Francisco de los Cobos y Molina
Encyclopedia
Francisco de los Cobos y Molina (c. 1477 – 10 May 1547) was the secretary of State and Comendador for the kingdom of Castile
under the rule of the Emperor Charles I of Spain.
ca. 1477 and died May 10, 1547 in the same city. He was born to the aristocratic, though economically disadvantaged family of Don Pedro Rodríguez de los Cobos, he was the son of don Diego de los Cobos, regent of Ubeda, and Catalina de Molina. In 1522, he married the fourteen year old María de Mendoza
y Sarmiento, daughter of Juan Hurtado de Mendoza y María de Sarmiento, 6th Countess of Ribadavia
. His titles would be inherited by his male son Diego de los Cobos y Hurtado de Mendoza, (circa 1523 - 1575), who was subsequently awarded the title of 1st Marquis of Camarasa
, together with his wife, by king Charles I of Spain, a.k.a. Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V
on 18 February 1543 .
His daughter, sister of the 1st Marquis of Camarasa
, Diego, is usually known as Maria Sarmiento de Mendoza, as sometimes Spanish Nobility females took as their first family name their mother family name. She married at Valladolid on 30 November 1538, Gonzalo II Fernández de Córdoba (1520-1578)
, Governor of the Duchy of Milan, 1558–1560 and 1563–1564, a Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece
since 1555, living in Italy when her hisband was there a Governor and spending considerable amounts of money, no issue.
In 2008, this title was held by the duke of Segorbe
, Ignacio Medina Fernández de Córdoba y Fernández de Henestrosa.
, and then Regent for Úbeda the next year. These positions were entitled to collect tribute and payments to the crown.
After the death of king Ferdinand of Aragon
in 1516, Cobos was charged by Cardinal Cisneros with traveling to Habsburg-ruled Flanders
to become a counselor for the young new monarch, Charles I of Spain. He advised the king on matters that dealt with the Spanish portion of his domains, and became the emperor's constant companion. In 1528, the fall of the Chancellor Mercurino Gattinara, allowed Francisco de los Cobos to be named to the leadership of the council of State, from where he could influence imperial policy.
and arranged for the emperor's portrait by the famed Venetian artist. One sad note was the loss during a shipwreck of a large assembly of Italian works, including a Pietá by Sebastiano del Piombo
and a series of paintings from the City council of Lucca
. Additionally he was able to collect portraits of royalty and nobility, as well as exotic gifts brought to Spain after the conquest of the Aztecs and Incas. He is known to have given an Aztec manuscript bound in tiger skin to the historian Paolo Giovio
in Naples. His patronage also led to the Italianate Renaissance
architecture found in the town center of Úbeda
.
Crown of Castile
The Crown of Castile was a medieval and modern state in the Iberian Peninsula that formed in 1230 as a result of the third and definitive union of the crowns and parliaments of the kingdoms of Castile and León upon the accession of the then King Ferdinand III of Castile to the vacant Leonese throne...
under the rule of the Emperor Charles I of Spain.
Biographical data
He was born in ÚbedaÚbeda
Úbeda is a town in the province of Jaén in Spain's autonomous community of Andalusia, with some 35,600 inhabitants. Both this city and the neighboring city of Baeza benefited from extensive patronage in the early 16th century resulting in the construction of a series of Renaissance style palaces...
ca. 1477 and died May 10, 1547 in the same city. He was born to the aristocratic, though economically disadvantaged family of Don Pedro Rodríguez de los Cobos, he was the son of don Diego de los Cobos, regent of Ubeda, and Catalina de Molina. In 1522, he married the fourteen year old María de Mendoza
House of Mendoza
The Mendoza family was a powerful line of Spanish nobles. Members of the family wielded considerable power, especially from the 14th to the 17th centuries in Castile. The family originated from the town of Mendoza in the province of Álava in the Basque countries...
y Sarmiento, daughter of Juan Hurtado de Mendoza y María de Sarmiento, 6th Countess of Ribadavia
Ribadavia
The town of Ribadavia is located in the southwest of the province of Ourense, Autonomous Community of Galicia, Spain. The urban area lies on the right bank of the Miño and the last course of the Avia. It is considered to be the capital of the comarca of the Ribeiro...
. His titles would be inherited by his male son Diego de los Cobos y Hurtado de Mendoza, (circa 1523 - 1575), who was subsequently awarded the title of 1st Marquis of Camarasa
Camarasa
Camarasa is a municipality in the comarca of the Noguera in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated at the confluence of the Segre and Noguera Pallaresa rivers....
, together with his wife, by king Charles I of Spain, a.k.a. Holy Roman Emperor
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
Charles V
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
on 18 February 1543 .
His daughter, sister of the 1st Marquis of Camarasa
Camarasa
Camarasa is a municipality in the comarca of the Noguera in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated at the confluence of the Segre and Noguera Pallaresa rivers....
, Diego, is usually known as Maria Sarmiento de Mendoza, as sometimes Spanish Nobility females took as their first family name their mother family name. She married at Valladolid on 30 November 1538, Gonzalo II Fernández de Córdoba (1520-1578)
Gonzalo II Fernández de Córdoba (1520-1578)
Gonzalo II Fernández de Córdoba , 3rd duke of Sessa, was the grandson of famous Viceroy of Naples, Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, 1st duke of Sessa...
, Governor of the Duchy of Milan, 1558–1560 and 1563–1564, a Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece
Order of the Golden Fleece
The Order of the Golden Fleece is an order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip III, Duke of Burgundy in 1430, to celebrate his marriage to the Portuguese princess Infanta Isabella of Portugal, daughter of King John I of Portugal. It evolved as one of the most prestigious orders in Europe...
since 1555, living in Italy when her hisband was there a Governor and spending considerable amounts of money, no issue.
In 2008, this title was held by the duke of Segorbe
Segorbe
Segorbe is a municipality in the mountainous coastal province of Castelló, autonomous community of Valencia, Spain. The former Palace of the Dukes of Medinaceli now houses the city's mayor...
, Ignacio Medina Fernández de Córdoba y Fernández de Henestrosa.
Career in government
His career benefited from the help aforded by his uncle, Diego Vela Allide, treasurer and secretary of queen Isabel I of Castile. Later, by 1503, he worked as a scribe under the dean of the Queen's secretaries, Hernando de Zafra. In 1507, upon Zafra's death, he became first Treasurer of GranadaGranada
Granada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence of three rivers, the Beiro, the Darro and the Genil. It sits at an elevation of 738 metres above sea...
, and then Regent for Úbeda the next year. These positions were entitled to collect tribute and payments to the crown.
After the death of king Ferdinand of Aragon
Ferdinand II of Aragon
Ferdinand the Catholic was King of Aragon , Sicily , Naples , Valencia, Sardinia, and Navarre, Count of Barcelona, jure uxoris King of Castile and then regent of that country also from 1508 to his death, in the name of...
in 1516, Cobos was charged by Cardinal Cisneros with traveling to Habsburg-ruled Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
to become a counselor for the young new monarch, Charles I of Spain. He advised the king on matters that dealt with the Spanish portion of his domains, and became the emperor's constant companion. In 1528, the fall of the Chancellor Mercurino Gattinara, allowed Francisco de los Cobos to be named to the leadership of the council of State, from where he could influence imperial policy.
Patronage of the arts
Cobos was able to amass vast riches in his work with the state. He was able to use some of his riches in fostering patronage and acquiring art. He met TitianTitian
Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio (c. 1488/1490 – 27 August 1576 better known as Titian was an Italian painter, the most important member of the 16th-century Venetian school. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, near...
and arranged for the emperor's portrait by the famed Venetian artist. One sad note was the loss during a shipwreck of a large assembly of Italian works, including a Pietá by Sebastiano del Piombo
Sebastiano del Piombo
Sebastiano del Piombo , byname of Sebastiano Luciani, was an Italian Renaissance-Mannerist painter of the early 16th century famous for his combination of the colors of the Venetian school and the monumental forms of the Roman school.- Biography :Sebastiano del Piombo belongs to the painting school...
and a series of paintings from the City council of Lucca
Lucca
Lucca is a city and comune in Tuscany, central Italy, situated on the river Serchio in a fertile plainnear the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Lucca...
. Additionally he was able to collect portraits of royalty and nobility, as well as exotic gifts brought to Spain after the conquest of the Aztecs and Incas. He is known to have given an Aztec manuscript bound in tiger skin to the historian Paolo Giovio
Paolo Giovio
thumb|Paolo Giovio.thumb|Monument to Paolo Giovo by [[Francesco da Sangallo]], in [[San Lorenzo di Firenze|San Lorenzo]] Basilica, [[Florence]].Paolo Giovio was an Italian physician, historian and biographer, and prelate.He is chiefly known as the author of a celebrated work of...
in Naples. His patronage also led to the Italianate Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
architecture found in the town center of Úbeda
Úbeda
Úbeda is a town in the province of Jaén in Spain's autonomous community of Andalusia, with some 35,600 inhabitants. Both this city and the neighboring city of Baeza benefited from extensive patronage in the early 16th century resulting in the construction of a series of Renaissance style palaces...
.