The House of Castro, is believed to have had its origins in Castile

Castile (historical region)

A former kingdom, Castile gradually merged with its neighbours to become the Crown of Castile and later the Kingdom of Spain when united with the Crown of Aragon and the Kingdom of Navarre...

, the name deriving from the town of Castrogeriz (Province of Burgos), and had deep branches in Galicia.

Origins and Brief History

The first clearly identified member of the family was early-12th century count Fernando García de Hita, a kinsman and vassal of Urraca of León and Castile. This kinship, along with his patronymic, have led to him being considered illegitimate son of Urraca's uncle García II of Galicia. More recently, it has been suggested that he was the son of count 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...

 by the infanta Urraca Garcés of Navarre, and perhaps scion of the Banu Gómez clan.

During the reign of Alfonso VIII

Alfonso VIII of Castile

Alfonso VIII , called the Noble or el de las Navas, was the King of Castile from 1158 to his death and King of Toledo. He is most remembered for his part in the Reconquista and the downfall of the Almohad Caliphate...

, the Castro family, under Gutierrez Fernandez, rivaled another major Castilian family, the House of Lara

House of Lara

The House of Lara or Casa de Lara are a noble family, known from the medieval Kingdom of Castile.Two of its branches, those from the Duke of Nájera and from the Marquis of Aguilar de Campoo were considered Grandees of Spain...

, for power in the kingdom of Castile.

The lack of heirs in the senior line resulted in the rise of a cadet branch seated in Galicia. This branch became the most powerful of the Galician nobility, and one of the most powerful in Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

. Traditionally linked to the county of Lemos, the most illustrious representatives were the "Great Conde de Lemos" Pedro Fernández de Castro y Andrade, and his uncle, Cardinal Rodrigo de Castro Osorio

Rodrigo de Castro Osorio

Rodrigo de Castro Osorio, was Cardinal-Bishop of Zamora and Diocese of Cuenca , Archbishop of Seville, , a member of the Council of State of Spain and the Supreme Council of the Spanish Inquisition for the reign of Philip II of Spain. Great-uncle of Pedro Fernández de Castro y Andrade, Conde de...

. Another scion, Pedro Antonio Fernández de Castro

Pedro Antonio Fernández de Castro

Pedro Antonio Fernández de Castro, 10th Count of Lemos was a Spanish nobleman who was Viceroy of Peru from 1667 until his death.-Biography:He was born in Monforte de Lemos, in what is now the province of Lugo....

 is still well remembered in Peru

Peru

Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....

.

The House of Castro went into decline because of their lack of offspring, with the county of Lemos passing to the House of Alba

House of Alba

The House of Alba is an important Spanish aristocratic family who derive from the 12th century Mozarab nobility of post-conquest Toledo. Their claim to Alba traces to 1429, when the first Álvarez de Toledo was made Lord of the City of Alba de Tormes...

. The coat of the Galician branch of the House of Castro were six blue roundels on a silver field. The Portuguese branch used a variant that included thirteen roundels on gold.