Rui Gomes da Silva, 1st Prince of Éboli
Encyclopedia
Don
Rui Gomes da Silva, 1st Prince of Éboli and 1st Duke of Pastrana and Estremera, and iure uxoris Prince of Mélito, Duke of Francavilla and Count of Aliano (27 October 1516 – 29 July 1573). He was a Portuguese
noble and one of King Philip
's main advisers. In Spain he is known as Ruy Gómez de Silva.
where she married Charles I of Spain.
He remained in Spain living within Isabel's entourage. In 1527, when Philip II of Spain
was born, Rui became his page
. An enormous friendship linked the two boys during all their lives. In 1554 when his eldest brother John died, Rui inherited the lordship of Ulme and Chamusca.
, Rui was known among foreign ambassadors as "Rey Gomes" (king Gomes), instead of his birth name "Ruy Gomes". His biggest political adversary was Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba
. They had differing views concerning Spain's government. The Duke of Pastrana defended a much more federalist and compromise system, while the Duke of Alba was for the centralization of the power within a unified and martial monarchy.
They had ten children:
Don (honorific)
Don, from Latin dominus, is an honorific in Spanish , Portuguese , and Italian . The female equivalent is Doña , Dona , and Donna , abbreviated "Dª" or simply "D."-Usage:...
Rui Gomes da Silva, 1st Prince of Éboli and 1st Duke of Pastrana and Estremera, and iure uxoris Prince of Mélito, Duke of Francavilla and Count of Aliano (27 October 1516 – 29 July 1573). He was a Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
noble and one of King Philip
Philip II of Spain
Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....
's main advisers. In Spain he is known as Ruy Gómez de Silva.
Earlier life
Rui Gomes da Silva was the second son of Dom Francisco da Silva, Lord of Ulme and Chamusca. In March 1526, he escorted Infanta Isabel of Portugal to SevilleSeville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
where she married Charles I of Spain.
He remained in Spain living within Isabel's entourage. In 1527, when Philip II of Spain
Philip II of Spain
Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....
was born, Rui became his page
Page (servant)
A page or page boy is a traditionally young male servant, a messenger at the service of a nobleman or royal.-The medieval page:In medieval times, a page was an attendant to a knight; an apprentice squire...
. An enormous friendship linked the two boys during all their lives. In 1554 when his eldest brother John died, Rui inherited the lordship of Ulme and Chamusca.
Ascension to the power
When Philip inherited the Spanish throne in 1556, as Philip II, Rui, who had been close to one of the more influential ministers, received several honors, among them, prince of Éboli. As a minister of Philip II, Rui Gomes da Silva had a remarkable importance within the Spanish politics, and Philip II granted him the highest nobility title, Grandee of Spain.The Ebolist Party
Due to his influence in the Spanish CourtNoble court
The court of a monarch, or at some periods an important nobleman, is a term for the extended household and all those who regularly attended on the ruler or central figure...
, Rui was known among foreign ambassadors as "Rey Gomes" (king Gomes), instead of his birth name "Ruy Gomes". His biggest political adversary was Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba
Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba
Don Fernando Álvarez de Toledo y Pimentel, 3rd Duke of Alba was a Spanish general and governor of the Spanish Netherlands , nicknamed "the Iron Duke" in the Low Countries because of his harsh and cruel rule there and his role in the execution of his political opponents and the massacre of several...
. They had differing views concerning Spain's government. The Duke of Pastrana defended a much more federalist and compromise system, while the Duke of Alba was for the centralization of the power within a unified and martial monarchy.
Marriage
In 1553, Rui was promised in marriage, to 13 year old Ana de Mendoza, 2nd Princess of Mélito, daughter of Diego Hurtado de Mendoza, 1st Duke of Francavilla. The formal wedding promise took place on 13 June 1552.They had ten children:
- Diego (c.1558–1563)
- Ana de Silva y Mendoza (1560–1610) married 1572 to Alonso Pérez de Guzmán, 7th Duke of Medina Sidonia;
- Rodrigo de Silva y Mendoza (1562–1596), 2nd duke of Pastrana
- Pedro de Silva y Mendoza (c. 1563);
- Diego de Silva y Mendoza, (1564–1630), viceroy of Portugal,1615–1621, 1st [marquis of AlenquerAlenquerAlenquer is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 304.2 km² and a total population of 42,932 inhabitants. The municipality is composed of 16 parishes, and is located in the District of Lisbon....
in Portugal, then twice as member of a "Junta", 1623–1630).
- Ruy de Silva y Mendoza, (1565– ????), 1st marquis of La Eliseda.
- Fernando de Silva y Mendoza, Bishop Pedro González de Mendoza, (10 February 1570 – 23 July 1639), Archbishop of Granada, 1610–1615, Archbishop of Zaragoza, 1615–1623, Bishop of Sagunto, 1623 - 1639.
- Maria de Mendoza y Maria de Silva, (c. 1570).
- Ana de Silva y Mendoza, (1573–1614)
Further reading
- The Courtier and the King: Rui Gomez de Silva, Phillip II and the Court of Spain de J. M. Boyden, University of California Press (February 16, 1995). Hardcover: 250 pages ISBN-10: 0520086228 ISBN-13: 978-0520086227
- Mother Love in the Renaissance: The Princess of Eboli's Letters to Her Favorite Son de Helen H. Reed, pags 152-176 in Power and Gender in Renaissance Spain, edit. by prof. Helen Nader. University of Illinois Press (2003).
- Eboli. Secretos de la vida de Ana de Mendoza by Ignacio Ares, Algaba Ediciones (2005).
- http://www.uam.es/personal_pdi/ciencias/depaz/mendoza/anaeboli.htm
- http://www.uam.es/personal_pdi/ciencias/depaz/mendoza/ruyeboli.htm