The Lara Family: Crown and Nobility in Medieval Spain
Ronny Bodine
compiled by Simon R. Doubleday and published by the Harvard University
Press, 2001, as part of its Harvard Historical Studies, number 141?
The price is a respectable $45 depending of course on the worth of its
contents. The book was reviewed in American Historical Review, vol.
107, no. 5, December 2002. The review begins with "This is an account
of the Lara family from the late eleventh until the middle of the
fourteenth century, when the family virtually ceased to exist."
Todd, as our authority on medieval Spanish families, can you comment,
if you have seen this or can gain access to a copy? With your thumbs
up, I may invest in a copy, as perhaps others would.
Ronny Bodine
Nathaniel Taylor
rbodi...@aol.com (Ronny Bodine) wrote:
I know Simon (a history prof. at Hofstra). Simon is an excellent, lyric
writer (he also writes and translates poetry), and the book is a
perceptive narrative of the social, economic and political position of
the Lara family, from the 12th through the 14th centuries. I recommend
it for anyone who wants to put flesh on the bones of the nobles of
medieval Spain.
Simon's Ph.D. dissertation (on which this book is based) delved a little
deeper into the nitty-gritty of the origins and connections of the Lara
dynasty than the book does. One of the things cited several times in
Simon's first chapter (on the early Laras) that I have not seen is
Margarita Torres Sevilla-Quiñones de León, _Linajes nobiliarios en león
y Castilla, siglos IX-XIII_ (Salamanca, 1999). Anybody seen this?
Nat Taylor
J.L.Fernandez-Blanco
(snip)
The review begins with "This is an account
> of the Lara family from the late eleventh until the middle of the
> fourteenth century, when the family virtually ceased to exist."
I haven't read the book yet, but the statement that "the family
virtually ceased to exist" in the middle of the fourteenth century is
not clear to me. If by it it is meant that the branch of the Lords of
Lara was incorporated to the La Cerda family and from here to the
Royal house through the marriage of Juana Manuel, heiress of the
families of Manuel, Lara, and Haro (this last including the
sovereignty of the Basque province of Vizcaya) to the bastard Enrique
II, then this stament is somewhat true. If by it it is meant that the
family as whole ceased to exist, then this is not true because
precisely during the mid fourteenth century is when the many and quite
powerful branches of the family generated, mainly in two brothers: (a)
Garci Fernández, who generated two branches (Condes de Castañeda then
Marqueses de Aguilar de Campóo upon which the Grandisheep of Spain of
First Creation was bestowed in 1525, being one of the only 25 Titles
that received it; and the Condes de Osorno and Duques de Galisteo,
etc.); and (b) Diego Gómez, who had SEVEN sons and FOUR daughters.
From the sons of this latter came the Condes de Treviño then Duques de
Nájera, another of the 25 Titles that were created Grandees of Spain
of First Creation; the Condes de Paredes de Nava, Grandees of Spain;
the Condes de Santa Gadea (incorporated very soon to the Duques de
Uceda, Grandees of Spain of First Creation); the Señores de
Villazopeque (soon incorporated into the Condes de Castrogeriz,
Grandees of Spain); the Señores de Baños (soon incorporated into de
Condes de Palma del Río, Grandees of Spain); and the Señores, then
Condes de Frigiliana. From the eldest daughter came directly the
Duques de Frías, Grandees of First Creation; from the second, the
Marqueses de Denia, Grandees of First Creation; from the third, the
Duques de Béjar, also Grandees of First creation; and from the
youngest the Marqueses de Cañete, Grandees of Spain.
During the XIV century the most important Castilian feudal families
were: Lara, Haro, Guzmán and Castro. Neither of them became extinct at
that time and all the "new families" (Mendoza, Ayala, Zúñiga, Ponce de
León, Pimentel, Toledo, Velasco, etc.)looked for marrying into these
four families.
Regards,
J.L.Fernández Blanco
Nathaniel Taylor
jfernand...@yahoo.com (J.L.Fernandez-Blanco) wrote:
Adding to my earlier note, I would reiterate that Simon's book is *not*
primarily a genealogical one. He is more concerned with political
identity than with genealogical continuity. Though the phrase
'virtually ceased to exist' is the reviewer's, not Prof. Doubleday's, I
would agree that it characterizes his picture of the eclipse of the Lara
name and family as a political unit after the mid fourteenth century,
when the lordship of Lara passed into other hands (as you trace here)
and the blood descendents of the Laras, though not disappearing, were
identified by other honors and titles.
Nat Taylor
A Tsar Is Born
> During the XIV century the most important Castilian feudal families
> were: Lara, Haro, Guzmán and Castro. Neither of them became extinct at
> that time and all the "new families" (Mendoza, Ayala, Zúñiga, Ponce de
> León, Pimentel, Toledo, Velasco, etc.)looked for marrying into these
> four families.
> Regards,
> J.L.Fernández Blanco
Muchas gracias, J.L.F.
Your description of the branching of the Laras is admirably detailed.
Thanks, also, for listing the leading families, old and new.
I wonder, as long as you're up, if you can tell me:
1. Does the Lara family descend from the third marriage of Queen
Urraca of Leon-Castilla? (1109-1126) Or is it older than that? Are her
children part of the main line from whom the Trastamara dynasty
descends?
2. What were Carlos I's reasons for inventing "grandezza" ? How did he
make use of this dignity to maintain his control of the Spanish
nobility?
3. When did family surnames become common in Spain for those BELOW
noble rank?
4. How far back to the Lara, Haro, Guzman and Castro families trace
themselves? Are they closely related to the royal houses of Asturias
and Pamplona? Are any other families as old as they are (perhaps of
less distinction) ?
5. Are any of the great noble houses of Spain or Portugal known (or
generally believed) to be of Moorish or Jewish descent?
I don't suppose you know of any works on the Iberian nobility in
English?
Jean Coeur de Lapin
History Writer
> jfernand...@yahoo.com (J.L.Fernandez-Blanco) wrote in message news:<f6b9febd.0301...@posting.google.com>...
> > During the XIV century the most important Castilian feudal families
> > were: Lara, Haro, Guzmán and Castro. Neither of them became extinct at
> > that time and all the "new families" (Mendoza, Ayala, Zúñiga, Ponce de
> > León, Pimentel, Toledo, Velasco, etc.)looked for marrying into these
> > four families.
> > Regards,
> > J.L.Fernández Blanco
> 5. Are any of the great noble houses of Spain or Portugal known (or
> generally believed) to be of Moorish or Jewish descent?
> Jean Coeur de Lapin
The Mendozas certainly had Jewish ancestry. Henry Kamen in "The
Spanish Inquisition: A Historical Revision" (1997) on page 32 states
that in 1560 Cardinal Francisco Mendoza y Bobadilla was so upset by
the refusal of two military orders to accept two of his relatives that
wrote as a memo to King Felipe II "Tizon de la Nobleza de Espana"
(Blot on the Spanish Nobility). The purpose of this memo was to prove
that the entire Spanish nobility had Jewish ancestry. According to
Kamen, the "Tizon" was never disproved and that it was reprinted as a
tract attacking the nobility until the 19th century.
See also New Mexico genealogist Jose Antonio Esquibel's article on the
Jewish ancestry of New Mexico founder Juan de Onate (husband of Hernan
Cortes's granddaughter, Isabel de Tolosa Cortes Moctezuma), which was
published in the Spring 1998 issue of the Colonial Latin American
Historical Review, and on the web at
"http://pages.prodigy.net/bluemountain1/clahr.htm". Onate's
great-grandfather was known converso Pedro de Maluenda, who helped
fund Cortes's expedition (see "Conquest" by Hugh Thomas, page
359,etc). Pedro de Maluenda's great-grandmother was Maria Nunez
Ha-Levi (wife of Juane Garces de Maluenda), sister of the Chief Rabbi
of Burgos Saloman Ha-Levi, who converted to Christianity in 1391 and
was later appointed Archbishop of Burgos (see also B. Netanyahu "The
Origins of the Inquisition" which has an entire chapter on "Paul of
Burgos".)
According to Esquibel, so prominent were the Ha-Levi descendants (who
had married into many "Old Christian" families such as Mendoza,
Guzman, Toledo and Ossorio, to name a few) that King Felipe III issued
a royal decree accepting their purity of bloodline (limpieza de
sangre). Felipe did this in recognition of a papal dispension issued
in 1596 by Pope Clement VIII. The papal dispension was issued in
recognition of the services provided by the Ha-Levi descendants to the
Church and because they were believed to be from the same Hebrew tribe
as the Virgin Mary!
There are tens of thousands of descendants of Juan de Onate and his
siblings, in the U.S. Southwest and Northwestern Mexico. (For info on
early generations see Jose Ignacio Davila Garibi's "La Sociedad de
Zacatecas en los albores del regimen colonial" (1939). Juan de
Onate's half-sister, Magdalena de Mendoza y Salazar, was the wife of
Gen. Vicente de Zaldivar y Onate (a first cousin of Juan de Onate),
and also has many descendants, especially in the States of Nuevo Leon
and Tamaulipas, and of course, therefore in Texas.
Todd A. Farmerie
>
> 1. Does the Lara family descend from the third marriage of Queen
> Urraca of Leon-Castilla? (1109-1126)
I don't recall off the top of my head. Were they married?
Anyhow, no. The majority of the Lara descend from the children
of Pedro Gonzalez de Lara born before he took up with the Queen.
> Or is it older than that?
It is.
> Are her
> children part of the main line from whom the Trastamara dynasty
> descends?
No.
> 4. How far back to the Lara, Haro, Guzman and Castro families trace
> themselves? Are they closely related to the royal houses of Asturias
> and Pamplona? Are any other families as old as they are (perhaps of
> less distinction) ?
Lara claims to trace to the Counts of Castile, but the
traditional descent can be dismissed. There have been several
recent reconstructions, none of which have met with general
acceptance. This leaves them with Gonzalo Nuñez (or Muñoz) de
Lara, father of Pedro, as the first well documented Lara.
Haro descend from an old Viscayan family, but the pedigree gets a
little shaky in the earliest generations. If I remember
Balparda's writings correctly, they trace reliably to about the
time of Sancho III el Mayor. (They claim a descent from Vela,
son of King Ramiro of Aragon, but this is a late invention, and
chronologically problematic - it probably derived from two Velez
brothers being servents of Ramiro King of Viguera.
Guzman traces to a Rodrigo Muñoz, claimed to be brother of the
royal mistress Jimena Muñoz, but apparently a generation more
recent, making him a contemporary of Urraca. Castro descends
from a royal kinsman contemporary with Urraca, and two competing
pedigrees have been assigned to him - one makes him illegitimate
son of King Garcia of Galicia, uncle of Urraca, while the
alternative, suggests he was son of Garcia Ordoñez, El Cid's
rival, who some trace to King Ramiro III Sanchez of Leon.
>
> 5. Are any of the great noble houses of Spain or Portugal known (or
> generally believed) to be of Moorish or Jewish descent?
>
> I don't suppose you know of any works on the Iberian nobility in
> English?
One to start with, covering this period, is:
Barton, Simon. The Aristocracy in Twelfth-Century León and
Castile. (1997).
You will also find some interesting commentary in:
Bishko, Charles Julian. The Clunaic Priories of Galicia and
Portugal: Their Acquisition and Administration, 1075-ca.1230.
Studia Monastica. 7:305-58(1965). Reprinted in Spanish and
Portuguese Monastic History 600-1300. (1984).
Barton, Simon. Two Catalan Magnates in the Courts of the Kings of
Leon-Castile: The Careers of Ponce de Cabrera and Ponce de
Minerva Re-examined. Journal of Medieval History. 18:233-66 (1992).
Burns, Robert I. Daughter of Abû Zayd, Last Almohad Ruler of
Valencia: the Family and Christian Seigniory of Alda Ferrándis
1236-1300. Viator. 24:143-87 (1993).
taf
Todd A. Farmerie
> Has anyone had an opportunity to look at this recent publication,
> compiled by Simon R. Doubleday and published by the Harvard University
> Press, 2001, as part of its Harvard Historical Studies, number 141?
> The price is a respectable $45 depending of course on the worth of its
> contents. The book was reviewed in American Historical Review, vol.
> 107, no. 5, December 2002. The review begins with "This is an account
> of the Lara family from the late eleventh until the middle of the
> fourteenth century, when the family virtually ceased to exist."
>
> Todd, as our authority on medieval Spanish families,
Don't know about that . . .
> can you comment,
> if you have seen this or can gain access to a copy? With your thumbs
> up, I may invest in a copy, as perhaps others would.
I've not seen it, nor is there a handy copy I can lay my hands on.
taf
History Writer
> > 5. Are any of the great noble houses of Spain or Portugal known (or
> > generally believed) to be of Moorish or Jewish descent?
>
> > Jean Coeur de Lapin
>
> The Mendozas certainly had Jewish ancestry. Henry Kamen in "The
> Spanish Inquisition: A Historical Revision" (1997) on page 32 states
> that in 1560 Cardinal Francisco Mendoza y Bobadilla was so upset by
> the refusal of two military orders to accept two of his relatives that
> wrote as a memo to King Felipe II "Tizon de la Nobleza de Espana"
> (Blot on the Spanish Nobility). The purpose of this memo was to prove
> that the entire Spanish nobility had Jewish ancestry. According to
> Kamen, the "Tizon" was never disproved and that it was reprinted as a
> tract attacking the nobility until the 19th century.
>
1992 reprint by Colegio Heraldico de Espana y de las Indias. It is
full of details of Jewish ancestry of Spanish nobles in 1560 with
Jewish or moorish ancestors (basically a comprehensive list of all the
dukes and counts descended from various jewish converts). In
addition, Mendoza writes of nobles descended from slaves and "low
castes". One quote is especially interesting in that Cardinal Mendoza
writes (my informal translation, so apologies if this is not exactly
phrased perfectly) that "The conde de Salinas, don Diego de Sarmiento,
is the grandson of Don Pedro de Villandrando, conde de Rivadeo, who
was married to a 'mulata', which the conde de Salinas stated and
proved in a legal case he undertook with the marques de Villena over
the castle of Garci Munoz, which legal complaint is the Consejo Real
with 1,500 pages." (note: Pedro de Villandrando's first wife was
Marguerite de Bourbon, daughter of Jean, duc de Bourbon (1381-1434).
Pedro and Marguerite married in 1431 and had a daughter, Isabel, who
has descendants as well.)
It seems likely that there was much intermarriage between races in the
Mediterrean region in ancient and medieval times, so the fact that
Spanish nobles have African ancestry should be no surprise. Though it
seems that the claim that Queen Charlotte's had African ancestry
through her Portugese ancestors cannot be proven, it is very likely
that some unrecorded Iberian ancestors of hers were of African origin
(even if her immediate ancestors did not look like they had African
blood).
However, I had read about the Countess of Rivadeo before in "El Negro
en La Historia de Ecuador y Del Sur de Colombia" (1988) in a section
by Ecuadorian genealogist Fernando Jurado Noboa (whom I met a few
years ago in Quito). Jurado wrote about Ecuadorian Presidents
descended from Africans. Most of these lines are from new world
slaves, but he added the line from "mulata" Beatriz de Zuniga, second
wife of Rodrigo de Villandrando, first conde de Ribadeo. Jurado uses
as one of his sources Cardinal Mendoza's "Tizon". Of note, is that
Beatriz is an ancestress of Francisca Casado de Monteleon (1725-1761)
who married Count Heinrich VI Reuss zu Kostritz and is ancestress of
many European Royals including the reigning monarchs of the
Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Liechtenstein as well as
the Queen of Spain (see roglo database for a quick look). In
addition, Princess Michael of Kent is descended from mulata Beatriz de
Zuniga through Luisa Sarmiento, who married Baltasar Philippe de
Gand-Vilain (1616-1680), and has many descendants in Central Europe.
Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III, as a Spanish aristocrat by
birth, is descended from Beatriz de Zuniga at least seven times.
Of note is that race had a very different meaning to the medieval
mind. "Africa and Africans in the Making of the New World" by John
Thornton (Cambridge Univ Press, 1998 edition), states on page 25:
"Since 1306, when an Ethiopian delegation had arrived in Europe
seeking a Christian alliance with the 'King of Spains' to 'offer him
aid against the infidels', the idea of an Iberian-Ethiopian connection
had been considered. Indeed, King Anfos IV of Aragon came close to
arranging a double marriage with the Negus of Ethiopia in 1428, and
the Portugese Crown sent Pedro de Corvilhao to Ethiopia in 1487 to
prepare similar alliances." Thronton has lengthy footnotes, which
include 15th century sources such as Jacobo Filippo Foresti de Bergamo
"Supplementum Chronicarum" (1483) from notes taken by Giovanni de
Carignano at the time the Ethiopian mission passed through Genoa.
The Iberian kings decreed that Jewish and Moorish nobles who converted
to Christianity should be considered as Christian nobles, which
facilated convertions but meant that due to interbreeding in later
generations, the Iberian nobility was very mixed. This principle can
be seen in how the Aztec and Incan royals/nobles were treated by the
Spanish and in the fact that their descendants also married into the
Spanish nobility.
I write this to promote positive understanding about the origins of
modern Europeans. Best Regards.
Leo van de Pas
Though it
> seems that the claim that Queen Charlotte's had African ancestry
> through her Portugese ancestors cannot be proven, it is very likely
> that some unrecorded Iberian ancestors of hers were of African origin
> (even if her immediate ancestors did not look like they had African
> blood).
This is just a matter of terminology. "African or Moorish". I regard it as
"proven" that Queen Charlotte of Great Britain descends in three different
ways from Mourana Gil, mistress of Alfonso III, King of Portugal. Apparently
Mourana Gil came from Morocco but was not of negro origin. These lines take
between 15 and 17 generations, the first time Mourana Gil appears in the
ancestor list of Queen Charlotte is as number 58209.
I know that the passing on of certain genes is a bit of guess work, but
about the same number of generations back Queen Charlotte descends from
others many more times for instance :
Ancestor nr.58018 Gobert VII d'Aspremont 102 times
Ancestor nr.58240 Henri I de vergy 14 times
Ancestor nr.58248 Philippe de Vienne 18 times
Ancestor nr.59396 Ulrich I of Wuerttemberg 125 times
Ancestor 59398 Rudolf I of Baden 81 times
Best wishes
Leo van de Pas
Canberra, Australia
Leo van de Pas
was such kind of book in South-Africa before Apartheid ended. At that stage
I was working in Western Australia with a lady (with colour) from South
Africa, and she tried to get hold of a copy for me.
Apparently there was an academic in South Africa who stumbled on some facts
and pursued it. He had found that about 1600 or so there had been a Dutchman
in South Africa who fathered children with a black woman, and may even have
married her. He took their to what is now Indonesia where they received a
very good education. Once grown up the family returned to South Africa where
these half-cast children became part of the Dutch community. They married
white partners and their descendants totally became part of the white
society.
I had heard about "throw back" children and asked this lady if that occurred
and what happened to those children. She said yes, every now and then a
white couple would get an obvious coloured baby. First they would point an
accusing finger at the mother, then in most cases they knew she had not
slept with a negro, but in any case the baby was placed in an orphanage and
totally ignored from then on. The couple would have other children and they
were 'normal' white.
Apparently this book was published and almost immediately impounded. This
was quite a few years ago and I do not remember the name of the author or
the title.
But, yes, I would love to know more about those lines of descent.
Best wishes
Leo van de Pas
> >
History Writer
of the lineages that Cardinal Mendoza wrote about here. I hope that
the "Tizon" is translated into Engliah one day, since it provides a
fascinating insight in the social history and genealogy of the Spanish
nobility.
Among the many lines that Mendoza focuses on are:
The descendants of Isabel "de Droklin" (or "Drochelin" in ES III,
Tafel 539), mistress of Pedro de Castilla, Bishop of Osma (d.1461).
According to Mendoza, Isabel was the daughter of an English (!)
mason/bricklayer (albanil) and his Jewish wife "Espulga-Manteles" (a
nickname). Mendoza provides a long list of titled descendants of
Isabel and the Bishop through her daughter Aldonza (whom he also calls
Constanza) de Castilla, wife of Rodrigo de Ulloa (including the
mid-16th century Duke of Villahermosa, the Counts of Salinas, Nieva,
and Miranda, and many marqueses, and some religious personalities!).
According to Mendoza, this information came from an investigation by
the inquisition of Don Luis de Rojas and his uncles. (Isabel
Drochelin and her descendants also appear on the roglo database.)
Mendoza also states that Juan Ponce de Leon, conde de Arcos, had Ponce
de Leon noble descendants in the Jerez de la Frontera area through his
relationship with a muluta. Menendez states this is "notorious" and
without doubt. In the roglo database one can find both legitimate and
natural children of Juan, the second conde de Arcos, who died in 1471.
It is possible the mulata is his mistress Catalina Gonzalez de
Oveido, who has two children with descendants recorded in roglo,
Eutropio and Elvira.
There is much more to write about, including about the origins of the
Dukes of Braganza, who according to Menendez began with "Ines
Hernandez Estevez" (aka Ines Perez Esteves), "daughter of a converted
Portugese shoemaker of low caste" of either "Jewish or Moorish"
background. (Menendez states this is well known in Portugal.) This
Ines became the mistress of King Joao I of Portugal (1357-1433,
husband of Philippa of Lancaster), and ancestress of the Braganza
family. What Mendoza does not state is that this Ines was also a
great-great grandmother of Queen Isabel I "La Catolica", the
great-grandmother of King Philip II, to whom Cardinal Mendoza was
writing the "Tizon". (And Queen Charlotte is a 15th generation
descendant of this Ines, who may have been of Moorish descent.)
That's all for now. Best Regards.
Andrey Frizyuk
recent generations of royal personalities. Perhaps, this line will be
of interest to you:
1) "Hannibal", Prince of Eritrea;
2) Abram Hannibal (*ca 1697 Ethiopia, +14.05.1781 St. Petersburg),
taken prisoner by Turks and presented to Tsar Peter I, general-en-chef
of Russian army; m. Christina Regina von Seberch (*1705, +1781);
3) Osip Abramovich Hannibal (*1744, +1806), captain of Russian army;
m. Marina Alexeievna Pushkin (*21.01.1745, +27.06.1818);
4) Nadezhda Osipovna Hannibal (*21.06.1775, +29.03.1836); m. Sergey
Lvovich Pushkin (*23.05.1770, +24.07.1848);
5) Alexander Sergeievich Pushkin (*26.05.1799 Moscow, +29.01.1837 St.
Petersburg, bur Holy Mount's Monastery), Russian national poet; m.
Natalia Nikolaievna Goncharov (*1812, +1863);
6) Natalia Alexandrovna Pushkin (*04.06.1836 St. Petersburg,
+23.03.1913 Cannes), prototype of Anna Karenina; m. 2ndly London
01.07.1868 Prince Nikolaus Wilhelm of Nassau (*20.09.1838 Biebrich,
+17.09.1905 Wiesbaden);
7) Css Sofia von Merenberg von Torby (*01.06.1868 Geneva, +14.09.1927
London); m. San Remo 26.02.1891 Gr Duke Michail Michailovich of Russia
(*16.10.1861, +26.04.1929), grandson of Nicholas I;
8) Css Nadezhda de Torby (*28.03.1896 Cannes, +22.01.1963 Cannes); m.
London 15.11.1916 George Mountbatten, born Prince of Battenberg, 2nd
Marquess of Milford Haven (*06.11.1892 Darmstadt, +08.04.1958 London).
Sister of the latter, Alice von Battenberg (*25.02.1885 Windsor
Castle, +05.12.1969 Buckingham Palace) was the mother of Philip
Mountabatten, Prince of Greece and Denmark, Duke of Edinburgh and the
grandmother of Prince Charles of Wales, the future king of Great
Britain.
With best wishes, Andrey
William Addams Reitwiesner
<el snippo>
>However, I had read about the Countess of Rivadeo before in "El Negro
>en La Historia de Ecuador y Del Sur de Colombia" (1988) in a section
>by Ecuadorian genealogist Fernando Jurado Noboa (whom I met a few
>years ago in Quito). Jurado wrote about Ecuadorian Presidents
>descended from Africans. Most of these lines are from new world
>slaves, but he added the line from "mulata" Beatriz de Zuniga, second
>wife of Rodrigo de Villandrando, first conde de Ribadeo. Jurado uses
>as one of his sources Cardinal Mendoza's "Tizon". Of note, is that
>Beatriz is an ancestress of Francisca Casado de Monteleon (1725-1761)
>who married Count Heinrich VI Reuss zu Kostritz and is ancestress of
>many European Royals including the reigning monarchs of the
>Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Liechtenstein as well as
>the Queen of Spain (see roglo database for a quick look). In
>addition, Princess Michael of Kent is descended from mulata Beatriz de
>Zuniga through Luisa Sarmiento, who married Baltasar Philippe de
>Gand-Vilain (1616-1680), and has many descendants in Central Europe.
>Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III, as a Spanish aristocrat by
>birth, is descended from Beatriz de Zuniga at least seven times.
Various descents from Beatriz de Zuniga (or her siblings) include:
Beatriz de Zuniga -> Maria de Villandrado -> Marina Sarmiento -> Sancho de
Rojas -> Mariana de Rojas -> Francisca de Guzman -> Isabel Maria de Guzman
-> Inigo Melchior de Velasco -> Francisco de Velasco -> Maria Francisca de
Velasco -> Antonio de Casado -> Henrietta Casado de Monteleone (1725-1761),
wife of Heinrich VI Gf v Reuss-Koestritz
Constanza de Zuniga, sister of Beatriz -> Pedro Alvarez de Sotomayor ->
Alvaro de Sotomayor -> Francisca de Sotomayor -> Juan Sarmiento -> Garcia
Sarmiento -> Diego Sarmiento -> Luisa Sarmiento, wife of Baltasar Philippe
de Gand-Vilain
Beatriz de Zuniga -> Maria de Villandrado -> Diego Perez Sarmiento -> Diego
Gomez Sarmiento -> Leonor Sarmiento -> Alvaro de Luna -> Leonor de Luna ->
Luisa Sarmiento, wife of Baltasar Philippe de Gand-Vilain
Juan de Zuniga (brother of Beatriz) -> Teresa de Zuniga -> Francisca de
Ulloa -> Francisca Catalina de Andrade -> Catalina de Silva -> Ana Hurtado
de Mendoza -> Ana de Silva -> Juan de Guzman -> Maria Francisca de Guzman
(1613-1666), wife of Joao IV, King of Portugal
William Addams Reitwiesner
wr...@erols.com
Dimitry Macedonsky
> 7) Css Sofia von Merenberg von Torby (*01.06.1868 Geneva, +14.09.1927
> London); m. San Remo 26.02.1891 Gr Duke Michail Michailovich of Russia
This date given in most sources still not verified.
---
Dimitry Macedonsky
J.L.Fernandez-Blanco
(big snip)
The Tizon de la Nobleza has been proven to be completely unreliable
because of the reasons why it was written, as it was an attack based
mostly on rumors against certain of his own relatives when one of
Cardinal Mendoza's nephews was denied access to the military order of
Santiago. In his nephew's particular case, the denial was "right" (as
if that were the matter) in the sense that his mother was of supposed
Jewish (not Moorish, and less Black) ancestry (a line of new "Salazar"
that had been judged by the Inquisition to be Jewish). Much of the
information contained in the Tizon, like the "mulata" doña Beatriz de
Zuñiga is completely false. Among many others, Americo Castro, Claudio
Sánchez-Albornoz, Pio Baroja, and others who studied in depth the
Inquisition documents, have written thousands of pages on this topic.
Here is a short ahnentafel of Beatriz, second wife of Pedro de
Villandrando. If you can tell me which of these persons could have had
"black" (Moorish???) ancestry, I would be grateful:
1. Doña Beatriz de Zuñiga.
2. Don Diego López de Zúñiga "el Mozo", I Lord of Monterrey.
3. Doña Elvira Ruíz de Biedma, Lady of Biedma, Portela, Castrelos,
etc.
4. Don Diego López de Zúñiga (+ XI.1417, bur. Trinidad, Valladolid),
Lord of Béjar, Capilla, Burguillos, Valverde, Ciadoncha, Curiel,
Pesquera, etc.; alguacil y justicia mayor de la casa del rey (1392,
24.XII.1406, 1411 and 1414).
5. Doña Juana García de Leiva, Lady of Hacinas, Quintanilla,
Villavaquerín, etc.
6. Juan Rodríguez de Biedma, Lord of the house of Biedma and
Villanueva de los Infantes, copero mayor del Rey don Pedro in 1353.
7. Doña Teresa López de Orozco.
8. Iñigo Ortíz de Zúñiga (+ 1355 Sigüenza, bur. Santa María de
Herrera), Lord of Alesanco and Las Cuevas, guarda y camarero mayor de
la Reina Doña Blanca, Alcalde mayor de Sevilla, etc.
9. Doña Juana de Orozco (sister of #7).
10. Juan Martínez de Leiva (+ 1384), Lord of Baños and Leiva.
11. Doña María Díaz de Cevallos.
12. Ruy Páez de Biedma, Lord of Biedma, Portela, etc., adelantado y
merino mayor del Reino de Galicia.
13. Doña Juana Gómez de Toledo (from the family of Sancha de Ayala).
14. Íñigo López de Orozco (+2.IV.1367, murdered by King D. Pedro after
the battle of Nájera), Lord of Escamilla, Torrija, Galve, etc.,
mayordomo mayor de la casa del Rey (11.XI.1350-1351), etc.
15. Doña Marina García de Meneses.
See: Salazar y Acha, Jaime de. La Casa del Rey de Castilla y León en
la Edad Media, Centro de Estudios Políticos y Constitucionales,
Madrid, 2000.
AFAIK, neither of these people had Moorish ancestry. By the way, if
they did, to have moorish ancestry doesn't mean to have Black
ancestry. There weren't many black families among the moors in Spain,
unless you consider the Muslem Berbers of North Africa as Black, which
is not the case.
Best wishes,
J.L.Fernández Blanco
History Writer
>
> The Tizon de la Nobleza has been proven to be completely unreliable
> because of the reasons why it was written, as it was an attack based
> mostly on rumors against certain of his own relatives when one of
> Cardinal Mendoza's nephews was denied access to the military order of
> Santiago. In his nephew's particular case, the denial was "right" (as
> if that were the matter) in the sense that his mother was of supposed
> Jewish (not Moorish, and less Black) ancestry (a line of new "Salazar"
> that had been judged by the Inquisition to be Jewish). Much of the
> information contained in the Tizon, like the "mulata" doña Beatriz de
> Zuñiga is completely false. Among many others, Americo Castro, Claudio
> Sánchez-Albornoz, Pio Baroja, and others who studied in depth the
> Inquisition documents, have written thousands of pages on this topic.
>
> J.L.Fernández Blanco
I think Spanish genealogists have wanted to proved the "Tizon"
unreliable. There has been historically instense pressure in Spain to
prove "purity of blood" among the nobility, no doubt caused by
insecurity due to the threat of the Inquisition and societal
discrimination. If it is so unreliable, why did the Colegio Heraldico
de Espana y de las Indias reprint it in 1992?
While I cannot vouch for every lineage Cardinal Mendoza mentions,
several, especially the Jewish lines, can be shown to be true. For
example Mendoza refers to the Jewish ancestry of the Arias Davila,
Counts of Punonrostro, which is mentioned by Henry Kamen in "The
Spanish Inquisition" (1998) as desdended from Diego Arias Davila (a
convert from Judaism), the Finance Minister of Enrique IV of Castille.
This Diego is also mentioned in "The Origins of the Inquisition" by
Netanyahu. (Diego's grandson Pedrarias Davila was the discover of
Central America and Arias Davila descendants abound in Central
America, per "Heritage of Conquistadors" by Samuel Z. Stone.) Also
Mendoza writes about the family of Bishop Pablo de Santa Maria (ne
Soloman Ha-Levy), and the fact that the Osorios, Senors de Villacis,
were descended from one of Bishop Pablo's brothers. The Bishop of
Burgos, Pablo, who converted in 1391, is a well known historical
figure.
You yourself write (in a posting of Feb 2, 2003) that Isabel Pires
(aka Peres Esteves), ancestress of the Dukes of Braganza, might have a
Jewish grandmother. Mendoza writes that this Isabel was of low caste
(daughter of a shoemaker, who was a convert of either Jewish or
Moorish origin - so Mendoza admits he is unsure).
Finally, about the muluta origins of Beatriz de Zuniga, Ecuadorian
genealogist Fernando Jurado Noboa has done considerable research on
her (see "El Negro en la Historia de Ecuador y del Sur de Colombia"
(1988)). You cite Elvira Ruiz de Biedma as Beatriz de Zuniga's
mother. However, Jurado states Beatriz was the daughter of an African
slave (there were many African slaves in Iberia in the 15th century,
see chapter on slavery in Sir Peter Russell's biography of Prince
Henry the Navigator). Jurado states that Beatriz's daughter, Marina
de Villandrando y Zuniga, married Diego Gomez Sarmiento, 2nd Conde de
Salinas, and "for two centuries, in these Counts one could see in
their faces the fact that they had African blood in their veins." I
have not seen any portraits of these counts, so I cannot judge this
statement. Jurado uses as his first source Narciso Binayan's "De la
nobleza vieja a ... a la nobleza Vieja" (Buenos Aires, 1986), then
Garcia Carrafa, Julio de Atienza, Salazar y Castro's "La Casa de
Haro", a long list of Ecuadorian sources (for the Presidents of
Ecuador descended from Beatriz de Zuniga), as well as Cardinal
Mendoza's "Tizon."
Best Regards.
J.L.Fernandez-Blanco
Of course the family of Ha-Levi, that of Bishop Pablo of Burgos is
well known. In fact there are many other families of Jewish ancestry,
such as Maluenda, de la Caballería, Ruíz de Villena, Salazar (at least
three different families by this name), Rojas (at least five different
families), Toledo (at least four different families), Ruiz de Daroca,
and many others. The problem with the Tizon is that of confusing some
Toledos, Rojas, and Salazares with non Jewish ancestry with those of
Jewish ancestry.
The Arias Davila and Saldaña families are other well known cases of
noble families with titles who were descended from Jewish converted to
Christianism.
Again, the problem with the Tizón is that is based on rumors more than
on documents.
As for Beatriz de Zuñiga, I'll check again. AFAIK, she is mentioned in
her father's last will as his and Elvira's daughter. But this may not
be the case, as I've seen other last wills, especially among the
Galician nobility, where bastard children were declare as legitimate
and vice versa. I'll check with Binayan Carmona, whom I know, as to
the source of his statement.
As soon as I get the copy of these papers I'll revert.
On the ohter hand, it's true that there were African slaves during the
mid XV century in Castile. Many of the bastard children of the Dukes
of Arcos, Medinasidonia, and Medinaceli were "mulatos."
Notwithstanding this, their offspring was not considered "impure" by
the Inquisition, as the "Estatutos de Limpieza de Sangre"
especifically referred to Jewish and Moorish but not to Africans.
There were other cases, mainly the Saavedra, Fuentes, Melgarejo, and
Medina families, where marriages with women of African ancestry were
common.
Best regards,
J.L.Fernández Blanco
History Writer
> As for Beatriz de Zuñiga, I'll check again. AFAIK, she is mentioned in
> her father's last will as his and Elvira's daughter. But this may not
> be the case, as I've seen other last wills, especially among the
> Galician nobility, where bastard children were declare as legitimate
> and vice versa. I'll check with Binayan Carmona, whom I know, as to
> the source of his statement.
> As soon as I get the copy of these papers I'll revert.
> On the ohter hand, it's true that there were African slaves during the
> mid XV century in Castile. Many of the bastard children of the Dukes
> of Arcos, Medinasidonia, and Medinaceli were "mulatos."
> Notwithstanding this, their offspring was not considered "impure" by
> the Inquisition, as the "Estatutos de Limpieza de Sangre"
> especifically referred to Jewish and Moorish but not to Africans.
> There were other cases, mainly the Saavedra, Fuentes, Melgarejo, and
> Medina families, where marriages with women of African ancestry were
> common.
> Best regards,
> J.L.Fernández Blanco
Thank you for this very interesting posting. Please let us know if
you find out some information about the possible mulata origins of
Beatriz de Zuniga from Mr. Narciso Binayan.
I accept the concept that Cardinal Mendoza's "Tizon de la Nobleza"
should be used with caution and confirmed with other sources.
However, it still provides useful information and insights into some
possible Jewish, Moorish and African family origins, and does make for
an interesting read.
Best Regards.
History Writer
overview posted in 2002 on the internet by an Eritrean scholar,
Solomon Ghebre-Giorghis, of the University of Asmara, at
"http://shaebia.org/wwwboard/contributedarticles/messages/58.html".
There is an obvious fascination and pride in Abram's life in Eritrea.
He was kidnapped by the Turks, and then sold to Tsar Peter the Great,
who became his godfather and sent him to be educated in France.
Eritrean scholars are trying to locate Abram's exact location of
origin through an archaeological expedition to the site where the
Turks are thought to have abducted him (the town of "Logo"). They are
considering DNA testing of Abram's descendants (living or dead) to
confirm the location of his origin in Eritrea. Abram stated that his
father was "a local chief or prince", who had many wives and 19
children. His father is therefore thought to have been a Muslim.
Best Regards.
fri...@yahoo.com (Andrey Frizyuk) wrote in message news:<5534a4c5.03020...@posting.google.com>...
Christopher Buyers
Thank you for posting this note of a very interesting article.
Although, SIGH, I am not at all sure about the "Prince of Eritrea" bit
and much else besides. The article seems to be part and parcel of some
Eritrean nationalist scheme, which obviously is going to be
anti-Ethiopian in aim.
There is no reason whetever to assume "a priori" that the boy's father
was a Muslim simply because he had lots of wives and 19 children.
Ethiopian Christians of high standing usually had lots of wives and
fathered children by them. Indeed, one sees this with the Ethiopian
Royal Family, many times over.
Ethiopian Christian names are frequently very similar to their Muslim
equivalent, more so than with Western languages. Alexander, for
example, is Iskander. The Muslim version, Iskandar. No doubt other
biblical names like Abraham and Ibrahim are just as similar. So it is
equally possible that the boy was called Abraham and the Turks simply
called him Ibrahim after conversion.
The capture of the sons and children of Christian Ethiopian nobles by
the Turks was also quite common. Usually intended for ransome or as a
bargaining chip at a later date. But one would expect that if that
were the case, the boy's identity would have been preserved.
Lastly, I wonder if "Gannibal" really is a transliteration of
"Hannibal". It sounds awfully close to cannibal to me.
One would have thought that the best place for any research to begin
would be the Topkapi archives in Istanbul!
Cheers,
Christopher Buyers
Steven Lavallee
"Abraham Hanibal: L'aïeul noir de Pouchkine"
Author: Dieudonné Gnammankou
Published: 1996
Editor: Presence Africaine
256 pages
16 cm x 24 cm
ISBN 2708706098
Steven Lavallee
Francois R. Velde
Buyers) os suum:
>There is no reason whetever to assume "a priori" that the boy's father
>was a Muslim simply because he had lots of wives and 19 children.
>Ethiopian Christians of high standing usually had lots of wives and
>fathered children by them. Indeed, one sees this with the Ethiopian
>Royal Family, many times over.
Did Turks enslave Muslims?
>Lastly, I wonder if "Gannibal" really is a transliteration of
>"Hannibal". It sounds awfully close to cannibal to me.
Does it in Russian? And why would he choose to call himself "cannibal"?
--
François Velde
ve...@nospam.org (replace by "heraldica")
Heraldry Site: http://www.heraldica.org/
D. Spencer Hines
Just as the Russian pronunciation of Hitler is _Gitler_.
Russian has no "H" per se...
It has a "X" usually transliterated as "Kh" ---- as in _Khrushchev_.
Deus Vult.
"I don't care a twopenny damn what becomes of the ashes of Napoleon
Buonaparte." ---- Attributed to Arthur Wellesley, [1769-1852] Duke of
Wellington
Prosecutio stultitiae est gravis vexatio, executio stultitiae coronat opus.
All replies to the newsgroup please. Thank you kindly. All original material
contained herein is copyright and property of the author. It may be quoted
only in discussions on this forum and with an attribution to the author,
unless permission is otherwise expressly given, in writing.
D. Spencer Hines
Lux et Veritas et Libertas
Vires et Honor
"Francois R. Velde" <ve...@heraldicanospam.invalid> wrote in message
news:cpui4vs1k65s0ovo5...@4ax.com...
Christopher Buyers
> _Gannibal_ is the Russian pronunciation of Hannibal....
>
> Just as the Russian pronunciation of Hitler is _Gitler_.
>
> Russian has no "H" per se...
>
> It has a "X" usually transliterated as "Kh" ---- as in _Khrushchev_.
What is the word for cannibal?
Cheers,
Christopher Buyers
Frank R.A.J. Maloney
news:38e9db65.03021...@posting.google.com...
Curiously enough, it is (transliterated) "kannibal".
On the subject of the Russian G, I was told in my Russian-studies days that
the sound is evolving in the modern language to a more purely "H" sound.
--
Frank in Seattle
___________
Frank Richard Aloysius Jude Maloney
"I leave you now in radiant contentment"
-- "Whistling in the Dark"
D. Spencer Hines
Deus Vult.
"I pass with relief from the tossing sea of Cause and Theory to the firm
ground of Result and Fact."
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill [1874-1965] ---- The Malakand Field
Force [1898]
All replies to the newsgroup please. Thank you.
All original material contained herein is copyright and property of the
author. It may be quoted only in discussions on this forum and with an
attribution to the author, unless permission is otherwise expressly
given, in writing.
D. Spencer Hines
Lux et Veritas et Libertas
Vires et Honor
Fortuna et Gloria
"Frank R.A.J. Maloney" <fr...@blarg.net> wrote in message
news:v4oh978...@corp.supernews.com...
Andrey Frizyuk
>
> What is the word for cannibal?
>
> Cheers,
> Christopher Buyers
"Kannibal" is the term used in ethnological studies since the 19th
century. The everyday word is "lyudoyed": from "lyudi" - people and
"yeda" - food. Hence, the literal meaning of "lyudoyed" is "the one
who eats people".
The name Hannibal was given to the ancestor of Pushkin for his
military skills. Hannibal Barca (247-183) was regarded by Turks and
Europeans alike as the greatest military leader of African history.
The comparison must have been rather flattering for a petty ruler of
Eritrea.
Best, Andrey
Dimitry Macedonsky
> > What is the word for cannibal?
>
> Curiously enough, it is (transliterated) "kannibal".
Medical term. Usual word is "lyudoed".
> On the subject of the Russian G, I was told in my Russian-studies days that
> the sound is evolving in the modern language to a more purely "H" sound.
Russian has both G and H. What about translitteration of foreign names
in old times G was usual (Gamilton, Genri, Gudson river etc), now H
(Kh for you :-) is used (Armand Khammer - Lenin's friend, Mrs Khadson
- housekeeper of Sherlok Kholms etc).
---
Dimitry Macedonsky