Diego López I de Haro
Encyclopedia
Diego López I de Haro was the third Lord of Biscay
, and also the ruler of Álava
, Buradón, Grañón, Nájera
, Haro
, and perhaps Guipúzcoa: the most powerful Castilian
magnate in the Basque Country
and the Rioja
during the first quarter of the twelfth century. He was a loyal supporter of Queen Urraca and he fought the invading armies of her estranged husband Alfonso the Battler
on two, or perhaps three, occasions.
Diego succeeded his father, Lope Íñiguez
, in Biscay (and perhaps Guipúzcoa) on the latter's death in 1093, but Álava went to his brother-in-law Lope González. On the death of García Ordóñez
at the Battle of Uclés (1108), the tenencias of Grañón, Nájera and Haro passed to Diego by an act of Alfonso VI. In June 1110 Diego received a grant of privileges from Queen Urraca, acting without the consent of Alfonso the Battler, whereby she gave all his patrimonial lands (that is, lands he owned, not fiscal lands he governed on behalf of the crown) complete immunity from confiscation. In August Urraca, then advancing with her army on Zaragoza
, confirmed some rights and privileges of the monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla, an act confirmed by the three most important magnates of the region: Sancho, Count of Pamplona, Diego, described as senior in Nagera, and Íñigo Jiménez de los Cameros, dominante in Calahorra
. At that time Íñigo Jiménez was also ruling Buradón. After Lope González's death in 1110 and before 1113 Diego succeeded to Álava and re-united all his father's tenencias. It was Diego who first began using the toponymic "de Haro", which became the family name.
It is possible that Diego, alongside the Navarrese count Ladrón Íñiguez
, first went to war against Alfonso in 1112, and that there was fighting in the vicinity of Castrojeriz that July. Alfonso made reference to Diego and the fighting in a charter to Santo Domingo de la Calzada
, but this charter is dated differently in each of its surviving copies. One copy dates it to July 1124, which fits with Diego's last known rebellion. In August 1116 Diego raised the standard of revolt against Alfonso, whose Navarrese lands his lordships bordered. He was consequently deprived of Nájera, which was bestowed on Fortunio Garcés Caixal, although he may never had actually given it up. He was allowed to retain Haro and Buradón, which he had received some time after 1110. In February 1117 Alfonso made a donation to Santa María la Real de Nájera calling himself Imperator
and still claiming the kingdoms of Urraca. The donation was confirmed by Diego López, along with Pedro González de Lara
and Suero Vermúdez
, several bishops and many Aragonese. The charter is in the style of the Leonese chancery and its authenticity has been called into question, but it may reflect a moment of heightened negotiations between Alfonso and Urraca. It cannot be taken to reflect a desertion on the part of her major supporters (Diego, Pedro and Suero). Diego remained on good terms with Alfonso in 1118, when he participated in the Reconquista
of the great city of Zaragoza, and into 1119, taking part in the continuing conquest of the taifa
. In July 1124, perhaps encouraged by Urraca or her son, Alfonso VII, Diego again aided by Ladrón of Navarre rose against Alfonso's forces and was besieged in Haro by Alfonso himself. Alfonso confiscated all his tenencias and granted them to Íñigo Vélaz. There is some discrepancy over when and how Diego died. According to some source, he died in 1124, probably in the fighting, while others place his death in 1126, after having lost all his lands and titles.
Diego married a certain María Sánchez of obscure origins. In 1121 he and his wife joined his sister, Toda López, and her daughter, his niece, María López, in making a donation to Santa María la Real. María Sánchez has been called a sister of García Ordóñez, an impossibility in light of her patronymic
; a daughter of Sancho Núñez, son of count Munio Sánchez, ruler of the Duranguesado; and a sister of Lope García Sánchez of the Llodio branch of the Ayala clan. More likely than any of these hypotheses is that she was a daughter of Sancho Sánchez de Erro, ruler of Tafalla
in Navarre, and his wife, Elvira García, daughter of García Ordóñez. Diego's claim to García's lordships in 1108 may have stemmed partially from his wife's ancestry. She gave four sons: Lope Díaz I
, who later ruled Biscay and Álava, and three obscure names, Sancho, Fortunio and Gil. Some historians have reckoned Sancha Díaz de Frias, the founder of Santa María de Bujedo, his daughter, but she was more probably a daughter of Diego Sánchez de Ayala and a sister of Toda Díaz. In May 1140, widowed, María "the mother of Count Lope" (mater comitis Lupi) and Mayor Garcés gave the monastery of San Ginés to that of San Juan de Burgos.
Lord of Biscay
Lord of Biscay is a historical title of the head of state of the autonomous territory of Biscay, Basque Country.- History :The first known Lord of Biscay , Íñigo López "Ezkerra" was a lieutenant of the Kingdom of Pamplona , and this was until the Castilian conquest of Gipuzkoa in 1200...
, and also the ruler of Álava
Álava
Álava is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lord of Álava. Its capital city is Vitoria-Gasteiz which is also the capital of the autonomous community...
, Buradón, Grañón, Nájera
Nájera
Nájera is a small town located in the "Rioja Alta" region of La Rioja, Spain on the river Najerilla. Nájera is a stopping point on the Way of St James.-History:...
, Haro
Haro, La Rioja
Haro is a town and municipality in the northwest of La Rioja province in northern Spain. It is known for its fine red wine and every year the Haro Wine Festival is held where locals hold a wine battle....
, and perhaps Guipúzcoa: the most powerful Castilian
Kingdom of Castile
Kingdom of Castile was one of the medieval kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula. It emerged as a political autonomous entity in the 9th century. It was called County of Castile and was held in vassalage from the Kingdom of León. Its name comes from the host of castles constructed in the region...
magnate in the Basque Country
Basque señoríos
The Basque señoríos were medieval hereditary land titles over an area called señorío , recognized by a king to former basque chieftains in relation to the concept of manorialism in exchange for sworn allegiance. The Basque term is jaurerria , means "lord's country" and usually relates to the...
and the Rioja
Rioja
Rioja or La Rioja may refer to:Spain*Rioja, Almería*La Rioja , a province and autonomous community in northern Spain**Rioja , red and white wines from the province**La Rioja **University of La Rioja...
during the first quarter of the twelfth century. He was a loyal supporter of Queen Urraca and he fought the invading armies of her estranged husband Alfonso the Battler
Alfonso the Battler
Alfonso I , called the Battler or the Warrior , was the king of Aragon and Navarre from 1104 until his death in 1134. He was the second son of King Sancho Ramírez and successor of his brother Peter I...
on two, or perhaps three, occasions.
Diego succeeded his father, Lope Íñiguez
Lope Íñiguez
Lope Íñiguez succeeded his father Íñigo López to become the second Lord of Biscay in 1076.Íñigo died shortly after the assassination of his overlord Sancho IV of Navarre and the subsequent takeover of Biscay, Álava, part of Guipúzcoa and La Rioja by Alfonso VI of Castile...
, in Biscay (and perhaps Guipúzcoa) on the latter's death in 1093, but Álava went to his brother-in-law Lope González. On the death of García Ordóñez
García Ordóñez
García Ordóñez , called de Nájera or de Cabra and in the epic literature Crispus or el Crespo de Grañón, was a Castilian magnate who ruled the Rioja from Nájera from 1080 until his death. He is famous in literature as the rival of Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, the Cid, whose high position at court he...
at the Battle of Uclés (1108), the tenencias of Grañón, Nájera and Haro passed to Diego by an act of Alfonso VI. In June 1110 Diego received a grant of privileges from Queen Urraca, acting without the consent of Alfonso the Battler, whereby she gave all his patrimonial lands (that is, lands he owned, not fiscal lands he governed on behalf of the crown) complete immunity from confiscation. In August Urraca, then advancing with her army on Zaragoza
Zaragoza
Zaragoza , also called Saragossa in English, is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain...
, confirmed some rights and privileges of the monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla, an act confirmed by the three most important magnates of the region: Sancho, Count of Pamplona, Diego, described as senior in Nagera, and Íñigo Jiménez de los Cameros, dominante in Calahorra
Calahorra
Calahorra, , La Rioja, Spain is a municipality in the comarca of Rioja Baja, near the border with Navarre on the right bank of the Ebro. During ancient Roman times, Calahorra was a municipium known as Calagurris.-Location:...
. At that time Íñigo Jiménez was also ruling Buradón. After Lope González's death in 1110 and before 1113 Diego succeeded to Álava and re-united all his father's tenencias. It was Diego who first began using the toponymic "de Haro", which became the family name.
It is possible that Diego, alongside the Navarrese count Ladrón Íñiguez
Ladrón Íñiguez
Ladrón Íñiguez , also known as Ladrón Navarro, was one of the most illustrious noblemen of the Kingdom of Navarre during the reign of García Ramírez , whose accession he was instrumental in bringing about. He is regularly titled count , the highest rank in the kingdom, after 1135...
, first went to war against Alfonso in 1112, and that there was fighting in the vicinity of Castrojeriz that July. Alfonso made reference to Diego and the fighting in a charter to Santo Domingo de la Calzada
Santo Domingo de la Calzada
Santo Domingo de la Calzada is a municipality in La Rioja, Spain, situated on the banks of the Oja River. Its name refers to its founder, Dominic de la Calzada, who built a bridge, hospital, and hotel here for pilgrims on the Way of St. James. The town's Cathedral of Santo Domingo de la Calzada...
, but this charter is dated differently in each of its surviving copies. One copy dates it to July 1124, which fits with Diego's last known rebellion. In August 1116 Diego raised the standard of revolt against Alfonso, whose Navarrese lands his lordships bordered. He was consequently deprived of Nájera, which was bestowed on Fortunio Garcés Caixal, although he may never had actually given it up. He was allowed to retain Haro and Buradón, which he had received some time after 1110. In February 1117 Alfonso made a donation to Santa María la Real de Nájera calling himself Imperator
Emperor
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...
and still claiming the kingdoms of Urraca. The donation was confirmed by Diego López, along with Pedro González de Lara
Pedro González de Lara
Pedro González de Lara was a Castilian magnate. He served Alfonso VI as a young man, and later became the lover of Alfonso's heiress, Queen Urraca. He may have joined the First Crusade in the following of Raymond IV of Toulouse, earning the nickname el Romero...
and Suero Vermúdez
Suero Vermúdez
Suero Vermúdez was an Asturian nobleman, extensive landowner, patron of churches, territorial governor, and military leader...
, several bishops and many Aragonese. The charter is in the style of the Leonese chancery and its authenticity has been called into question, but it may reflect a moment of heightened negotiations between Alfonso and Urraca. It cannot be taken to reflect a desertion on the part of her major supporters (Diego, Pedro and Suero). Diego remained on good terms with Alfonso in 1118, when he participated in the Reconquista
Reconquista
The Reconquista was a period of almost 800 years in the Middle Ages during which several Christian kingdoms succeeded in retaking the Muslim-controlled areas of the Iberian Peninsula broadly known as Al-Andalus...
of the great city of Zaragoza, and into 1119, taking part in the continuing conquest of the taifa
Taifa of Zaragoza
The taifa of Zaragoza was an independent Muslim state in Moorish Al-Andalus, present day eastern Spain, which was established in 1018 as one of the taifa kingdoms, which emerged in the 11th century following the destruction of the Caliphate of Córdoba in the Moorish Iberian Peninsula.During the...
. In July 1124, perhaps encouraged by Urraca or her son, Alfonso VII, Diego again aided by Ladrón of Navarre rose against Alfonso's forces and was besieged in Haro by Alfonso himself. Alfonso confiscated all his tenencias and granted them to Íñigo Vélaz. There is some discrepancy over when and how Diego died. According to some source, he died in 1124, probably in the fighting, while others place his death in 1126, after having lost all his lands and titles.
Diego married a certain María Sánchez of obscure origins. In 1121 he and his wife joined his sister, Toda López, and her daughter, his niece, María López, in making a donation to Santa María la Real. María Sánchez has been called a sister of García Ordóñez, an impossibility in light of her patronymic
Patronymic
A patronym, or patronymic, is a component of a personal name based on the name of one's father, grandfather or an even earlier male ancestor. A component of a name based on the name of one's mother or a female ancestor is a matronymic. Each is a means of conveying lineage.In many areas patronyms...
; a daughter of Sancho Núñez, son of count Munio Sánchez, ruler of the Duranguesado; and a sister of Lope García Sánchez of the Llodio branch of the Ayala clan. More likely than any of these hypotheses is that she was a daughter of Sancho Sánchez de Erro, ruler of Tafalla
Tafalla
Tafalla is a town and municipality located in the province and autonomous community of Navarre, northern Spain.-External links:**...
in Navarre, and his wife, Elvira García, daughter of García Ordóñez. Diego's claim to García's lordships in 1108 may have stemmed partially from his wife's ancestry. She gave four sons: Lope Díaz I
Lope Díaz I de Haro
Lope Díaz I de Haro was the fourth Lord of Biscay . He was an important magnate in Castile during the reign of the Emperor Alfonso VII and in the kingdom of his son and grandson. Between 1147 and 1168 he is recorded as governing Old Castile on behalf of the crown.-Political career:Lope was the...
, who later ruled Biscay and Álava, and three obscure names, Sancho, Fortunio and Gil. Some historians have reckoned Sancha Díaz de Frias, the founder of Santa María de Bujedo, his daughter, but she was more probably a daughter of Diego Sánchez de Ayala and a sister of Toda Díaz. In May 1140, widowed, María "the mother of Count Lope" (mater comitis Lupi) and Mayor Garcés gave the monastery of San Ginés to that of San Juan de Burgos.
Further reading
- Gregorio Monreal Zia. "El Señorío de Vizcaya: origen, naturaleza jurídica, estructura institucional." Anuario de historia del derecho español, 43(1973), 113–206.