 1341 Alfonso XI conquered the town of Alcalá la Real, Juan Núñez de Lara was present lieutenant of the king.

Siege of Algeciras

During the

Siege of Algeciras (1342–44) A siege () . is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare (also called siegecrafts or poliorcetics) is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict characte ...

, Alfonso XI surrounded the city of

Algeciras Algeciras () is a city and a municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Cádiz, Andalusia. Located in the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula, near the Strait of Gibraltar, it is the largest city on the Bay of G ...

, which was in the hands of Muslims. Juan Núñez de Lara, Juan Manuel, Pedro Fernández de Castro, Juan Alfonso de la Cerda, lord 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 ...

, knights of France, England and Germany, and even King

Philip III of Navarre Philip III (, , ; 27 March 1306 – 16 September 1343), called the Noble, the Wise, and of Évreux, was the king of Navarre with his wife Joan II from 1328 until his death in 1343. He was also the count of Évreux in France from 1319. Philip ...

, king consort of Navarra, who came accompanied by 100 horsemen and 300 infantry all participated in the siege. In June 1342, Pedro Fernández de Castro, Lord of Lemos and Sarria died of an epidemic. Alfonso XI divided Pedro's office between Don Juan Manuel, Juan Núñez de Lara, and Fernando Ruiz de Castro, all possessions that had belonged to his late father. In March 1344, after almost two years of siege, the city of Algeciras surrendered. In 1349, after spending several years in retirement, Juan Núñez de Lara was summoned by Alfonso XI, together with the other nobles, so they could assist in the siege of

. Alfonso XI went to Andalusia and laid siege to Gibraltar until 1350. The Castilian nobles, including Juan Nunez de Lara, petitioned Alfonso XI to lift the siege, because he risked losing his life if he persisted in the company. Despite the entreaties of Juan Núñez, Fernando Manuel, Lord of Villena and son of the late Don Juan Manuel, and

Juan Alfonso de Alburquerque ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. The name is of Hebrew origin and has the meaning "God has been gracious." It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking countries around the world and in the Philippi ...

, Alfonso XI persisted in his attempt to take Gibraltar, until he died in March 1350. After the death of

, his eldest son

Pedro Pedro is a masculine given name. Pedro is the Spanish, Portuguese, and Galician name for ''Peter''. Its French equivalent is Pierre while its English and Germanic form is Peter. The counterpart patronymic surname of the name Pedro, meanin ...

was proclaimed king. Juan Núñez de Lara,

Ferdinand, Prince of Asturias Ferdinand, Prince of Asturias (4 December 1571 – 18 October 1578) was a member of the House of Habsburg who was heir apparent to the Spanish throne. Biography Born on 4 December 1571 at the Royal Alcázar of Madrid, Ferdinand was the elde ...

and the other nobles lifted the siege of Gibraltar and led the body of Alfonso XI to the town of

, where he was buried in the Chapel Royal. On completion of the actual funeral of Alfonso XI, King Pedro I of Castile confirmed Juan Núñez de Lara in the office of lieutenant of the King and Lord Steward. On 28 November 1350, Juan Núñez de Lara died, suddenly and mysteriously, in the city of

. Supporters of Juan Nunez suspected poison.

Burial of Juan Núñez de Lara

At his death, the body of Juan Núñez de Lara was buried in the Convento de San Pablo de Burgos by the Dominicans, who had close ties to his family. The tomb contained the remains of Juan Nunez de Lara, as well as those of his parents and maternal grandfather.

Marriage and offspring

In 1331, he married María Díaz II de Haro, Lady of Vizcaya, the daughter of Juan de Haro, Lord of Biscay and Isabel of Portugal. Their children were: * Juana de Lara (1333 - killed in 1359), Lady of Lara and Vizcaya between 1352 and 1359. She married Tello of Castile, illegitimate son of

, being killed in

, with 26 years of age during the civil war between her husband's brothers

Peter of Castile Peter (; 30 August 133423 March 1369), called Peter the Cruel () or the Just (), was King of Castile and León from 1350 to 1369. Peter was the last ruler of the main branch of the House of Ivrea. He was excommunicated by Pope Urban V for h ...

and

Henry II of Castile Henry II (13 January 1334 – 29 May 1379), called Henry of Trastámara or the Fratricidal (''el Fratricida''), was the first List of Castilian monarchs, King of Castile and List of Leonese monarchs, León from the House of Trastámara. He became ...

. *Lope Díaz de Haro (c. 1337–1350), died in childhood. * Isabel de Lara (c. 1335 - poisoned in 1361), Lady of Lara and Vizcaya between 1359 and 1361. She succeeded her sister in the possession of the

Lordship of Biscay The Lordship of Biscay (, Basque language, 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 ...

. She married Juan de Aragón, son of

Alfonso IV of Aragon Alfonso IV (2 November 1299 – 24 January 1336), called the Kind (also ''the Gentle'' or ''the Nice'', ), was King of Aragon and Count of Barcelona (as Alfons III) from 1327 to his death. His reign saw the incorporation of the County of Urgell ...

. Her husband was assassinated by his cousin,

Peter I of Castile Peter (; 30 August 133423 March 1369), called Peter the Cruel () or the Just (), was King of Castile and León from 1350 to 1369. Peter was the last ruler of the main branch of the House of Ivrea. He was excommunicated by Pope Urban V for his ...

, in 1358, and she was poisoned three years later, in 1361. * Nuño Díaz de Haro (1348–1352). Lord of Lara and Vizcaya. Successor of his father, but died by age 4, in 1352. From his affair with Mayor Leguizamon were born:Doubleday, 178. *Pedro de Lara (1348–1384), Count of Mayorga, who married Beatriz de Castro, daughter of

Álvaro Pires de Castro Álvaro Pires de Castro (c. 1310 – 11 June 1384 in Lisbon) was a powerful Kingdom of Galicia, Galician-Kingdom of Portugal, Portuguese nobleman, stem of the Portuguese branch of the House of Castro. He was the first Count of Viana (da Foz do L ...

and María Ponce de León, and granddaughter of Pedro Fernández de Castro. *Diego de Lara.

Notes

References

* Doubleday, Simon R., ''The Lara family: crown and nobility in medieval Spain'', Harvard University Press, 2001. * Estow, Clara, ''Pedro the Cruel of Castile, 1350-1369'', E.J.Brill, 1995. * ''The Old Law of Bizkaia (1452): introductory study and critical edition'', Editors Gregorio Monreal Zia, William A. Douglass and Linda White, University of Nevada Press, 2005. {{DEFAULTSORT:Nunez De Lara, Juan 1313 births 1350 deaths Lords in Spain

Juan ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of '' John''. The name is of Hebrew origin and has the meaning "God has been gracious." It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking countries around the world and in the Philip ...