María Díaz II de Haro ( - 16 September 1348) was a Spanish

noble A noble is a member of the nobility. Noble may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Noble Glacier, King George Island * Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Noble Peak, Wiencke Island * Noble Rocks, Graham Land Australia * Noble Island, Gr ...

of the

House of Haro The House of Haro was one of the most powerful families of Castile during the Middle Ages, which strongly supported the expansionist policies of Alfonso VI of Castile. As a reward, Íñigo López was named the first Lord of Biscay. In the ear ...

. She was the daughter of

Juan de Castilla y 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 ...

and his wife, Isabel of Portugal and was Lady of Biscay from 1334 until her death in 1348.

Family Origins

Daughter of

and of Isabel of Portugal, she was the paternal

granddaughter Family (from ) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictability, structure, and safety as m ...

infante Infante (, ; f. ''infanta''), also anglicised as "infant" or translated as "prince", is the title and rank given in the Iberian kingdoms of Spain (including the predecessor kingdoms of Aragon, Castile, Navarre, and León) and Portugal to the ...

John of Castile and of María I Díaz de Haro, Lady of Biscay. Her maternal grandparents were infante Afonso of Portugal and his wife,

Violante Manuel Violante Manuel of Castile (c. 1265 – 1314 in Lisbon) was a Castilian noble, daughter of Manuel of Castile and his first wife Constance of Aragon. She was Lady of Elche, Elda, Novelda, Medellín and half of Peñafiel in her own right. Tom ...

Biography

In 1326, her father was assassinated in

Toro Toro may refer to: Places *Toro, Molise, a ''comune'' in the Province of Campobasso, Italy *Toro, Nigeria, a Local Government Area of Bauchi State, Nigeria *Toro, Shizuoka, an archaeological site in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan *Toro, Zamora, a ''m ...

by order of King

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 ...

who also subsequently confiscated all her father's property. María Díaz II was taken to France where she lived in 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 ...

. While at Bayonne,

Juan Núñez III de Lara 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) and Juana Núñez de Lara ''the Little Dove''. Despite ...

, 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 noble

Magnate The term magnate, from the late Latin ''magnas'', a great man, itself from Latin ''magnus'', "great", means a man from the higher nobility, a man who belongs to the high office-holders or a man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or ot ...

of the Kingdom of Castile and Leon solicited her hand in marriage. The two were married that same year. During the first part of the reign of Alfonso XI, her husband Juan Núñez III reclaimed from the king in her name, all properties that had previously belonged to her father. In the process, Juan Núñez III fought against the king on various occasions until his final definitive reconciliation with the king after his being besieged and defeated at Lerma. After the peace between her husband and the king, all parties were able to coexist peacefully with the Castilian-Leonese monarch. Alfonso XI ratified 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 ...

as belonging to María Díaz II and promised to not use the title himself in any way, something that he had previously done since 1332.

Death and Sepulcher

María Díaz II died on 16 September 1348 shortly after giving birth to her son, Nuño Díaz de Haro who went on to briefly inherit the Lordship of Biscay after the death of his father in 1350 at

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 ...

. She was buried at the

Convento de San Francisco A convent is a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters or nuns, or the building used by such a community. Convent or convento may also refer to: Places * Convent, Louisiana, U.S. * Convent Gallery, an art museum in Australia * ...

Palencia Palencia () is a city of Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the province of Palencia. Located in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, in the northern half of ...

. Today, the only remains on the site are those of the church. Upon his death,

Tello of Castile Tello Alfonso of Castile (1337 – October 1370) was the seventh of the ten illegitimate children of Alfonso XI of Castile and Eleanor of Guzman. He was a prince of Castile and First Lord of Aguilar de Campoo. In Spanish he is known as ''Te ...

, the husband of María Díaz II's daughter Juana de Lara was also buried at the convent. The

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christianity, Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is us ...

of the church still contains the grave of Tello de Castilla who wrote in his will the desire to be buried in a silver coffin.Rodríguez García, Francisco (2002)

865 __NOTOC__ Year 865 ( DCCCLXV) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * King Louis the German divides the East Frankish Kingdom among his three sons. Carloman receives Bavaria (with more l ...

p. 64. Unfortunately the sepulcher belonging to María Díaz II de Haro has been lost to time, probably having been destroyed during the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French ...

when the convent of San Francisco de Palencia was converted into a barracks billeting French troops. It could have also been lost when the Convent of San Francisco was sold in 1835.

Marriage and Descendants

In 1331, she married

, the head of the

and the grandson of

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 ...

. The couple had the following children: * Juana de Lara, Lady of Lara and of Biscay. Wife of Tello de Castilla, she was assassinated 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, ...

at the age of 26 by order of King

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 ...

. * Lope Díaz de Haro, died in childhood. *

Isabel de Lara Isabel is a female name of Iberian origin. Isabelle is a name that is similar, but it is of French origin. It originates as the medieval Spanish form of '' Elisabeth'' (ultimately Hebrew ''Elisheba''). Arising in the 12th century, it became popul ...

, Lady of Lara and of Biscay, she succeeded her sister in the possession of the

. In 1354, she married infante

Juan de Aragón y Castilla ''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 ...

, son of King

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,

Lord of Lara Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power (social and political), power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the Peerage o ...

and of Biscay. He was named Lord of Biscay in 1350 at the age of 2. Nuño Díaz died in infancy in 1352, at the age of 4.

External links

Genealogy of María Díaz II de Haro. Fundación Casa ducal de Medinaceli (in Spanish)

References

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

Bibliography

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Haro, Maria Diaz II de 14th-century births 1348 deaths Lords of Biscay Maria Diaz II Maria Diaz II 14th-century Castilians 14th-century Spanish women