Individual Details
Garcia Álvarez de Toledo, I Duke of Alba et Tormes
(Est 1441 - 20 Jun 1488)
Created Duke in 1471
Garcia was the son of Fernan Alvarez de Toledo, 1.conde de Alba de Tormes, and Dońa Mencia/Maria Palomeque Carrillo, seńora del Estado y Villa de Bercimuelle. In 1448 he married Dońa Maria Enriquez y Quińones, daughter of Fadrique Enriquez Mendoza, 2nd admiral of Castile, conde de Melgar y Rueda, and Dońa Teresa Fernandez de Quińones y Toledo. They had two sons and three daughters who would have progeny.
Garcia seems to have been an extraordinary character whose greed and cunning were as celebrated as his military talents. Few men have ever used the follies of a king, in this case King Juan II of Castile, to better advantage. Garcia's basic tactic was to remain loyal to the king while letting it be known that he was open to offers from the other side. He would collect his rewards in advance and then be unaccountably absent on the day of reckoning.
The wonder is that it worked so well for so long. Though the king granted him extensive lands and a half-share of the rents from the fair at Medina del Campo, he left the relief of that city to Alvaro de Luna, constable of Castile, arriving only after the fight was over. When the count failed to appear at the epic battle of Olmedo in 1445, it was discovered that he had accepted two towns from the king's enemies in return for his 1,500 lances. A royalist to the end, he solved his consequent moral dilemma by staying home. The street urchins cried, 'Who gives more for the count of Alba who is sold on every street corner?' but he had gained a valuable foothold in the valley of the Tagus.
In 1472, as part of the general settlement after the Accord of Toros de Guisando (19 September 1468) in which King Enrique IV, son of Juan II, formally recognised his half-sister Isabella of Castile as his successor, Garcia was persuaded to surrender all his gains south of the Sierra. It was a statesmanlike decision that, if the chronicler is right, prevented a civil war, but it was not without compensations. The king gratefully elevated him to ducal rank and confirmed his dubious title to Coria.
In 1488 he died, but not before he had redeemed himself in the eyes of posterity by his steadfast support of the Catholic monarchs Fernando and Isabella. One of the architects of their succession, he fought valiantly in the war against Portugal and played a major role in their great victory at Peleagonzola, Toro and Zamora, on 1 March 1476, which ended the dream of Afonso V 'o Africano', king of Portugal to win the throne of Castile.
Source: Leo van de Pas
Garcia was the son of Fernan Alvarez de Toledo, 1.conde de Alba de Tormes, and Dońa Mencia/Maria Palomeque Carrillo, seńora del Estado y Villa de Bercimuelle. In 1448 he married Dońa Maria Enriquez y Quińones, daughter of Fadrique Enriquez Mendoza, 2nd admiral of Castile, conde de Melgar y Rueda, and Dońa Teresa Fernandez de Quińones y Toledo. They had two sons and three daughters who would have progeny.
Garcia seems to have been an extraordinary character whose greed and cunning were as celebrated as his military talents. Few men have ever used the follies of a king, in this case King Juan II of Castile, to better advantage. Garcia's basic tactic was to remain loyal to the king while letting it be known that he was open to offers from the other side. He would collect his rewards in advance and then be unaccountably absent on the day of reckoning.
The wonder is that it worked so well for so long. Though the king granted him extensive lands and a half-share of the rents from the fair at Medina del Campo, he left the relief of that city to Alvaro de Luna, constable of Castile, arriving only after the fight was over. When the count failed to appear at the epic battle of Olmedo in 1445, it was discovered that he had accepted two towns from the king's enemies in return for his 1,500 lances. A royalist to the end, he solved his consequent moral dilemma by staying home. The street urchins cried, 'Who gives more for the count of Alba who is sold on every street corner?' but he had gained a valuable foothold in the valley of the Tagus.
In 1472, as part of the general settlement after the Accord of Toros de Guisando (19 September 1468) in which King Enrique IV, son of Juan II, formally recognised his half-sister Isabella of Castile as his successor, Garcia was persuaded to surrender all his gains south of the Sierra. It was a statesmanlike decision that, if the chronicler is right, prevented a civil war, but it was not without compensations. The king gratefully elevated him to ducal rank and confirmed his dubious title to Coria.
In 1488 he died, but not before he had redeemed himself in the eyes of posterity by his steadfast support of the Catholic monarchs Fernando and Isabella. One of the architects of their succession, he fought valiantly in the war against Portugal and played a major role in their great victory at Peleagonzola, Toro and Zamora, on 1 March 1476, which ended the dream of Afonso V 'o Africano', king of Portugal to win the throne of Castile.
Source: Leo van de Pas
Events
| Birth | Est 1441 | ||||
| Marriage | 1448 | María Enriquez y Quinones | |||
| Death | 20 Jun 1488 | ||||
| Burial | San Leonardo de Alba |
Families
| Spouse | María Enriquez y Quinones ( - ) |
| Child | Fadrique Álvarez de Toledo, II Duke of Alba et Tormes (1460 - 1531) |
| Father | Fernán Álvarez de Toledo, I Count de Alba et Tormes (1400 - 1464) |
| Mother | María Carrillo y Palomeque ( - ) |