Francisco de Sandoval y Rojas, 1st Duke of Lerma

Francisco Gómez de Sandoval y Rojas, 1st Duke of Lerma, 5th Marquess of Denia, 1st Count of Ampudia (1552/1553 – 17 May 1625), was a favourite of Philip III of Spain, the first of the validos ('most worthy') through whom the later Habsburg monarchs ruled. His administration was marked by costly wars, including the Twelve Years' Truce with the Dutch Republic, financial mismanagement, and the controversial expulsion of the Moriscos. Eventually, he was deposed in 1618 under a palace intrigue orchestrated by his own son and political rival, Cristóbal de Sandoval. Lerma retired as a cardinal and was succeeded by the Count-Duke of Olivares but faced financial penalties and died in 1625 at Valladolid.