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Nuño Pérez de Lara (died 3 August 1177) was a Castilian nobleman, politician and military leader. He began his career at the court of the Emperor Alfonso VII, during whose reign he took part in the ''
repoblación The ''Repoblación'' (, ; , ) was the ninth-century repopulating of a large region between the River Duero and the Cantabrian Mountains, which had been depopulated in the early years of the Reconquista and became known as the ''Desert of the D ...
'' of the
Extremadura Extremadura ( ; ; ; ; Fala language, Fala: ''Extremaúra'') is a landlocked autonomous communities in Spain, autonomous community of Spain. Its capital city is Mérida, Spain, Mérida, and its largest city is Badajoz. Located in the central- ...
and the defence of the
Almohad The Almohad Caliphate (; or or from ) or Almohad Empire was a North African Berber Muslim empire founded in the 12th century. At its height, it controlled much of the Iberian Peninsula (Al-Andalus) and North Africa (the Maghreb). The Almohad ...
frontier. Between 1164 and 1169 he governed Castile as
regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...
for the underage
Alfonso VIII Alfonso VIII (11 November 11555 October 1214), called the Noble (El Noble) or the one of Las Navas (el de las Navas), was King of Castile from 1158 to his death and King of Toledo. After having suffered a great defeat with his own army at Alarc ...
, and he continued to exercise semi-regal power in the kingdom until 1176. He founded two monasteries and fostered the cult of
Thomas Becket Thomas Becket (), also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London and later Thomas à Becket (21 December 1119 or 1120 – 29 December 1170), served as Lord Chancellor from 1155 to 1162, and then as Archbishop of Canterbury fr ...
in Spain. He died taking part in the conquest of Cuenca


Family

Nuño was the third of four sons of Pedro González de Lara and his wife Ava, probably from northern France.Barton, 269–70. This article relies heavily on these pages, which provide a comprehensive list of Nuño's issue, offices, ''tenencias'', and religious endowments, as well as known private transactions. His elder brothers were
Álvaro Álvaro or Álvar (, , ) is a Spanish, Galician and Portuguese male given name and surname of Germanic Visigothic origin. The patronymic surname derived from this name is Álvarez. Given name Artists * Álvaro Carrillo, Afro-Mexican songwrit ...
and Manrique and he had a younger brother named Rodrigo. Sometime before March 1154 Nuño married Teresa Fernández, an illegitimate daughter of Fernando Pérez de Traba and
Theresa, Countess of Portugal Theresa (Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''Teresa''; Galician-Portuguese: ''Tareja'' or ''Tareixa''; Latin: ''Theresia'') ( 1080 – 11 November 1130) was Countess of County of Portugal, Portugal, and for a time claimant to be its independent ...
. Together they were the parents of
Fernando Fernando is a Spanish and Portuguese given name and a surname common in Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Switzerland, and former Spanish or Portuguese colonies in Latin America, Africa and Asia (like the Philippines, India, and Sri Lanka). It is e ...
,
Álvaro Álvaro or Álvar (, , ) is a Spanish, Galician and Portuguese male given name and surname of Germanic Visigothic origin. The patronymic surname derived from this name is Álvarez. Given name Artists * Álvaro Carrillo, Afro-Mexican songwrit ...
, Gonzalo II, Sancha (wife of Sancho, Count of Provence), María (abbess of Perales) and countess Elvira, perhaps wife of Ermengol VIII, Count of Urgell.


Early public career

In February 1141 Nuño entered public life, subscribing a charter of the monastery of San Pedro de Arlanza. In March 1145 he was appointed imperial ''
alférez In medieval Iberia, an ''alférez'' (, ) or ''alferes'' (, ) was a high-ranking official in the household of a king or magnate. The term is derived from the Arabic ('' al-fāris''), meaning "knight" or "cavalier", and it was commonly Latinised ...
'', a post he held until February 1155, an unusually long term for an office that was typically held by younger noblemen early in their careers. In 1146 he held the '' tenencia'' of
Aguilar de Campoo Aguilar de Campoo () is a town and municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain located in the North of province of Palencia, autonomous community of Castile and León. The River Pisuerga flows through its historic centre. Its 2011 population was ...
, his first recorded fief. He held an interest in some houses in the important city of Toledo, which he granted to Gonzalo de Marañón in November 1148. There exists a charter dated 1 July 1152 which claims to be a ''
fuero (), (), (), () or () is a Spanish legal term and concept. The word comes from Latin , an open space used as a market, tribunal and meeting place. The same Latin root is the origin of the French terms and , and the Portuguese terms and ...
'' conceded by Nuño with the consent of the king to the city of Castro Benavente, now Castronuño, but it is probably a forgery. The attached list of witnesses indicates that it cannot pre-date 1156, although the re-settlement of the town had occurred as early as 1154. It had been directed by Nuño with the assistance of bishop Navarro of Salamanca and his archdeacon Cipriano. The ecclesiastics took the lead in the construction of new churches and the provision of liturgical books and vestments, while Nuño oversaw the repopulation of the village. Between February and December 1154 Nuño received the frontier ''tenencia'' of Montoro. As ''alférez'' Nuño was used to spending his time at court and governing his fief ''in absentia'', but when Montoro came under Almohad attack in the spring of 1156 he was called to defend it. He was unsuccessful. The fortress fell and he was probably captured. He was not ransomed and returned to court until January 1157. With the loss of Montoro he was transferred to the ''tenencia'' of ''Avia'' (perhaps Abia de las Torres), which he continued to govern until his death. In March 1156 Alfonso VII granted Nuño the
vill Vill is a term used in English, Welsh and Irish history to describe a basic rural land unit, roughly comparable to that of a parish, manor, village or tithing. Medieval developments The vill was the smallest territorial and administrative unit� ...
of Alcabón and in 1158 Nuño exchanged his lands at Castronuño with the
Hospitallers The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), is a Catholic military order. It was founded in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century and had headquarters there ...
for theirs at Torre de Herrín. In 1158 Alfonso granted Nuño the ''tenencia'' of Villagarcía, and in 1160 those of Cabezón (until 1173), Covillas (briefly), and Herrera (until his death). In 1160 Nuño and his brothers fought a battle at Lobregal with the rival Castros, whom they had earlier that year exiled from the kingdom. They were defeated and Nuño was captured by Fernando Rodríguez de Castro. By March 1162 Nuño had been granted the title ''
comes ''Comes'' (plural ''comites''), translated as count, was a Roman title, generally linked to a comitatus or comital office. The word ''comes'' originally meant "companion" or "follower", deriving from "''com-''" ("with") and "''ire''" ("go"). Th ...
'' (count), probably by his brother Manrique, who was regent at the time for the young king, Alfonso VIII. That same year Nuño was made guardian (or tutor) of the king, a responsibility he received against in 1172 and 1173, and was rewarded with the ''tenencias'' of Dueñas (until 1175) and Moratinos.


Regency of Castile and later years

When Manrique died in 1164, Nuño succeeded him as regent of Castile. In 1165 he began governing the ''tenencias'' of Carrión (until 1176, or his death) and Villafáfila. In March 1168 Alfonso VIII put the town of
Chillón Chillón is a municipality in Ciudad Real Ciudad Real (, ) is a municipality of Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile–La Mancha, capital of the province of Ciudad Real. It is the 5th most populated municipality in the region. ...
and its mercury mine under the joint control of Nuño 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 ...
. On 11 November 1169 Alfonso came of age, yet Nuño continued "dwelling on the affairs of the kingdom" (''manente super negotia regni'') as late as 31 October 1176. In 1170 the king gave Nuño charge of Villavaquerín, transferring him to that of San Román (1171) and then Cuenca de Campos (1172–76) and Tamariz (1172). In 1173 Nuño was governing the ''tenencias'' of Amaya, Castrojeriz, Saldaña, and Tariego. In May 1174 Nuño exchanged an estate belonging to a certain Don Sarracín with the monastery of Arlanza for the vill of Huérmeces. That same year a certain
Bernard Bernard ('' Bernhard'') is a French and West Germanic masculine given name. It has West Germanic origin and is also a surname. The name is attested from at least the 9th century. West Germanic ''Bernhard'' is composed from the two elements ''be ...
secured his simoniacal election as
Bishop of Osma The Diocese of Osma-Soria () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in northern Spain. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Burgos. Its cathedral ...
by paying Nuño and Pedro de Arazuri 5,000 ''
maravedí The ''maravedí'' () or ''maravedi'' (), deriving from the Almoravid dinar (), was the name of various Iberian coins of gold and then silver between the 11th and 14th centuries, and the name of different Iberian accounting units between the 11t ...
es''. In 1176 Nuño received some houses in Toledo that had once belonged to
Sancha Raimúndez Sancha Raimúndez (c. 1095/110228 February 1159) was a Leonese people, Leonese infanta, the daughter of Queen Urraca of León and Castile and Raymond of Burgundy. She was the older sister of Alfonso VII of León. Biography Sancha Raimúndez of L ...
from the archbishop, Cerebruno, for an annual rent of five ''maravedíes''. They also gave some houses they owned near the imperial palace to the archbishop. In 1176 Nuño Pérez de Lara was appointed governor of the ''tenencias'' of Nájera, Ubierna, and Valeria. One year later, in July 1177, he was present at the Conquest of Cuenca. He was killed in action a few weeks later on the 3rd of August. His widow fled to the Leonese court and there married King Ferdinand II.


Religious patronage

On 29 January 1160 Nuño and his wife founded the
Cistercian The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...
convent of Santa María at Perales, with lands also in
Zorita Zorita is a municipality located in the province of Cáceres, Extremadura, Spain. According to the 2006 census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population ...
. In 1169 Nuño, his brother Álvaro, and Gonzalo and Sancha Osorio renounced their rights over the monastery of
Aguilar de Campoo Aguilar de Campoo () is a town and municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain located in the North of province of Palencia, autonomous community of Castile and León. The River Pisuerga flows through its historic centre. Its 2011 population was ...
, a daughter house of that of Retuerta, and established some
Augustinians Augustinians are members of several religious orders that follow the Rule of Saint Augustine, written about 400 A.D. by Augustine of Hippo. There are two distinct types of Augustinians in Catholic religious orders dating back to the 12th–13 ...
there. They provoked controversy by expelling the monks of Retuerta's other nearby daughter house at Herrera de Pisuerga and transferring its properties to Aguilar, engendering a dispute that was only resolved in 1173. Aguilar adopted the Praemonstratensian rule and rapidly became the most important Praemonstratensian monastery in the peninsula and patronised by the king. Nuño was especially generous to the cathedrals of the realm, endowing those of Santa María de León (1170), Santa María de Burgos (1174), and Santa María de Toledo. At the last they founded a chapel dedicated to
Thomas Becket Thomas Becket (), also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London and later Thomas à Becket (21 December 1119 or 1120 – 29 December 1170), served as Lord Chancellor from 1155 to 1162, and then as Archbishop of Canterbury fr ...
in 1174 and endowed it further in 1177 with the village of Alcabón, some houses in Toledo, twenty cows, and one hundred sheep. Nuño have specifically intended to promote the cult of Thomas in Spain. In 1172 he made a grant of half the village of to 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 ...
. Sometime before 1174 Nuño and his wife founded a hospital beside the Cistercian monastery of Saint Nicholas in Itero del Castillo for travellers on the Way of Saint James crossing the
Pisuerga The Pisuerga is a river in northern Spain, the Duero's second largest tributary. It rises in the Cantabrian Mountains in the province of Palencia, autonomous region of Castile and León. Its traditional source is called Fuente Cobre, but it has ...
by the bridge (''puente de Itero'') there.Barton, 199.


Notes


Works cited

*Barton, Simon. ''The Aristocracy in Twelfth-century León and Castile''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997. * Fletcher, Richard A.br>''The Episcopate in the Kingdom of León in the Twelfth Century''.
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1978. *Reilly, Bernard F. ''The Kingdom of León-Castilla under King Alfonso VII, 1126–1157''. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1998. *Rodríguez-Picavea Matilla, Enrique. "La Orden de Calatrava en la meseta meridional castellana: encomiendas y distrubución geográfica de las propiedades (1158–1212)." ''Hispania'', 51:179 (1991), 875–899. *Sánchez de Mora, Antonio. ''La Nobleza Castella en la Plena Edad Media: El Linaje de Lara (ss. XI-XIII)''. Doctoral Thesis, Universidad de Sevilla, 2003. *Yáñez Neira, María Damián
"El monasterio cisterciense de Perales, cuna de la recolección."
''Publicaciones de la Institución Tello Téllez de Meneses'', 59 (1988), 387–414. {{DEFAULTSORT:Lara, Nuno Perez De 12th-century births 1177 deaths People of the Reconquista Nuno Regents of Castile