Íñigo López de Mendoza y Quiñones, (1440 – 20 July 1515) was the first Marqués de Mondéjar, and second Conde de Tendilla. He was known as ''El Gran Tendilla'', and was a Spanish noble of the

House of Mendoza The Mendoza family was a powerful line of Spanish nobles. Members of the family wielded considerable power, especially from the 14th to the 17th centuries in Castile. The family originated from the village of Mendoza (Basque ''mendi+oza'', 'c ...

. He was the son of Íñigo López de Mendoza y Figueroa, the first Conde de Tendilla, and the grandson of the poet

Íñigo López de Mendoza, 1st Marquis of Santillana Íñigo López de Mendoza, 1st Marquess of Santillana (19 August 139825 March 1458) was a Castilian politician and poet who held an important position in society and literature during the reign of John II of Castile. Biography He was born ...

Early life

Íñigo was born in

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Mexico, while the Guadalaj ...

Kingdom of Castile The Kingdom of Castile (; es, Reino de Castilla, la, Regnum Castellae) was a large and powerful state on the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages. Its name comes from the host of castles constructed in the region. It began in the 9th ce ...

, and was educated along with his brother,

Diego Hurtado de Mendoza y Quiñones Diego Hurtado de Mendoza y Quiñones (b. Guadalajara, Spain, 1444 – d. Madrid, October 14, 1502) was a Spanish noble from the House of Mendoza and the Archbishop of Sevilla. Biography He was the son of Íñigo López de Mendoza y Figueroa, ...

(who would later become a cardinal), in the palatial house of his grandfather. He would also receive instruction in political and military matters from his father, the ambassador to

Pope Pius II Pope Pius II ( la, Pius PP. II, it, Pio II), born Enea Silvio Bartolomeo Piccolomini ( la, Aeneas Silvius Bartholomeus, links=no; 18 October 1405 – 14 August 1464), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 Augu ...

in the council of

Mantua Mantua ( ; it, Mantova ; Lombard and la, Mantua) is a city and '' comune'' in Lombardy, Italy, and capital of the province of the same name. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the Italian Capital of Culture. In 2017, it was named as the Eur ...

and from his uncle, the powerful cardinal Pedro González de Mendoza.

Biography

Succeeding his father in 1479 as Conde de Tendilla, he entered the Royal Court at Toledo in 1480 to show his loyalty to the

Catholic Monarchs The Catholic Monarchs were Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon, whose marriage and joint rule marked the ''de facto'' unification of Spain. They were both from the House of Trastámara and were second cousins, being bot ...

and offered his services for the ongoing conquest of

Granada Granada (,, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the c ...

. It was in the

Granada War The Granada War ( es, Guerra de Granada) was a series of military campaigns between 1482 and 1491 during the reign of the Catholic Monarchs, Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon, against the Nasrid dynasty's Emirate of Granada. It e ...

that he first showed his military prowess. His nephew, Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar y Mendoza, the son of Cardinal Pedro González de Mendoza, who educated Íñigo, served under him during this time. He was there named Alcaide de

Alhama de Granada Alhama de Granada is a town in the province of Granada, approx. 50 km from the city of Granada. The name is derived from the thermal baths located there, which are called ''al-hammah'' in Arabic. History There is clear evidence that the ...

and was made, at his own expense, to defend those lands against the armies of Muley Hacén from 1484 to 1485. In 1486, the Catholic Monarchs named Íñigo ambassador to

Pope Innocent VIII Pope Innocent VIII ( la, Innocentius VIII; it, Innocenzo VIII; 1432 – 25 July 1492), born Giovanni Battista Cybo (or Cibo), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 29 August 1484 to his death in July 1492. Son of th ...

. During his tenure, he accomplished a very ambitious agenda which included: pushing for a peace treaty between the Pope and the

Kingdom of Naples The Kingdom of Naples ( la, Regnum Neapolitanum; it, Regno di Napoli; nap, Regno 'e Napule), also known as the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was ...

, renewing the papal bull favoring the Crusade of 1482, reforming the church, and giving the power to appoint bishops to the king. He was also able to get the pope to recognize the illegitimate children of his uncle, the cardinal Pedro González de Mendoza. Pope Innocent VIII gifted the Conde with a sword which can still be seen on display today at the Museum of Lázaro Galdiano in Madrid. While in Rome, Conde Íñigo befriended the humanist

Peter Martyr d'Anghiera Peter Martyr d'Anghiera ( la, Petrus Martyr Anglerius or ''ab Angleria''; it, Pietro Martire d'Anghiera; es, Pedro Mártir de Anglería; 2 February 1457 – October 1526), formerly known in English as Peter Martyr of Angleria,D'Anghier ...

, with whom he would have a lifelong friendship, bringing him to Spain as a tutor for his children. In August 1487, he returned to military campaigning, this time against the Nazarí Kingdom of Granada after being named the High

Adelantado ''Adelantado'' (, , ; meaning "advanced") was a title held by Spanish nobles in service of their respective kings during the Middle Ages. It was later used as a military title held by some Spanish ''conquistadores'' of the 15th, 16th and 17th cen ...

Andalucía Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a "historical nationality". The ...

. He fought in many actions here under the command of

Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba (1 September 1453 – 2 December 1515) was a Spanish general and statesman who led successful military campaigns during the Conquest of Granada and the Italian Wars. His military victories and widespread p ...

. After the defeat of Boabdil and conquest of Granada in winter of 1492, King Ferdinand named Íñigo Governor of

Alhambra The Alhambra (, ; ar, الْحَمْرَاء, Al-Ḥamrāʾ, , ) is a palace and fortress complex located in Granada, Andalusia, Spain. It is one of the most famous monuments of Islamic architecture and one of the best-preserved palaces of ...

and Captain General of Granada. During his tenure as governor, Conde Íñigo subdued the first Moorish uprising in Granada (1500–1502), which was brought about by the forced mass conversions enacted by Cardinal

Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros, OFM (1436 – 8 November 1517), spelled Ximenes in his own lifetime, and commonly referred to today as simply Cisneros, was a Spanish cardinal, religious figure, and statesman. Starting from humble beginnings ...

. He later would command troops against further uprisings in

Alpujarras The Alpujarra (, Arabic: ''al-bussarat'') is a natural and historical region in Andalusia, Spain, on the south slopes of the Sierra Nevada and the adjacent valley. The average elevation is above sea level. It extends over two provinces, ...

along with King Ferdinand and the "Gran Capitan",

. After the death of

Isabella I of Castile Isabella I ( es, Isabel I; 22 April 1451 – 26 November 1504), also called Isabella the Catholic (Spanish: ''la Católica''), was Queen of Castile from 1474 until her death in 1504, as well as Queen consort of Aragon from 1479 until 1504 b ...

in 1504, Íñigo was one of the only nobles, along with the future Duke of Alba who controlled Castile, who remained faithful to King Ferdinand. Infighting against the supporters of

Philip I of Castile Philip the Handsome, es, Felipe, french: Philippe, nl, Filips (22 July 1478 – 25 September 1506), also called the Fair, was ruler of the Burgundian Netherlands and titular Duke of Burgundy from 1482 to 1506, as well as the first Habsburg K ...

broke out. Conde Íñigo also fell out of favor with his cousin Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar y Mendoza, the Marquesado del Venete and with the "Gran Capitan". In September 1512, Íñigo obtained the title of Marqués de Mondéjar from

Ferdinand II of Aragon Ferdinand II ( an, Ferrando; ca, Ferran; eu, Errando; it, Ferdinando; la, Ferdinandus; es, Fernando; 10 March 1452 – 23 January 1516), also called Ferdinand the Catholic (Spanish: ''el Católico''), was King of Aragon and Sardinia fro ...

. The title was later nominally ratified by the queen, Juanna la Loca.

Marriage and descendants

Íñigo's first wife was Maria Lasso de la Vega y Mendoza. Maria was from the

House of Lasso de la Vega The House de la Vega, Laso de la Vega or Lasso de la Vega (sometimes even Garci Lasso de la Vega or Garcilaso de la Vega depending on the family member referenced) is a Spanish noble line from the Kingdom of Castile. The family origins lie in the ...

and brought as her dowry, part of the village of Mondéjar. Maria died childless in 1477 and Íñigo took up his second wife, Francisca de Pacheco y Portocarrero, daughter of

Juan Pacheco Juan Pacheco, 1st Duke of Escalona (1419 – 1 October 1474), better known as Juan Pacheco, Marquess of Villena, was a Castilian noble of Portuguese descent who rose to power in the last years of the reign of Juan II of Castile and came to d ...

, the first Marquis de Villena. The couple had seven children together: * María de Mendoza, born in 1489, married the Conde de Monteagudo in 1503. *

Luis Hurtado de Mendoza y Pacheco Luis is a given name. It is the Spanish form of the originally Germanic name or . Other Iberian Romance languages have comparable forms: (with an accent mark on the i) in Portuguese and Galician, in Aragonese and Catalan, while is archaic ...

, the future Third Conde de Tendilla also became a friend and advisor to

Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, french: Charles Quint, it, Carlo V, nl, Karel V, ca, Carles V, la, Carolus V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain ( Castile and Aragon) fr ...

. * Antonio de Mendoza y Pacheco, the first

Viceroy of New Spain The following is a list of Viceroys of New Spain. In addition to viceroys, the following lists the highest Spanish governors of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, before the appointment of the first viceroy or when the office of viceroy was vacant. ...

and the second Viceroy of the Perú. * María Pacheco, wife of

Juan López de Padilla Juan López de Padilla (1490 – 24 April 1521) was an insurrectionary leader in the Castilian War of the Communities, where the people of Castile made a stand against policies of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and his Flemish ministers. ...

, the comunero. * Bernardino de Mendoza y Pacheco, Captain of the galleys of the Mediterranean. * Francisco de Mendoza y Pacheco, Bishop of Jaén. * Diego Hurtado de Mendoza, poet, prose writer and ambassador of

Death

Íñigo López de Mendoza y Quiñones died in

on 20 July 1515 having a few days before given his final testament to Juan de Luz, son of an artillery man and resident of the Alhambra Gonzalo de Luz.

References

*''The information in this article is based on that in its Spanish equivalent''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Lopez De Mendoza Y Quinones, Inigo 1440 births 1515 deaths Counts of Spain

Inigo Inigo derives from the Castilian rendering (Íñigo) of the medieval Basque name Eneko. Ultimately, the name means "my little (love)". While mostly seen among the Iberian diaspora, it also gained a limited popularity in the United Kingdom. Ea ...

Marquesses of Spain

Early life

Biography

Marriage and descendants

Death

See also

References