Íñigo López (''

floruit ''Floruit'' (; abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for "they flourished") denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indicatin ...

'' 1040–1076; dead by 1079?) was the first

Lord of Biscay The Lordship of Biscay ( es, Señorío de Vizcaya, 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. On ...

. Although the date is not known precisely, Íñigo's government of Biscay began between 1040 and 1043 at the latest.Ángel Martín Duque (1999), "Vasconia en la Alta Edad Media: una somera aproximación", ''Revista Internacional de Estudios Vascos'', 44, 898. He was appointed by the king, García Sánchez III of Navarre, and did not govern Biscay by hereditary right.Canal Sánchez-Pagín, 5. At some point during the 1040s he received or inherited the rank of

count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York ...

(''comes'' in Latin). Around the end of his life he began using the style "

by the grace of God By the Grace of God ( la, Dei Gratia, abbreviated D.G.) is a formulaic phrase used especially in Christian monarchies as an introductory part of the full styles of a monarch. For example in England and later the United Kingdom, the phrase was f ...

" (''gratia Dei''), recorded for the first time written in legal documents after 1072. This style indicated a new claim to govern Biscay through the agency of God (i.e., by right) and not merely at the king's will. Íñigo's origins are obscure, but he may have been a son of Lope Velázquez de Ayala, a lord in

Álava Álava ( in Spanish) or Araba (), officially Araba/Álava, is a Provinces of Spain, province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country, heir of the ancient Basque señoríos#Lords of Álav ...

Cantabria Cantabria (, also , , Cantabrian: ) is an autonomous community in northern Spain with Santander as its capital city. It is called a ''comunidad histórica'', a historic community, in its current Statute of Autonomy. It is bordered on the east ...

and nearby parts of Biscay. He married Toda Ortiz (Fortúnez), probably a daughter of Fortún Sánchez, the godfather of García Sánchez. His father-in-law and García Sánchez both died in the

Battle of Atapuerca The Battle of Atapuerca was fought on 1 September 1054 at the site of Piedrahita ("standing stone") in the valley of Atapuerca between two brothers, King García Sánchez III of Navarre and King Ferdinand I of Castile. The Castilians won and Ki ...

in 1054 and Íñigo may have succeeded the former as ''tenente'' (lord "holding" the government on behalf of the king) in

Nájera Nájera () is a small town, former bishopric and now Latin Catholic titular see, former capital of the Kingdom of Navarre, located in the "Rioja Alta" region of La Rioja, northern Spain, on the river Najerilla. Nájera is a stopping point on the F ...

. Documents place his rule in Nájera between 1063 and 1075, often through a

vicar A vicar (; Latin: '' vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pre ...

. Besides Biscay and Nájera, Íñigo also ruled

Durango Durango (), officially named Estado Libre y Soberano de Durango ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Durango; Tepehuán: ''Korian''; Nahuatl: ''Tepēhuahcān''), is one of the 31 states which make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico, situated in ...

. In 1051, when García Sánchez granted ''

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 ; all ...

s'' to Biscay, he officially associated Íñigo with him in the decree, as the head of the local aristocracy (''omnes milites''), recognising the rights and privileges of the monasteries. Íñigo is further associated with monastic renovation by his making or confirming the donations of the churches (''monasteria'') of San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, Santa María de Mundaca, and

Bermeo Bermeo is a town and municipality in the ''comarca'' of Busturialdea. It is in the province of Biscay, which is part of the autonomous region of the Basque Country in northern Spain. With a population of 16,765, it is the most important fishing ...

to San Juan de la Peña, and of Axpe de Busturia and San Martín de Yurreta to

San Millán de la Cogolla San Millán de la Cogolla () is a sparsely populated municipality in La Rioja, (Spain). The village is famous for its twin monasteries, Yuso and Suso (Monasterio de San Millán de Yuso and Monasterio de San Millán de Suso), which were declared ...

. In 1076, after the assassination of Sancho Garcés IV and the division of Navarre by the armies of his cousins, Sancho I of Aragon and

Alfonso VI of León and Castile Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century (Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic kingdom in the Iberian peninsul ...

, Íñigo accepted the overlordship of the Leonese-Castilian monarch. In the surviving text of the ''fuero'' given to Nájera that year Íñigo's eldest son, Lope, appears swearing fealty to Alfonso, but he is not recorded in documents as count in Biscay until 1079. These dates being the ''termini ad et post quem'' of his death.Martín Duque, 899, who elsewhere, 895, places his death in 1079. He is last recorded in a donation he made to San Millán on behalf of his late wife. In the donation he names as their children, beside Lope: García, Galindo, Mencía, and Sancho, who died young. __NOTOC__

Notes

External links

*There are two

brief genealogical entries at Charles Cawley, Medieval Lands Project website (retrieved August 2012). {{DEFAULTSORT:Inigo Lopez, Lord of Biscay 1079 deaths Lords of Biscay Year of birth unknown Year of death uncertain