Lope Íñiguez (c. 1050 – 1093) succeeded his father Íñigo López

Íñigo López

Íñigo López was the first Lord of Biscay. Although the date is not known precisely, Íñigo's government of Biscay began between 1040 and 1043 at the latest. It was certainly by appointment of the king, García Sánchez III of Navarre, and not a hereditary right...

 to become the second Lord of Biscay

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...

 in 1076.

Íñigo died shortly after the assassination of his overlord Sancho IV of Navarre

Sancho IV of Navarre

Sancho IV Garcés , called Sancho of Peñalén or Sancho the Noble, was King of Navarre from 1054 to 1076. He was the eldest son and heir of García Sánchez III and Estefanía....

 and the subsequent takeover of Biscay, 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...

, part of Guipúzcoa and La Rioja

La Rioja (Spain)

La Rioja is an autonomous community and a province of northern Spain. Its capital is Logroño. Other cities and towns in the province include Calahorra, Arnedo, Alfaro, Haro, Santo Domingo de la Calzada, and Nájera.-History:...

 by Alfonso VI of Castile

Alfonso VI of Castile

Alfonso VI , nicknamed the Brave or the Valiant, was King of León from 1065, King of Castile and de facto King of Galicia from 1072, and self-proclaimed "Emperor of all Spain". After the conquest of Toledo he was also self-proclaimed victoriosissimo rege in Toleto, et in Hispania et Gallecia...

. He accepted Alfonso as his lord and his son followed suit, although after Íñigo's death the tenencia of 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:...

, the most important in La Rioja, which he had held was given to 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...

, husband of Urraca, sister of the deceased Navarrese king. Nevertheless, it was Lope and Diego Álvarez de Oca whom the king had swear to uphold and guarantee the fuero

Fuero

Fuero , Furs , Foro and Foru is a Spanish legal term and concept.The word comes from Latin forum, an open space used as market, tribunal and meeting place...

of Nájera which he had granted (1076).

For the loss of Nájera, Lope was compensated with the tenencias of Álava (1081) and Guipúzcoa (1082) and he was thus the first to unite the Basque provinces

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...

 under one lord. The first record of his simultaneous rule in all three provinces comes from a charter of donation he made to the monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla in 1082, which he signed as "I, lord Lope Íñiguez, governing Biscay, Guipúzcoa and Álava". This concentration of political authority led to the suppression of the Diocese of Álava and the consignment of its province to the Diocese of Calahorra in 1087. In 1089 Lope received the title of count

Count

A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...

, the highest rank in the kingdom, from Alfonso. Lope's importance continued to grow, for in 1091, at his instigation, Alfonso VI donated the monastery of San Andrés de Astigarribia, which lay on the border between Biscay and Guipúzcoa, to San Millán.

Lope was a regular participant in Alfonso VI's 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...

. He probably took part in the conquest of Toledo in 1085. Forces from Álava are known to have participated in the Battle of Sagrajas in 1086, probably under his leadership. In the spring of 1092 he probably joined with García Ordóñez in defending the Rioja from the depredations of from the exile and freebooter Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar.

Lope married Ticlo (Tecla) Díaz, daughter of a certain Diego Álvarez, possibly Diego Álvarez de Ayala, who ruled Asturias de Santillana, but more probably Diego Álvarez de Oca. Their marriage took place before 1079, when the couple made a donation to San Millán. Ticlo may have brought part of Las Encartaciones to Lope, thus uniting them permanently with Biscay. She gave birth to an heir, Diego I

Diego López I de Haro

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...

, named after her father. The names Diego and Lope would alternate in the heads of the family for generations. Ticlo bore four other children: Sancho, Toda (who married Lope González, who succeeded Lope in Álava), Sancha and Teresa (who married García Sánchez de Zurbano and later went on a pilgrimage to Rome). Shortly after Lope's death in 1093 Ticlo donated the monastery of Albóniga to San Millán for the good of his soul. She died towards 1104 and was buried in San Millán. Lope may also have been the father of Pedro López de Monforte

Pedro López de Monforte

Pedro López de Monforte was an Iberian nobleman and castellan. Probably originally from the Rioja, he was most active in the Kingdom of León. He was appointed a count, the highest rank in the kingdom, by Alfonso VII sometime before 1 July 1131....

.