García de Medrano y Álvarez de los Ríos
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García de Medrano y Álvarez de los Ríos, Lord of San Gregorio (Valladolid, 20 July 1604 – 3 September 1683)[1] was a prominent Spanish nobleman, statesman and jurist from the House of Medrano, holding numerous high-ranking positions throughout his career. He served as regent and interim viceroy of the Kingdom of Navarre, Fiscal (prosecutor), mayor and regent of Seville, and professor at the University of Salamanca. In 1657, he presided over the Hall of Mayors of Castile and led a royal reform of the Colegio Mayor de San Ildefonso at the University of Alcalá in 1666. He was also a Knight of the Order of Santiago, perpetual regidor of Soria and procurator in the Cortes, crime prosecutor of the Royal Audiencia and Chancery of Valladolid, auditor of Valladolid, auditor of the Council of Finance and the Council of the Indies, Minister of Finance, Minister of the Council of the Indies, President of the Chamber of Magistrates in Seville, Prosecutor and Councilor of the Royal Council of Castile, Minister of Justice, Minister of Castile and His Majesty's Chamber, and Councilor of the Spanish Inquisition.[2]
García de Medrano y Álvarez de los Ríos Lord of San Gregorio, Knight of Santiago | |
|---|---|
_1568_Shield_of_Garci_Bravo_de_Medrano_(Medrano,_Laguna,_Garci-Bravo_y_Mendoza).jpg) Coat of arms of Garcí Bravo de Medrano y Molina Mendoza (García's ancestor) | |
| Judge of Studies | |
| In office 1630–1632 | |
| Monarch | Philip IV of Spain |
| Mayor and Prosecutor of the Audiencia of Seville | |
| In office 1632–1636 | |
| Monarch | Philip IV of Spain |
| Professor at the University of Salamanca | |
| In office October 17, 1636 – September 4, 1638 | |
| Prosecutor of the Chancery of Valladolid | |
| In office 1641 – February 10, 1643 | |
| Monarch | Philip IV of Spain |
| Auditor of Valladolid | |
| In office February 10, 1643 – January 17, 1645 | |
| Monarch | Philip IV of Spain |
| Regent of the Kingdom of Navarre | |
| In office January 17, 1645 – 1648 | |
| Monarch | Philip IV of Spain |
| Preceded by | Gabriel Vigil |
| Succeeded by | King Charles II of Spain |
| Auditor of the Treasury Council and Council of the Indies | |
| In office September 17, 1648 – September 11, 1652 | |
| Monarch | Philip IV of Spain |
| Prosecutor of the Council of Castile | |
| In office September 11, 1652 – September 25, 1652 | |
| Monarch | Philip IV of Spain |
| Regent of the Audiencia of Seville | |
| In office September 25, 1652 – 1657 | |
| Monarch | Philip IV of Spain |
| Preceded by | García de Porres |
| President of the Chamber of Magistrates in Seville | |
| In office 1657–1664 | |
| Monarch | Philip IV of Spain |
| Member of the Council of Inquisition | |
| In office September 10, 1664 – June 1678 (first term) January 1, 1680 – September 3, 1683 (second term) | |
| Monarchs | Philip IV of Spain (initial term), Charles II of Spain (reinstated term) |
| Preceded by | García de Porres |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 20, 1604 Valladolid, Crown of Castile |
| Died | September 3, 1683 (aged 79) Empire of Spain |
| Spouse | María Ignacia de Mendizábal y Uribe |
| Children |
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| Alma mater | University of Salamanca |
| Known for |
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| Awards | Knight of the Order of Santiago |
Background
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García de Medrano y Alvarez de los Rios, Lord of San Gregorio, was born in Valladolid on 20 July 1604. He was the son of García de Medrano y Castejón, a Knight of Santiago and a member of the Royal Council of Castile, who was married to María Álvarez de los Ríos. This marriage became the foundation of one of the most prominent families of royal legal officials (togados) serving the Spanish Monarchy throughout the 17th and 18th centuries.[3]
The Medrano family, known for their extensive landholdings and wealth, played a key role in managing Soria’s municipal affairs during the 15th century, building their wealth through corn cultivation and sheep farming.[4] By the 16th century, they had risen to prominent positions in central administration, with members serving on the Royal Council of Castile.[5] According to genealogical proofs provided by García de Medrano y Castejón, this branch of the family not only owned the entailed estate and fortress of San Gregorio but also possessed 15,000 sheep.[6]
Progenitor of the Counts of Torrubia
García's son, García de Medrano y Mendizábal, was granted the title of 1st Count of Torrubia, a Spanish noble title created on 29 August 1694 by King Charles II of Spain. His second son, Andrés de Medrano y Mendizábal, succeeded him as the 2nd Count of Torrubia after his elder brother died without heirs.[7]
Castle of San Gregorio
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Their ancestral estate is situated in San Gregorio, approximately seven kilometers from La Rubia in the province of Soria.[5] In 1677, García de Medrano added a new construction or renovation to the Castle of San Gregorio, commemorated in stone above the entrance.[8]
House of Álvarez de los Ríos
His mother María Álvarez de los Ríos, from the noble House of Álvarez de los Ríos, was born in Soria and baptized in the parish of Santa María Magdalena on 27 September 1561.[3]
Ancestry
García de Medrano y Álvarez de los Ríos is the paternal grandson of García de Medrano y Vinuesa, born in Soria, and his wife Catalina de Castejon. His grandfather was lord of San Gregorio.[6]
Garcia de Medrano is the paternal great–grandson of Diego López de Medrano, Lord of San Gregorio, and Francisca de Vinuesa, who were known for being immensely wealthy.[6]
Garcia de Medrano is the great–great–grandson of Diego López de Medrano y Vergara, Lord of San Gregorio, a member of His Majesty's Council, and Magdalena Bravo de Lagunas, well-known for their nobility in the Kingdom of Castile.[6]
Relatives
García de Medrano is also the great-uncle of Francisco Antonio de Agurto Salcedo Medrano Zúñiga, Captain General and Governor of the Habsburg Netherlands.[9]
Education and career
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On 18 October 1626, García de Medrano entered the prestigious Colegio Mayor de San Bartolomé at the University of Salamanca, where he completed a licentiate in Canon Law.[6] According to Ruiz y Vergara:
He graduated as a Licentiate in Canons at the College in 1636. On October 17, the Council gave him the position of Sixth Chair of Property, above all the other professors who had been promoted before him.[10]
In 1630, he was appointed juez de estudios (judge of studies), and by 1632, he was serving as alcalde and fiscal of the Audiencia of Seville, positions he held until 1636.[10] His academic career led him to occupy the Chair of Canons on 17 October 1636, and that of Sextus (Sextus Decretalium) and Clementines (Clementine Constitutions) at the University of Salamanca, as professor. He was Doctor of Canons on September 4, 1638.[11]
Regency and Viceroy of Navarre
In 1641, he was named fiscal of the Royal Chancery of Valladolid, and on February 10, 1643, he was elevated to the position of oidor (judge) within the same court. On January 17, 1645, following the death of Gabriel Vigil, he was appointed regent of the Kingdom of Navarre, and by September 17, 1648, he had become oidor of both the Council of Finance and the Council of the Indies.[12]
In November 1645, he presided over the interim viceroy position in Navarre[13] in the absence of the Count of Oropesa. He later served as a consultant to the viceroy during the Cortes of 1645 and 1646.[5]
Despite his brief time in Navarre, he made a strong impact, leading the kingdom to request in 1648 that his replacement be of equal standing, describing him as:
a distinguished figure in governance and letters, worthy as is Don García.[5][14]
Judge of the Council and the General Accounting Office of the Treasury
On April 2, 1648, he was elevated to the position of judge of the Council and the General Accounting Office of the Treasury, though he did not officially assume the role until January 27 of the following year.[5]
Regency of Seville and Council of Castile
García de Medrano was appointed fiscal of the Royal Council of Castile on September 11, 1652, and just two weeks later, on September 25, he was named regent of the Audiencia of Seville, thereby also becoming a full councilor of Castile. In 1657, he presided over the Hall of Mayors of the same Audiencia and was appointed visitador (official visitor) to the University of Alcalá, where he later oversaw one of the most comprehensive academic reforms of the Spanish Golden Age.[15]
On September 10, 1664, he was appointed to the Supreme Council of the Inquisition, replacing García de Porres, a position he formally assumed on December 23. He joined the Chamber of the Council (Cámara del Consejo) on March 26, 1670. Though he retired from public office in June 1678, he was reinstated on January 1, 1680. He died on September 3, 1683.[12]
Medrano's reform of the Colegio Mayor de San Ildefonso
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_reforma_de_García_de_Medrano_de_1666.png)
In 1665, García de Medrano was appointed by King Philip IV as royal visitor to the University of Alcalá de Henares. Acting under a royal decree, he authored the royal reform of the Colegio Mayor de San Ildefonso, also known as the reform of García de Medrano, including the institution's statutes, governance, and discipline.[15] Codified in 1666 into an 82-title legal code and implemented the following year, the reform ended the university’s traditional autonomy, regulated faculty elections, introduced term limits, and imposed Crown oversight in academic affairs.[16][17] It is widely regarded as one of the most detailed academic restructurings of the Spanish Habsburg era.[18]
College of San Eugenio
The College of San Eugenio, also known as San Ambrosio, was situated on Nebrija Street alongside the Colleges of San Isidro and the Hospital of San Lucas. Originally housing 36 students in Latin and Greek, enrollment was reduced to 16 under García de Medrano’s reforms. In the early 19th century, the college was relocated to Santa Balbina.[19]
Death
Although King Charles II was reluctant to grant retirements to members of the Council of Castile, García de Medrano was authorized to retire in 1678 due to his advanced age and the fact that he attended council meetings only 15 to 20 days a year. Shortly thereafter, he was officially granted retirement, but by January 1680, he returned to his duties, serving until his death on 3 September 1683.[5]
Marriage and issue
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García de Medrano y Álvarez de los Ríos was married to María Ignacia de Mendizábal y Uribe, the daughter of Gregorio López de Mendizábal.[20] Dr. Gregorio López de Mendizábal (1590–1647) was a distinguished jurist who held several prominent positions, including Fiscal in Granada (1623), Oidor in Granada (1628), Alcalde de Casa y Corte (1635), and Councilor of Castile (1642).[3]
Children
Together García and Maria had three sons:
- García de Medrano y Mendizábal, I Count of Torrubia, born in Madrid on 7 September 1652, and died on 3 March 1695.
- Andrés de Medrano y Mendizábal, 2nd Count of Torrubia, born in Seville on 5 November 1654, and died in Madrid on 22 December 1720.[21]
- Domingo de Medrano y Mendizabal, born in 1650, died in 1672. Baptized in Madrid on March 15, 1650.
His son Andrés de Medrano was the great-grandfather of María del Carmen Chacón Medrano, Duchess of Gor, Grandee, by marriage. The title's name refers to the town of Gor in the province of Granada. García de Medrano's great-great-granddaughter Duchess María del Carmen Chacón Medrano married Nicolás Mauricio Álvarez de las Asturias Bohorques y Vélez Ladrón de Guevara, Verdugo y Enríquez de Sevilla, I Duke of Gor.
His son Domingo became a knight of the Order of Calatrava at just nine years old and inherited the family estate of San Gregorio, which he left to his younger brother, García, as he had no heirs. He died at a young age. After studying at the Colegial Mayor de Santa Cruz de Valladolid, he started his administrative career, having taken on the role of auditor for the Audiencia of Seville on November 11, 1672, when he passed away.[22]
In 1668-1669, Domingo de Medrano was a professor and rector at the University of Salamanca. He married María de Robles, together they had a daughter named Águeda de Medrano. On May 10, 1664, Francisco de Aragüés y Medrano, son of José de Aragüés y Abarca and María de Medrano, married Águeda de Medrano, daughter of Domingo de Medrano and María de Robles. The couple were second cousins.[23]
For at least about 160 years, many members in the House of Medrano were linked to the University of Salamanca: in 1508, Luis de Medrano was the rector and his sister Luisa de Medrano was the first female professor at the University of Salamanca and Europe.[24] The next generation of the Medrano family also produced two rectors at the University of Salamanca: Domingo and García de Medrano y Mendizábal, both fourth nephews of Luisa de Medrano and knights of the Order of Calatrava. The Book of the university's Claustro for the year 1668-1669 describes Domingo's abdication and García's election for the rest of the year very clearly. The Book of the university's Claustro of 1668-1669 indicates that Domingo de Medrano, due to urgent business in Madrid, was forced to resign, and was succeeded by García de Medrano y Mendizábal, undoubtedly his brother.[25]
Ecclesiaatical patronage
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At the time of his passing, García de Medrano y Álvarez de los Ríos had under his patronage several religious institutions in Spain.[5] In Burgos, Medrano was a patron of the Convent of Las Huelgas, a royal Cistercian monastery founded in 1187 by King Alfonso VIII and Queen Eleanor of England. This convent held significant prestige, serving as a burial site for Castilian royalty and maintaining a privileged status under the direct authority of the monarchy.[26]
Madrid
García supported the Convent of San Isidro in Madrid, a Jesuit institution known for its theological scholarship and missionary work, reinforcing the intellectual and spiritual influence of the Society of Jesus.[27][28]
He also contributed to the Mercedarian Discalced Convent in Madrid, a reformed branch of the Order of Mercy, which was dedicated to the ransom of Christian captives held by Muslim powers. His patronage of the Royal Monastery of San Antón in Madrid, a prestigious institution tied to the Spanish monarchy and the Antonine Order, further solidified his connection to both the Crown and the Church, particularly in the charitable treatment of those afflicted by Saint Anthony’s Fire (ergotism).[29]
Duruelo
Beyond the capital, his support extended to the Carmelite Convent in Duruelo, the first reformed Carmelite monastery founded by Saint Teresa of Ávila in 1568. As a center of monastic renewal and ascetic devotion, the convent embodied the ideals of the Counter-Reformation, emphasizing spiritual discipline and a return to stricter religious observance.[30]
References
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