Pedro González De Mendoza
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Pedro González de Mendoza (3 May 1428 – 11 January 1495) was a Spanish cardinal, statesman and lawyer. He served on the council of King
Henry IV of Castile Henry IV of Castile (Spanish language, Castilian: ''Enrique IV''; 5 January 1425 – 11 December 1474), nicknamed the Impotent, was King of Kingdom of Castile, Castile and Kingdom of León, León and the last of the weak late-medieval kings of Ca ...
and in 1467 fought for him at the Second Battle of Olmedo. In 1468 he was named bishop of Sigüenza and in 1473 he became cardinal and archbishop of Seville and appointed chancellor of Castile. In the subsequent succession dispute, Mendoza supported
Isabel 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 ''Elizabeth (given name), Elisabeth'' (ultimately Hebrew ''Elisheba''). Arising in the 12th c ...
's right to succeed her brother, Enrique IV, and participated in the
battle of Toro The Battle of Toro was part of the War of the Castilian Succession, fought on 1 March 1476, near the city of Toro, between the Castilian-Aragonese troops of the Catholic Monarchs and the Portuguese-Castilian forces of Afonso V and Prince Joh ...
, where the forces of Ferdinand and Isabella defeated the supporters of Juana la Beltraneja. Mendoza's Castilian chancellorship was reconfirmed by Isabel, and in 1482 he became cardinal-archbishop of Toledo and Primate of Spain. He presided over the royal council for 20 years and his influence was such that he was called "the Third King" during the reign of Isabel and Ferdinand.


Biography

Pedro González de Mendoza was born on 3 May 1428 at
Guadalajara Guadalajara ( ; ) is the capital and the most populous city in the western Mexican List of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco, as well as the most densely populated municipality in Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population ...
in New Castile. He was the fifth son of Íñigo López de Mendoza and Catalina Suarez de Figueroa. The Mendoza family was the most powerful noble family in Spain at the time. González de Mendoza remained in Guadalajara until 1442 when he was sent to Toledo to continue his education under the auspices of Archbishop Gutierre Álvarez de Toledo. In Toledo he studied rhetoric, history and Latin. While still a teenager he was granted several ecclesiastical
benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...
s, including the parish of Santa María in the town of Hita and the archdeacon of Guadalajara. When the archbishop died in 1446, he moved to the
University of Salamanca The University of Salamanca () is a public university, public research university in Salamanca, Spain. Founded in 1218 by Alfonso IX of León, King Alfonso IX, it is the oldest university in the Hispanic world and the fourth oldest in the ...
, where he studied civil and canon law and earned doctorates in both by 1452. In 1452 he joined the court of Juan II of Castile as a member of the Royal Chapel. As a result of his influential family and status as chaplain to the king, Mendoza was soon appointed to his first bishopric: in 1453 he was selected by Juan II to become Bishop of Calahorra. The pope later confirmed his election and Mendoza was consecrated in 1454 by Alfonso Carrillo de Acuña, the Archbishop of Toledo. As Bishop of Calahorra he was also ''señor'', or civil and military ruler, of the town and its dependent district. In his secular capacity he led the levies of Calahorra in the civil wars of the reign of Henry IV. He fought for the king at the second battle of Olmedo on 20 August 1467 and was wounded in the arm. During these years he became attached to Mencia de Lemos, a Portuguese lady-in-waiting of the Consort queen. They had two sons, Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar Mendoza, who was once selected to be the husband of
Lucrezia Borgia Lucrezia Borgia (18 April 1480 – 24 June 1519) was an Italian noblewoman of the House of Borgia who was the illegitimate daughter of Pope Alexander VI and Vannozza dei Cattanei. She was a former governor of Spoleto. Her family arranged ...
, and Diego Hurtado de Mendoza, 1st Count of Melito who became the grandfather of the princess of Eboli of the reign of
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 ...
(see Antonio Perez). By Inés de Tovar, a lady of a
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 ...
family, he had a third son (Juan Hurtado de Mendoza y Tovar) who afterwards emigrated to France. In 1467 Pedro became Bishop of Sigüenza. In 1473 he was created cardinal, was promoted to the
Archdiocese of Seville The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Seville () is a Latin Church archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Seville, Spain. The Diocese of Seville was founded in the 3rd century. It was raised to the level of an archdiocese in the 4th century. The curren ...
and named chancellor of Castile. During the last years of the reign of King Henry IV. he was the partisan of the Princess Isabella, afterwards queen, while his eldest brother Diego Hurtado de Mendoza, 2nd marquis of Santillana, remained however faithful to king
Henry IV of Castile Henry IV of Castile (Spanish language, Castilian: ''Enrique IV''; 5 January 1425 – 11 December 1474), nicknamed the Impotent, was King of Kingdom of Castile, Castile and Kingdom of León, León and the last of the weak late-medieval kings of Ca ...
, till his death in December 1474. Pedro, the cadet brother, fought for her at the
Battle of Toro The Battle of Toro was part of the War of the Castilian Succession, fought on 1 March 1476, near the city of Toro, between the Castilian-Aragonese troops of the Catholic Monarchs and the Portuguese-Castilian forces of Afonso V and Prince Joh ...
on 1 March 1476, when King Henry IV had died already. He had a prominent part in placing her on the throne; and served her indefatigably in her efforts to suppress the disorderly nobles of Castile. In 1482 he became
Archbishop of Toledo The Archdiocese of Toledo () is a Latin Church archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in Spain.
. When his oldest brother and head of the whole family, Diego, swore allegiance to Princess Isabella after Henry's death in December 1474, he was duly rewarded by Queen
Isabella I of Castile Isabella I (; 22 April 1451 – 26 November 1504), also called Isabella the Catholic (Spanish: ''Isabel la Católica''), was Queen of Castile and List of Leonese monarchs, León from 1474 until her death in 1504. She was also Queen of Aragon ...
, awarding Diego the title of Duke of the Infantado on 22 July 1475. The title would be awarded the
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 ...
in 1519 by 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 ...
. During the conquest of
Granada Granada ( ; ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada (Spain), Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence ...
, Pedro contributed largely to the maintenance of the army. On 2 January 1492, he occupied the town in the name of the
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
sovereigns. Though his life was worldly, and though he was more soldier and statesman than priest, the "Great Cardinal", as he was commonly called, did not neglect his duty as a bishop. He used his influence with the queen and also at Rome to arrange a settlement of the disputes between the Spanish sovereigns and the papacy. He was also an advocate of
Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus (; between 25 August and 31 October 1451 – 20 May 1506) was an Italians, Italian explorer and navigator from the Republic of Genoa who completed Voyages of Christopher Columbus, four Spanish-based voyages across the At ...
. Though he maintained a splendid household as archbishop of Toledo, and, provided handsomely for his children, he devoted part of his revenue to charity, and with a part he endowed the Palacio de Santa Cruz for a college of Valladolid University. His health broke down at the close of 1493. Queen Isabella visited and nursed him on his deathbed in Guadalajara. It is said that he recommended her to choose as his successor the
Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...
Jimenez de Cisneros, a man who had no likeness to himself save in political faculty and devotion to the authority of the Crown.


Footnotes


References

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External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gonzalez De Mendoza, Pedro 15th-century Castilian cardinals Bishops of Osma Bishops of Sigüenza 1428 births 1495 deaths People from Guadalajara, Spain 15th-century Castilian nobility 15th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Castile University of Salamanca alumni Archbishops of Granada Latin Patriarchs of Alexandria