Diego López de Medrano, Lord of Agoncillo

Diego López de Medrano y Hurtado de Mendoza was born into a noble family of ricoshombres in the Kingdom of Castile, deeply involved in politics, the church and military.^[3] On his paternal side, Diego belongs to the illustrious House of Medrano, from the La Rioja branch. On his maternal side, he was born into the influential House of Mendoza. The Medrano family is recognized as one of the most powerful noble families in the Sierra de Cameros, La Rioja, and in the Province of Soria.^[5] Their livestock, which included sheep, grazed in those lands, and hundreds of times they walked to the pastures of Extremadura or the royal valley of Alcudia, in La Mancha.^[5][6]

The Medrano family played a crucial role in the political, military, and ceremonial affairs of Castile under the House of Trastámara, serving both as warriors and high-ranking court officials. His brother Juan Martínez de Medrano y Hurtado de Mendoza, Lord of Fuenmayor and Almarza de Cameros, is in the will and testament of King John I of Castile and León, where he orders Juan Martínez de Medrano to have the knife of King Henry III of Castile.^[7] His brother Juan Martínez de Medrano died at the battle of Aljubarrota in 1385.^[7] Another Juan Martínez de Medrano died in the battle of Santarém on 17 July 1393, and was part of the retinue of King John I of Castile.^[8]

In 1385, King John I of Castile established the Households of Infante Henry and Infante Ferdinand to structure their administration, prepare them for rule, and uphold royal continuity, following the model of Peter I's household.^[9] His brother's namesake son Juan Martínez de Medrano served as the Official of the Knife or Carver (Trinchante) in the Household of Infante Henry in 1385, under the reign of King John I of Castile. His role was part of the broader bureaucratic-administrative structure of the royal court, which included various high-ranking officials responsible for managing the prince's household. His position placed him among notable figures such as Pedro González de Mendoza, Diego López de Estúñiga, and Alfonso de Aragón, Marquess of Villena.^[9]

Diego was the son of Don Alvar Díaz de Medrano y Zúñiga, Lord of Fuenmayor, Almarza de Cameros and Agoncillo.^[1][10] Diego's father married with Lady Toda Hurtado de Mendoza y Rojas.^[2]

Lady Toda Hurtado de Mendoza was the daughter of Diego Hurtado de Mendoza, a member of the noble House of Mendoza, commander of Santiago in Valdericote, and María de Rojas. Álvar Díaz de Medrano y Zúñiga was the son of Juan Martínez de Medrano and Mencía López de Zúñiga.^[11]

Diego's paternal grandfather was named Don Juan Martínez de Medrano, the Noble.^[1] His grandfather married Mencía López de Zúñiga.^[11]

Diego's paternal great-grandfather was named Don Juan Vélaz de Medrano, the Noble.^[1]

Loyal to the House of Trastámara, Diego López de Medrano, Lord of Agoncillo, was a knight and royal ambassador at the service of King John I of Castile.^[12] Diego López de Medrano was a lawyer and a notable figure in legal matters.^[13] According to José Yanguas y Miranda in his Adiciones al diccionario de antigüedades de Navarra (1843), Diego López de Medrano was the High Steward (Mayordomo mayor) of King John I of Castile.^[14]

Diego López de Medrano was immortalized by the historian and licentiate Francisco Mosquera de Barnuevo in his La Numantina (c. 1612):

The immortal Orpheus of Thrace

Let him play the lute (adorned and pleasing)

And sing of Don Diego de Medrano, Steward of King Don Juan the First.^[15]

Summarize Timeline Top Qs Fact Check

In 1372, Prince John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster formed a small Castilian chancery and claimed the title "King of Castile and León," styling himself as Peter of Castile. In 1386, Prince John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster sent a herald to King John I of Castile, informing him that he had arrived in A Coruña, Galicia, with his wife, Constance of Castile, daughter of King Peter of Castile. The Duke asserted his entitlement to the kingdoms of Castile and León through his marriage and declared that if King John I of Castile challenged this claim, the dispute would be resolved through battle.^[13]

In 1386, King John I of Castile sent his royal ambassador Diego López de Medrano,^[16] along with prior Juan de Serrano, and doctor Alvar Martínez de Villareal, with his reply to Prince John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, when the latter arrived in Galicia and sent the king a message claiming the crown of Castile for his wife and himself.^[17][18] Upon meeting the Duke, they were received with honor and were granted an audience. Diego López de Medrano and the other two ambassadors chose a public hearing in the presence of his council.^[13]

The Castilian envoys, bearing letters of safe-conduct, met the Duke of Lancaster at Orense in Galicia, where they were received with honor. At their request, the Duke granted them a public audience before his council and principal lords, assuring them they could speak freely and without fear.^[13] Speaking first, the Prior of Guadalupe delivered King Juan I's message, stating that the Duke had entered Galicia with armed forces, claimed the titles of Castile and León through his wife Constanza, and threatened to assert this claim by force. He affirmed that King Juan I held the kingdoms by lawful inheritance and was prepared to defend his right before proper judgment, warning the Duke not to invade and declaring that any such action would be an act of arrogance to be judged by God. As the Duke prepared to respond, believing the Prior had spoken for all, Diego López de Medrano intervened to present the remainder of the embassy's position.^[13]

In front of the Duke of Lancaster and all the principal lords and captains who had accompanied him from England in attendance, Diego López de Medrano said:

Lord, may it be your pleasure that the Doctor and I, who here have come in company with the Prior of Guadalupe by command of the King of Castile our Lord, that we say those reasons which are commanded to us to say. And afterward, if it please your grace, you may respond to all.^[13]

The Duke received them favorably, inviting them to speak freely and assuring them he would listen with goodwill. In private, however, the Prior conveyed the substance of King Juan I of Castile's proposal: that the Duke of Lancaster had only one daughter by Constanza, Catalina, while the King had a son, and that a marriage between them would unite the rival claims and bring an end to the dispute and war over the crowns of Castile and León.^[19]

The Duke responded positively to this proposal, expressing satisfaction with the idea, after which Diego López de Medrano delivered his address:

Lord: The King of Castile my Lord says to you that you sent him a Herald, by whom you sent to tell him that you had in the Kingdom of Castile greater right than he; and that if he said no, that you would fight him power against power. To this the King my Lord says to you that he has right to the Kingdom of Castile; and that if you decide otherwise, that he will fight you body to body, or ten against ten, or hundred against hundred, for the service of God, to avoid the shedding of the blood of Christians; for power against power he does not wish to join.^[13]

Doctor Álvar Martínez de Villarreal, speaking on behalf of King Juan I of Castile, formally challenged the Duke of Lancaster's claim to the Castilian and Leonese crowns. He argued that Constanza, through whom the Duke derived his claim, possessed no legitimate right, tracing the succession dispute back to the reign of Alfonso X. According to his reasoning, the rightful line descended from the elder branch of Fernando de la Cerda, from which King Juan I himself ultimately derived legitimacy, while the line of Sancho IV and his successors, including Pedro I and Constanza, had no valid hereditary claim. He concluded by affirming Juan I's lawful kingship and declared himself prepared to defend this position in formal legal disputation.^[19]

The Duke of Lancaster received the embassy with courtesy and composure, acknowledging the ambassadors' loyalty and diligence in defending their sovereign's claim. He deferred his response, stating he would consult his council, and hosted them with full honor at his table.^[13]

The bishop of Áquila, of Castilian origin, steadfastly aligned with the cause of King Pedro and loyal to his daughter, the Duchess of Lancaster, responded to the Castilian envoys by defending the Duke's claim. He asserted that the Duke of Lancaster, as husband to Queen Constanza, the legitimate daughter of King Pedro, was the rightful sovereign of Castile and León, and that Juan I and his father had long held the kingdoms by force rather than by right.^[19]

Speaking in the Duke's name, he demanded not only the restitution of the kingdoms but also compensation for lands taken, damages incurred, and the expenses of the campaign. He further declared that Juan I should relinquish the kingdoms unconditionally, upon which the Duke and Constanza would determine appropriate restitution. Failing this, he warned that the Duke intended to pursue his claim by force and exact justice.^[19]

Next, the Bishop addressed Diego López de Medrano as follows:

Knight: You say to your Lord that my Lord the King who is here present says that he has right to the Kingdoms of Castile and of León by cause of my lady Queen Doña Constanza his wife, as legitimate daughter and heir of King Don Pedro her father. And he tells me that although this reason should not avail him, that he has the greater right in the Kingdom of Castile, by cause of being of the House of England, because Doña Leonor, daughter who was of King Don Fernando who won Seville, was married to the King of England from whom he comes, and is legitimate heir of the said Kingdoms of Castile and of León.^[20]

The Bishop of Áquila, speaking on behalf of the Duke of Lancaster, rejected the legal arguments advanced by Doctor Álvar Martínez. He denied that Sancho IV had unlawfully disinherited Alfonso X, asserting instead that the governance of Castile had been transferred to Sancho during his father's lifetime due to Alfonso's misrule and failure in administration and justice. He defended the legitimacy and achievements of the subsequent kings Sancho IV, Ferdinand IV, and Alfonso XI, presenting their reigns as just, effective, and widely recognized.^[19]

He further argued that Pedro I, father of Constanza, had been peacefully acknowledged as king by the nobility and cities of Castile, including Enrique of Trastámara before his rebellion. He dismissed the La Cerda claim by noting that Alfonso de la Cerda had renounced any right to the crown in exchange for compensation, thereby extinguishing that line's claim.^[19]

On this basis, he maintained that the Duke of Lancaster and Constanza were the rightful sovereigns and were not bound to submit their claim to legal disputation unless first restored to possession of the kingdoms. Only after such restoration, he stated, would they be willing to submit the matter to proper judgment. However, the Castilian ambassadors reaffirmed their original position.^[19]

Following the 1386 diplomatic exchanges between the envoys of King Juan I of Castile and the Duke of Lancaster, the dispute over the Castilian crown entered a decisive phase marked by both military pressure and sustained negotiation. The Duke, maintaining his claim through his wife Constanza, continued to press his position, while the Castilian side firmly upheld the legitimacy of Juan I through legal argument and established succession.^[19]

In the period that followed, the conflict escalated into active campaigning within the broader context of the Hundred Years' War. The Duke of Lancaster entered the Iberian Peninsula with allied support, including forces connected to Portugal, in an effort to assert his claim by force. At the same time, Castile prepared for wider war and reinforced its position through alignment with the Crown of France, placing the dispute firmly within the Anglo-French rivalry.^[19]

Despite the initial escalation, the campaign did not produce a decisive victory for Lancaster. Logistical difficulties, losses within his forces, and the inability to secure a stable foothold in Castile weakened his position. The prospect of prolonged war, especially with the possibility of increased French involvement, made continued conflict increasingly unfavorable.^[19]

Parallel to these developments, diplomatic efforts continued. Safe-conduct was granted for further envoys, including Sir Thomas Percy, and discussions progressed toward a negotiated settlement. Central to these negotiations was the proposal of a dynastic union between the Infante Enrique, son and heir of Juan I, and Catalina, daughter of the Duke of Lancaster and Constanza.^[19]

The result of Medrano's diplomatic visit in 1386 concluded with a secret treaty with King John of Trastámara in 1388 under which John of Gaunt and his wife renounced all claim to the Castilian throne in return for 600,000 gold francs and an annuity of 40,000 gold francs, along with the marriage of their daughter Catherine of Lancaster to John of Trastámara's son, Henry III of Castile. This agreement was formalized in 1388 with the Treaty of Bayonne and the creation of the title Prince and Princess of Asturias.^[13][21]

Under its terms, the Duke of Lancaster and Constanza renounced their claims to the crowns of Castile and León. In return, they received substantial financial compensation and guarantees. The marriage between Enrique and Catalina was confirmed, effectively uniting the rival claims within a single dynastic line.^[19]

This settlement ended the immediate conflict without the need for decisive military conquest. It transformed a contested claim into a consolidated legitimacy through marriage, ensuring that the descendants of both lines would inherit the crown. The agreement stabilized the Castilian monarchy and marked the conclusion of one of the most significant succession disputes of the late fourteenth century.^[19]

Summarize Timeline Top Qs Fact Check

Ecclesiastical patronage, notably unknown to historiography, was one of the greatest demonstrations of supremacy and distinction that the nobility of the time could exercise. The appropriation of patronage afterwards was not as common.^[22] According to a 16th-century document, the ecclesiastical patronage of the perpetual chaplaincy of Diego López de Medrano, Lord of Agoncillo during the late 14th and early 15th centuries, was established in the main chapel of the Monastery of San Francisco in Logroño.^[23] The patronage of the chaplaincy has historically been under the auspices of the House of Medrano, an influential family linked to the region.^[4] Under the House of Medrano, the convent of San Francisco in Logroño enjoyed both royal favor and ecclesiastical prominence throughout its history. It was exempted from municipal taxes, held jurisdiction over its own lands and dependencies, and maintained close ties to the Spanish monarchy.^[24]

The Medrano family are generational patrons of the Franciscan Order.^[25] In approximately 1211, a captain of the Medrano family held the lordship of the castle and town of Agoncillo, situated near the city of Logroño, in the region of La Rioja. Medrano's son was suffering from a mysterious and untreatable ailment. In 1211, Saint Francis of Assisi roamed those very paths of Agoncillo. In a saintly manner, he visited Medrano's Agoncillo castle, placed his mystical hands upon the ailing Medrano boy, and miraculously healed him, securing the Medrano lineage in Agoncillo.^[25]

The Medrano family generously donated some land, including a house, a defensive tower, and an orchard, situated close to the Ebro River within the city of Logroño as a gift to Saint Francis, establishing the first Spanish convent of his Order there.^[24] As a result, the Medrano family are distinguished by their devotion to Saint Francis of Assisi and their generational patronage of the Franciscan order.^[26]

The Convent of San Francisco of Logroño stands among the earliest Franciscan foundations in the Iberian Peninsula, with its beginnings placed in the early 13th century. Tradition associates its establishment with the passage of the founder of the Franciscan Order through Logroño on the road to Santiago de Compostela in 1211.^[27][25] In these accounts, the decisive role is assigned to a nobleman of the region, a Medrano, lord of Agoncillo, who provided the first material support for the friars.^[27] In fulfillment of a vow made during the grave illness of a son, he ceded his estate near the Ebro River, including a house, a defensive tower, and an adjoining orchard, so that the itinerant religious might be received and settled.^[27][25]

This tradition finds support in early documentary traces of Franciscan presence in the city. By 1230, a testament drawn up by a cleric of Santa María de la Redonda records a bequest to a friar of the order, indicating that the community was already established and recognized within local society.^[27][28] The original foundation appears to have been modest, raised on ground close to the river, but it did not remain so for long.^[27]

Over the course of the later Middle Ages, the convent was enlarged in keeping with the growing standing of the Franciscan community in Logroño. Its church and associated structures came to occupy a place of importance within the religious life of the city, serving not only the resident friars but also the wider urban population. Within this development, the House of Medrano retained a defined position. From 1443, the principal chapel of the convent was held under their patronage.^[27][23]

Diego López de Medrano, lord of Agoncillo and royal official in the service of the Crown of Castile, is recorded as the founder of a perpetual chaplaincy established in the principal chapel of the Convent of San Francisco of Logroño. This foundation constituted a formal act of ecclesiastical patronage, binding the House of Medrano as Lords of Agoncillo to the maintenance of liturgical services and the spiritual obligations attached to the chapel.^[23][29]

Archival documentation preserved under the Marquisate of Agoncillo confirms that the chaplaincy was endowed as a capellanía perpetua, ensuring the continual celebration of Masses and religious offices for the benefit of the founder, his lineage, and associated pious intentions.^[23][28][29] The trusteeship (patronato) of this foundation remained vested in the House of Medrano as Lords of Agoncillo, establishing a hereditary right and duty to oversee its administration, nominate chaplains, and safeguard its endowment.^[23][29]

This right, hereditary in character, linked the lineage directly to the liturgical and institutional life of the house. The chapel stood as the focal point of that connection, where obligations of worship, memory, and patronage were maintained across generations, securing the presence of the lords of Agoncillo within one of the earliest Franciscan establishments in Spain.^[27]

The complex included a substantial church and cloister, and over the centuries it served not only as a religious center but also as a site of strategic occupation during periods of conflict, including the French incursions of 1521 and the War of Independence. Despite such disruptions, the convent remained an active ecclesiastical institution until the nineteenth century.^[28] On 29 March 1537, Maundy Thursday, the Cofradía de la Santa Vera Cruz was established within the Convent of San Francisco in Logroño, then under the patronage of the House of Medrano.^[24][23]

The continuity of Medrano's foundation endured into the early modern period, as evidenced by reports and records of its administration between the sixteenth century and the end of that century. The chaplaincy, like many similar institutions, was ultimately affected by the liberal reforms of the nineteenth century.^[28] The Royal Decree of 25 July 1835, ordered the suppression of monasteries and convents lacking sufficient professed members, followed by the Royal Decree of 11 October 1835, which extended suppression to monastic houses more broadly. As a result, the Convent of San Francisco of Logroño was definitively abandoned that same year.^[28] The building was later repurposed as a military hospital during the First Carlist War and subsequently as a barracks before being destroyed by fire and demolished toward the end of the nineteenth century.^[28][23] Today, the remnants of its walls still remain.^[25]

Summarize Timeline Fact Check

The Lordship of Agoncillo is strategically located near the Ebro River, which historically marked the boundary between Castile and Navarre, making Agoncillo a crucial frontier defense. It sits close to where the Jubera and Leza rivers converge, with the Leza River flowing into the Ebro nearby. This positioning allowed the Medrano family to control the passage of these rivers and oversee the important road running through the area. The current town is believed to occupy the site of the ancient and now ruined settlement of Egón, from which it derives its modern diminutive name. Historically, Agoncillo has appeared under various names, including Agonciello, Egonciello, Agusiello, and Sagonciello.^[30]

The province of La Rioja was reclaimed by the King of Castile in the 14th century. During the royal court's stay near the town, Alfonso XI of Castile bestowed Agoncillo, its fortress, and the castle between Arrúbal and Arroyuelo, along with their lands, rents, and judicial rights, upon his vassal and crossbowman Sancho Sánchez de Rojas and his wife Urraca Díaz on September 1, 1336.^[30]

In 1337, Diego's uncle Don Rodrigo Alfonso de Medrano bought the village of Velilla and Agoncillo, along with the castle of Aguas Mansas from Sancho Sánchez de Rojas and his wife Urraca Díaz. The king confirmed Rodrigo Alfonso de Medrano, his chief crossbowman, in the purchase of the town of Agoncillo and Velilla from Sancho Sánchez de Rojas, by Royal Decree, and granted him additional privileges, including requests and aid from eight town taxpayers. In his will made in 1345, Diego's uncle Rodrigo Alfonso de Medrano ordered his burial in the chapel of Santa Engracia, which he had constructed behind Santa María de Palacio in Logroño. He also established a majorazgo with Agoncillo and Velilla, which was later nullified due to procedural deficiencies.^[30]

Rodrigo Alfonso de Medrano completed and renovated the castle and village of Agoncillo. According to his will and testament, Don Rodrigo Diaz de Medrano spent:

"large sums of money rebuilding the village and the castle and constructing the palace of Velilla (Old Castillian: Grandes sumas de dinero reconstruyendo el pueblo y el castillo y construyendo el palacio de Velilla)."^[30]

During the conflicts between Peter of Castile and Henry II of Castile, the Lords of Agoncillo in La Rioja from the House of Medrano were loyal to the Royal House of Trastámara. Henry intervened in Castile and sought refuge in Rioja, while Charles II of Navarre took advantage of Peter I's weakening power to briefly seize Logroño and its territory.^[30]

To repay the inhabitants of Viana for provisions taken while the royal court was stationed in front of Logroño, Charles II of Navarre ordered the sale of Agoncillo, its castle, and the village of Velilla, which had been recently regained, for three thousand florins, an agreement made in Pamplona on 15 September 1368. However, following Henry II's victory in the province of La Rioja, the borders were restored to their original configuration, and the town of Agoncillo, along with its castle, was reclaimed by its rightful owner, Rodrigo Diaz de Medrano, in 1392.^[30]

Summarize Timeline Fact Check

Before acquiring Agoncillo from his uncle, Diego López de Medrano purchased various properties from the descendants of Juan Rodríguez de Agoncillo (or Valdefuentes). In 1389, Diego López de Medrano acquired Velilla, La Rioja for 13,000 maravedís.^[30] The following year, in 1390, he bought half of San Martín de Berberana (or Barberana), including palaces, houses, casares, woods, and lordship, from Sancho Sánchez de Medrano for 5,000 maravedís. In 1391, he purchased the other half from Sancho for 320 Aragonese florins.^[30]

On January 16, 1392, Diego López de Medrano received the Lordship of Agoncillo, near Logroño, from his paternal uncle Don Rodrigo Alfonso de Medrano.^[31][32] This acquisition included its stronghold, lands, vineyards, mills, and all associated rights and lordship, in exchange for the castle of Cueva Eslañana (Islallana), valued at forty thousand maravedís, because Agoncillo was valued higher. Full possession of Agoncillo was not achieved until 1401, when Diego López de Medrano completed the outstanding requirements needed for its complete acquisition.^[30]

Diego López de Medrano obtained royal permission from King John II of Castile to establish a majorazgo in 1407 with all the assets he obtained in favor of his son Don Juan de Medrano. Diego was succeeded by his son Juan. However, upon Juan's death without heirs, the majorazgo passed to Diego's daughter Aldonza Diaz de Medrano.^[30]

His daughter Dona Aldonza Diaz de Medrano inherited the Mayorazgo of Agoncillo, along with its stronghold, lands, vineyards, mills, and all associated rights and lordship. An 18th-century lawsuit revealed the concealment of wills to hide this irregular succession by the Frías family.^[30]

Dona Aldonza Diaz de Medrano was married to the powerful Lope García de Porras. Lope García de Porras, owning a vast estate in Burgos, bequeathed the majorazgo of Extramiana to his son, Pedro Gómez de Porras y Medrano, in 1429. This estate included Cidad de Porras with its stronghold, Virtus in Burgos, Spain with its castle, and Extramiana in Castile and León. These assets, mostly in the Tobalina valley, formed a single majorazgo with Agoncillo.^[30]

Pedro's successor Pedro Gómez de Porras married Diego López de Salcedo y Medrano's daughter, but they died without descendants, leading to a lawsuit in Valladolid. In 1477, a ruling favored Pedro's son Lope against Diego's descendants. Pedro Gómez de Porras y Medrano, considering himself the legitimate successor, fulfilled tasks from his grandfather's will, including specific instructions for his burial in the Monastery of San Francisco in Logroño, with alabaster tombs and the placement of two Medrano family shields on the wall in the castle of Aguas Mansas.^[30]

In 1489, Lope rented out Agoncillo lands to residents for substantial payments. When Lope died in 1501, his grandson Francisco succeeded him, opposing a new majorazgo for Rui Díaz de Porras. A legal ruling declared all Extramiana majorazgo assets belonged to the Agoncillo majorazgo under the House of Porras y Medrano.^[30]

By the end of the 16th century, the last direct male descendant of the Porres y Medrano line died. Doña Ana Maria de Porres y Medrano, Lady of Agoncillo, married Don Cristóbal de Velasco y Zúñiga (died 1623), VI Count of Siruela, and from that moment on, Agoncillo became part of the County of Siruela, while Extramiana was reserved for a collateral male branch and later reintegrated into the majorazgo of Cidad de Valdeporras.^[30]

In 1689, a lengthy lawsuit began between Lope de Frías Salazar and the last daughter of the Counts of Siruela, a nun at Santa Clara de Medina de Pomar. By 1695, a judgment favored the nun, requiring Lope to return all assets and pay 135,924 reales. The nun died the same year, leading to a new lawsuit between Lope, the monastery, and others. Despite losing the succession case over Extramiana, Lope retained possession of Agoncillo, which remained in the Frías Salazar family until the abolition of the majorazgos in the early 19th century.^[30]