Garcia de Medrano y Alvarez de los Rios

Garcia de Medrano y Alvarez de los Rios (Valladolid, July 20, 1604 – 1683) was the regent of Navarre and Seville, professor at the University of Salamanca, Knight of the Order of Santiago, a crime prosecutor in Valladolid, Judge of Valladolid, Minister of the Treasury, Minister of the Indies, prosecutor of the Council of Castile, Minister of Castile and of its Chamber, Minister of Inquisition and again counselor of Castile until his death. He was a member of the powerful and academic Medrano family, and a relative of Luisa de Medrano, the first female professor at the University of Salamanca. His son Don Garcia de Medrano y Mendizabal was the first Count of Torrubia, a Spanish noble title created on August 29, 1694, by King Carlos II.

Family

Don Garcia de Medrano y Alvarez de los Rios was born in Valladolid, and baptized in the parish of Santa María Magdalena on July 20, 1604. He was the son of Don Garcia de Medrano y Castejon, owner of the Casa Fuerte de San Gregorio and lord of San Gregorio (Soria), and Maria de los Rios y Mendoza. His mother was born in Soria and baptized in the parish of Santa María Magdalena on September 27, 1561. This marriage was the root and origin of one of the most widespread families of legal professionals serving the monarchy during the 17th and 18th centuries.^[1]

His father earned his bachelor's degree in Laws, and was admitted to the College of San Bartolomé in Salamanca on March 1, 1573. His father then obtained a master's degree in Laws. His father continued to study at the college until he was appointed as an alcalde del Crimen (criminal judge) of the Royal Audiencia and Chancery of Granada on February 17, 1584, replacing Licenciado Escobar, who had been appointed as an oidor (judge) in the Contaduría Mayor de Hacienda on December 23, 1583. His father was granted the role of prosecutor in the Council of Orders, for which he swore an oath in the court on May 4, 1599. He held this position for a short time. On March 3, 1600, his father took office as a minister in the Council of Orders and was granted a habit of the Order of Santiago in 1600. Finally, he was promoted to a supernumerary position in the Royal Council of Castile on February 21, 1604. He began to serve in this position a few months later, on February 21, 1604, and he remained in it until his death. Just before his passing, while already ill, he requested (on August 23, 1604) to be granted the encomienda of Ocaña from the Order of Santiago.

Don Garcia de Medrano y Alvarez de los Rios is the paternal grandson of Don Garcia de Medrano y Vinuesa, born in Soria, and his wife Catalina de Castejon. His grandfather was lord of San Gregorio and the second cousin of Luisa de Medrano. The castle of San Gregorio is a fortified house built by his direct ancestor Don Diego Lopez de Medrano, father of Luisa de Medrano, on July 29, 1461. Don Garcia de Medrano y Alvarez de los Rios was born into the Medrano family, ancient and well-known high nobility from the Kingdom of Navarre.^[2] He is a direct descendant of the Navarrese regent Juan Martinez de Medrano; and a relative of Tomas Fernandez de Medrano and Pedro Velaz de Medrano.^[3]

Career and Death

On October 18, 1626, Don Garcia de Medrano y Alvarez de los Rios entered the Mayor of San Bartolomé (Salamanca), graduating in Canons.^[4] In the year 1630, he was a judge of studies and two years later, he was appointed to occupy the mayor's office and prosecutor's office of the Court of Seville until the year 1636. According to Ruiz y Vergara, "He graduated as a Licentiate in Canons at the College in 1636. On October 17, the Council gave him the position of Sixth Chair of Property, above all the other professors who had been promoted before him".^[5] From this year, his academic career led him to occupy the Chair of Canons on 17 October 1636, and that of Sextus (Sextus Decretalium or the Liber Sextus) and Clementines (Clementine Constitutions) at the University of Salamanca, as professor. He was Doctor of Canons on September 4, 1638. In 1641, the King appointed him prosecutor of the Chancery of Valladolid and on February 10, 1643, Judge of Valladolid.

Regent of the Kingdom of Navarre and Seville

Garcia de Medrano was elected regent of Navarre on January 17, 1645, and two years later, judge of the Treasury Council and the Council of the Indies on September 17, 1648.^[6] The appointment as regent of Navarre is a rare and distinguished honour. Such appointments were not handed out casually and were reserved for individuals of exceptional capability and loyalty to the crown. He was also appointed prosecutor of the Council of Castile on September 11, 1652. Shortly after, on September 25, 1652, he was elected regent of the Audiencia of Seville and therefore, advisor to Castile. In the year 1657, he presided over the Hall of Mayors of Castile and was visitor of the University of Alcalá. Appointed counselor of the Inquisition on September 10, 1664, Don Garcia de Medrano y Alvarez de los Rios replaced García de Porres, a position he swore on December 23, 1664. On March 26, 1670, he was elected a member of the Council Chamber. Retired in June 1678, he was reinstated in his office on January 1, 1680. He died three years later, on September 3, 1683.^[7]

Don Garcia de Medrano y Alvarez de los Rios held a wide range of influential roles during the latter part of the Spanish Golden Age, when Spain was at the peak of its power and influence in Europe and the world. As regent, Medrano had administrative authority and held court in Navarre and Seville. His position as a professor at the prestigious University of Salamanca allowed him to influence and educate the next generation of leaders and intellectuals in canon law, contributing to the religious, intellectual and ideological aspects of the empire. As a Crime Prosecutor in Valladolid and Judge of Valladolid he maintained order, justice, and the rule of law within the Empire of Spain.

As the Minister of Treasury, Garcia de Medrano had a significant role in managing the empire's finances. This was vital for the economic stability and military power of the empire. Spain had extensive overseas territories in the Americas, and as Minister of the Indies, Garcia de Medrano had authority over these colonies. His role was central to the administration and governance of the empire's overseas territories.

As a Prosecutor of the Council of Castile, Don Garcia de Medrano belonged to one of the highest governing bodies in Spain, and as a prosecutor, he would have been involved in legal matters and advising on policy. Since he was Minister of Castile and of its Chamber, he was involved in close advisory positions in the heart of the Spanish government, giving him influence over key decision-making processes.

As a counselor of the insquisiton, Don Garcia de Medrano held a powerful role in the institution responsible for religious orthodoxy. Being a minister in this institution meant having control over religious matters and ideology within the empire. It was not uncommon for powerful families to have significant influence in the Spanish court and government. His various roles, both in domestic governance and overseas colonial affairs, contributed to the overall power and influence of the Spanish Empire in the 17th century.

Marriage and issue

Don Garcia de Medrano y Alvarez de los Rios was married to María Ignacia de Mendizábal y Uribe and together they had three sons:

• Don Garcia de Medrano y Mendizabal, I Count of Torrubia, born in Madrid on September 7, 1652, and died on March 3, 1695. He was a Knight of the Order of Calatrava, alcalde of hijosdalgo in Valladolid (1675), oidor of Valladolid (1680), alcalde of Casa y Corte (1684), and a member of the Council of Orders (1690). He is the first born son and heir, and held the title of first Count of Torrubia. lord of the house of Medrano in San Gregorio. The county of Torrubia is a Spanish noble title created on August 29, 1694, by King Carlos II in favor of Don Garcia de Medrano y Mendizabal. He was perpetual regidor of the city of Soria, and procurator of Cortes for the city of Soria (1660). He entered the major college of the archbishop of Salamanca in 1671. He became rector of the University of Salamanca after his brother Domingo. He was granted the title of Count of Torrubia shortly before his death on November 23, 1692. As he died without any descendants, he was succeeded by his brother Andrés (1695).

• Don Andres de Medrano y Mendizabal, II Count of Torrubia, Born in Seville on November 5, 1654, and died in Madrid on December 22, 1720, Knight of the Order of Calatrava and a councilor of Castile.^[8] Like his father, he became counselor and collegiate of San Bartolomé at the University of Salamanca. Born in Seville on November 5, 1654, and died in Madrid on December 22, 1720. Andrés became the chief judge of Vizcaya and then an oidor in Valladolid, before being promoted to a supernumerary position in the Council of Finance. Andrés was later appointed as a councilor of the Royal Council of Castile and served in this position until his retirement. He was then granted a place in the Council of Castile, where he remained until his death. Domingo and García de Medrano, fourth nephews of Luisa de Medrano, were rectors of the University of Salamanca in 1668-1669. The Counts of Torrubia would inherit the County of Mollina, Grande de España, Marquisate of Villamayor, and unite with the Dukes of Villahermosa, Dukes of Sotomayor, Dukes of Alba, Marquisate of Salamanca and the Marquisate of Las Nieves. Don Andres de Medrano married Francisca de Angulo y Albizu, the daughter of Juan de Angulo, Secretary of State of the Universal Dispatch, and Manuela de Albizu y Villamayor.

• Domingo de Medrano y Mendizabal born in 1650, died in 1672. Domingo de Medrano was Judge of Degrees in Sevilla (1672), a Chief Judge of Vizcaya (June 2, 1676), an oidor in Valladolid (1683), a counselor of Finance (1693), a counselor of Castile (1697) and its Chamber (1720), professor and rector at the University of Salamanca, knight in the Order of Calatrava. Domingo, Andres and Garcia were all fourth nephews of Luisa de Medrano.

For at least about 160 years, many members in the House of Medrano were linked to the University of Salamanca: in 1508, Don Luis de Medrano was the rector and his sister Luisa de Medrano was the first female professor at the University of Salamanca.^[9] The next generation of the Medrano family also produced two rectors at the University of Salamanca: Domingo and García de Medrano y Mendizábal, both fourth nephews of Luisa de Medrano and knights of the Order of Calatrava. The Book of the University's Claustro for the year 1668-1669 describes Domingo's abdication and García's election for the rest of the year very clearly. The Book of the University's Claustro of 1668-1669 indicates that Domingo de Medrano, due to urgent business in Madrid, was forced to resign, and was succeeded by García de Medrano y Mendizábal, undoubtedly his brother. The younger sons of this family were also there, studying scholarship, while the eldest son, Andrés, Count of Torrubia, held the title of Lord of San Gregorio.^[10]

Marquesate de Las Nieves

Another Marquisate was inherited by the house of Medrano. María de las Nieves Angulo y Arbizu, I Marquesa de las Nieves was succeeded by her great-niece María, daughter of Joaquín de Medrano y Angulo, III Count of Torrubia —son of Andrés de Medrano y Mendizábal, II Count of Torrubia and María Francisca de Angulo y Arbizu, sister of the first Marquesa de las Nieves—, and Isabel de Luján and Colon de Larreategui. María de la Concepción de Medrano y Luján (January 28, 1744 – January 1, 1798), 2nd Marquesa de las Nieves. She married on December 8, 1757 with José de Feloaga (1720-1791). The Marquesado de las Nieves, is a Spanish nobility title, created on November 29, 1725, by King Felipe V, in favor of María de las Nieves Angulo y Arbizu, wife of José de Feloaga y Vargas, III Marquess of Navahermosa.^[11]

Medrano unites with the Dukes of Gor

The house of Medrano became Dukes of Gor, Grandee, by marriage. The title's name refers to the town of Gor in the province of Granada. Garcia de Medrano's great-great granddaughter Duchess María del Carmen Chacón Medrano married Don Nicolás Mauricio Álvarez de las Asturias Bohorques y Vélez Ladrón de Guevara, Verdugo y Enríquez de Sevilla, I Duke of Gor.^[12]

Duchess María del Carmen Chacón Medrano was the daughter of Francisco Chacón-Manrique de Lara Medrano,^[13] who in turn was the son of Manuela Tomasa Medrano Angulo (1695), daughter of Andrés de Medrano y Mendizábal, II Count of Torrubia (1654), son of García de Medrano y Alvarez de los Ríos, Regent of the Kingdom of Navarre and Seville in the 17th century. The Duchess was born in Seville on July 17, 1772 and died in Madrid on May 2, 1860, belonging to –by her paternal father Francisco Chacón-Manrique de Lara Medrano (1729-1785)– a branch to the county house of Mollina, and by her maternal mother María Del Carmen Carrillo de Albornoz Jacome de Linden (1738) to the ducal of Montemar (de Medrano and de Linden both married on the 2nd of February 1791). The history between the house of Medrano and the Dukes of Montemar is unmistakable. The Royal Architect, teacher of Charles III and Major Royal Governor of Mathematics of the Kingdom of Naples, Giovanni Antonio de Medrano received –in the Kingdom of Naples, after the May 1734 battle of Bitonto (Bari), won by the Count of Montemar Don José Castillo de Albornoz,– a commission from King Charles III; of an obelisk commemorative of the military triumph in the form of a pyramid, whose four faces were dedicated to the king of Naples and Sicily himself, his father Felipe V and the victorious general Don José Carrillo de Albornoz, at the head of a Hispanici Exercitus.^[14]

Garcia de Medrano's great-great-great grandson José Alvarez de las Asturias Bohorques y Chacón Medrano (born on January 10, 1794 Barcelona, Cataluña, Spain), Lieutenant Colonel of Cavalry of the National Armies of Spain, from the ancient house of Medrano, married with Maria Josefa Simona Bellvis de Moncada y Palafox Alvarez de Toledo y Portocarrero, XVII Marchioness of Vallhermoso de Tajuña and V Marquesa de Bélgida, Grandee of Spain. José Alvarez de las Asturias Bohorques y Chacón Medrano's mother in law, Maria Benita de los Dolores Palafox y Portocarrero, was the legitimate aunt of the Empress of France; being the youngest sister of Cipriano de Palafox, and the youngest daughter of Felipe Palafox y Croy and María Francisca de Sales Portocarrero y Zúñiga. Empress Eugénie de Montijo was born to Cipriano de Palafox, Duke of Peñaranda del Duero, and María Manuela Enriqueta Kirkpatrick de Closbourn y Grevignée.^[15]

José's brother was Mariano Nicolás Álvarez de las Asturias Bohorques y Chacón Medrano Carrillo de Albornoz y Guevara (b. 1799, d. 1851), II Duke of Gor, VII Marquess of Trujillos, VI count of Torrepalma, VIII count of Canillas de los Torneros de Enríquez, viscount of Caparacena, and of Abusejo. He married María de la O Jacoba Guiráldez y Cañas, VIII Viscountess of Valoria, daughter of Jaime Guiráldez y Mendoza. By way of this marriage all the domains and possessions of the Valoria family, including the province of Burgos, castle of Olmillos de Sasamón, and all their fiefs were incorporated into the duchy of Gor. Mariano's son Mauricio Álvarez de las Asturias Bohorques y Guiráldez (1819 -1877) succeeded him as the III Duke of Gor.

The Duke of Gor's Library

The origin of the library that has survived into the 20th century, known in Granada as the Duke of Gor's Library, dates back to the late 17th century with the inclusion of a vast collection of books by Don Pedro Verdugo de Albornoz y Ursúa, II Count of Torrepalma. He established the foundations of this library in his house near the Carrera del Darro. Don Pedro spent many years amassing an extensive literary collection, which included various Arabic codices, letters, manuscripts, and poetry from both Luis de Góngora and Francisco Quevedo. The collection also contained several 15th-century incunabula. Pedro Verdugo's successor, Alfonso Verdugo, III Count of Torrepalma and lord of Gor, had a strong interest in literature and continued to expand the library's holdings.^[16]

He was also a member of the Poetic Academy El Trípode, which convened at the Sacromonte Abbey. The great-grandson of the library's founder, the II Duke of Gor, acquired the literary collection and established it in his house on Plaza de los Girones. The space, which housed a vast number of volumes, underwent modifications in 1882 and further expansion in 1898. In 1962, the most valuable part of the library was sold by the then Duke of Gor to the bibliophile Don Bartolomé March Servera, who transported it to Madrid to incorporate it into his extensive archive. With over 20,000 volumes, it became one of the finest privately-owned libraries in Spain.^[16]

References

This page was last edited on 7 December 2023, at 21:30