Lord of Biscay

File:Fernando El Catolico Guernica.png

After swearing the Oath to the Fueros under the Guernica tree, King Ferdinand II of Aragon receives the traditional homage of kissing of the hand from the Juntas Generales (General Assembly) of Biscay, July 30, 1476.

Lord of Biscay (Basque: Bizkaiko Jauna, Spanish: Señor de Vizcaya) is the historical title of the Lordship of Biscay, a feudal territory in present-day Biscay, in the Basque Country.

History

The first known Lord of Biscay (11th century), Íñigo López "Ezkerra" was a lieutenant of the Kingdom of Pamplona (later known as Navarre); this feudal relationship was intermittently held to by his successors until the definitive Castilian conquest of Gipuzkoa in 1200. The relations of the lords with the kings of Castille made them the landlords of Haro, La Rioja because they had favored the Castilian interests in the conflicts with Pamplona/Navarre.

The Lords had limited powers and had, like the Navarrese monarchs before them, to give oath at Gernika of respecting the fuero (Basque: forua), which in this context means a compilation of laws, when inheriting the honor.

After the Lordship was inherited by the Castilian dynasty in 1370, the Kings of Castile (and later, of Spain) still had to give oath in equal manner and so they did, until the Biscayan fueros were unilaterally supplanted at the end of 19th century, as a retaliatory measure from the government of Madrid for the support of the provinces to the Carlist pretender to the Crown. They haven't done it since the second restoration of Alfonso XII

List of Lords of Biscay

The arms of the House of Haro, Lords of Biscay between the 11th and 14th centuries. Its composition is the basis for the coat of arms of many towns and villages in Biscay.

Mythical

According to Lope García de Salazar, author of the historical Bienandanzas e fortunas (15th Century), there were at least five mythical or legendary lords of Biscay before the ones that can actually be considered historical and documented.

• Jaun Zuria (the White Lord): supposedly born from the union of god Sugaar and a Scottish (or Irish, or Danish, or Frankish) princess in the village of Mundaka. Legend says that Jaun Zuria was the elected chief of the Biscayans in the victorious battle of Arrigorriaga against the invading forces of the Kingdom of Asturias; tradition holds that before the battle he saw two wolves carrying lambs in their mouths, presaging the victory; this scene is reflected in the arms of the lords of Biscay of the House of Haro.
• Munio López (909-920), the son of Jaun Zuria, who married Belasquita, daughter of Sancho I of Pamplona.
• Íñigo López Esquira (920-965), the step-brother of Munio López and called "the left-handed".
• Lope II Íñiguez (965-1011)
• Sancho López (1011-1016)

Historical

House of Haro

Name	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
Íñigo López Ezkerra (The Left-Handed) 1040-1077		Unknown	Toda Fórtunez five children	1077
Lope Íñiguez 1077-1093		1050 Son of Íñigo López and Toda Fórtunez	Ticlo Díaz five children	1093
Diego López the White 1093-1124		1075 Son of Lope Íñiguez and Ticlo Díaz	María Sánchez three children	1124

House of Vela

Name	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
Íñigo Vélaz 1124-c. 1131		Unknown Son of Vela Aznarez	Unknown	c. 1131
Ladrón Íñiguez Prince of the Navarrese c. 1131-1155		Unknown Son of Íñigo Vela and Áurea Jiménez	Unknown Three children	1155
Vela Ladrón Vela from Navarre 1155-1162		1115 Son of Ladrón Íñiguez	Unknown	1174

House of Haro (restored, first time)

Name	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
Lope Díaz the one from Nájera 1162-1170		Unknown Son of Diego López and María Sánchez	Aldonza eleven children	6 May 1170
Diego López II the Good 1170-1214	100px	1152 Lope Díaz and Aldonza	(1) María Manrique de Lara one children (2)Toda Pérez de Azagra seven children	16 September 1214
Lope Díaz II Brave Head 1214-1236		1170 Son of Diego López II and María Manrique de Lara	Urraca Alfonso de León 10 children	15 November 1236
Diego López III 1236-1254		Unknown Son of Lope Díaz II and Urraca Alfonso de León	Constanza de Béarn five children	4 October 1254
Lope Díaz III 1254-1288		Unknown Son of Diego López III and Constanza de Béarn	Juana Alfonso de Molina two children	8 June 1288
Diego López IV the Young 1288-1289		Unknown Son of Lope Díaz III and Juana Alfonso de Molina	Unmarried	1289
María Díaz the Good 1289-1295		1270 Daughter of Lope Díaz III and Juana Alfonso de Molina	Juan de Castile three children	1342
Diego López V the Intruder 1295-1310		1250 Son of Diego López III and Constanza de Béarn	Violante de Castile four children	1310
María Díaz the Good 1310-1322 (second lordship)		1270 Daughter of Lope Díaz III and Juana Alfonso de Molina	Juan of Castile three children	1342
Juan the One-eyed 1322-1326		Unknown Son of Juan of Castile and María Díaz	Isabel of Portugal and Manuel one children	31 October 1326
María Díaz the Good 1326-1333 (third lordship)		1270 Daughter of Lope Díaz III and Juana Alfonso de Molina	Juan of Castile three children	1342

House of Burgundy (restored)

Name	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
Alfonso XI 1333-1334	100px	1311 Son of Ferdinand IV of Castile and Constance of Portugal	Maria of Portugal two children	1350

House of Haro (restored, second time)

Name	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
María Díaz II 1334-1349		Unknown Daughter of Juan de Castilla y Haro and Isabel of Portugal and Manuel	Juan Núñez III de Lara five children	1348-49

House of Lara

Name	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
Juan Núñez III 1334-1350		1314-15 Son of Ferdinand de la Cerda and Juana de Lara	María Díaz II de Haro five children	1350
Nuño de Lara 1351-1352		1348 Son of Juan Núñez III de Lara and María Díaz II de Haro	Unmarried	1352
Juana de Lara 1352-1359		1335 Daughter of Juan Núñez III de Lara and María Díaz II de Haro	Tello Alfonso no children	1359

House of Trastámara

Name	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
Tello Alfonso 1355-1369		1337 Son of Alfonso XI of Castile and Eleanor de Guzmán	Juana de Lara no children	1370
John I of Castile 1369-1379		1358 Son of Henry II of Castile and Juana Manuel	Eleanor of Aragon two children	1390

Starting with John I, the title of Lord of Biscay got integrated in the Crown of Castile, and ever since the monarchs of Castile, and later Spain, have also upheld the title of Lord of Biscay. The title is currently held by Felipe VI of Spain.

See also

• Basque señoríos

References

Bibliography

• Historia de Navarra, el estado vasco, Mikel Sorauren, 1998.

External links

• Señores de Vizcaya