Álvaro de Zúñiga y Guzmán
Spanish Nobleman (1410-1488) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Álvaro de Zúñiga y Guzmán[note 1] (Encinas de Esgueva, 1410 - Béjar, 10 June 1488) was a Castilian nobleman, member of the influential House of Zúñiga, of Navarrese origin. He was one of the most powerful men in Castile, as evidenced by his numerous titles and the offices he held, and was involved in much of the kingdom's most important political and military events, notably in the various conflicts between the nobility and the candidates for succession to the throne that would culminate in the War of the Castilian Succession and that would only calm down with the final recognition of the Catholic Monarchs, whom he initially opposed but eventually supported.
Álvaro de Zúñiga y Guzmán | |
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Reign | Kingdom of Castile |
Born | 1410 Spain, Encinas de Esgueva |
Died | 10 June 1488(1488-06-10) (aged 78) Béjar |
Spouse |
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Father | Pedro de Zúñiga y Leiva |
Mother | Isabel Elvira de Guzmán y Ayala |
As a maid to King John II of Castile, in his youth he fought alongside his father against Álvaro de Luna, Constable of Castile and Favourite of King John. When his father died in 1453, he became the second Count of Plasencia and leader of the Liga Nobiliaria. He supported King Henry IV during the first years of his reign, but eventually fell out with the king for opposing the rights of succession of his daughter, Joanna la Beltraneja, and supporting the claims to succession of Alfonso, Prince of Asturias, Henry's half-brother.
Álvaro de Zuñiga becomes the leader of the Liga Nobiliaria, the party created to defend Alfonso's rights to the throne, which is hosted in Zuñiga's palace in Plasencia, which functions as a court of the future king. Álvaro de Zuñiga is one of the main characters in the so-called Farce of Ávila, a ceremony that took place on 5 June 1465, during which the deposition of Henry IV was staged and D. Alfonso was acclaimed king. This marked the beginning of the War of the Castilian Succession. In 1467, Álvaro de Zuñiga formally reconciled with Henry IV and approached the Portuguese King Afonso V, who was received by Zuñiga in Plasencia in May 1475 where he married Joanna, who had been the acclaimed queen of Castile the previous year.
After the defeat of the Portuguese king against the armies of the Catholic Monarchs at the Battle of Toro (1 March 1476), Álvaro de Zuñiga becomes neutral in the civil war and the Catholic Monarchs eventually recognize most of Álvaro's titles and possessions, later granting him more privileges.