Diego Hurtado de Mendoza

Diego Hurtado de Mendoza is known as one of the most influential ricos hombres (grandees) in the 14th century Castilla.

He was born in Guadalajara in the family of the low Basque nobility which increased its wealth by supporting the King Henry II of Castille in conflict with his half brother Pedro I. With the granted wealth and benefits they were able to buy properties and all other objects of prestige of their class. In 1379 Diego was married to illegitimate daughter of king Henry II and received two towns for dowry.

Following his parents death in the late 1380's Diego became the head of the Mendoza clan and sole owner of its vast fortunes. In the period that followed, Diego became a powerful figure at the royal court and was granted positions, property, and privileges by the monarch.

He held the position of the king’s high steward and from 1392 the post of the chief bailiwick. The latter function granted him the holder power over a town, village, or a small region. Two years later he was granted by the king the real de Manzanares, a large land grant in the present day Spanish provinces of Segovia and Madrid. As a high admiral of Castile he conducted successful maritime campaigns against the Portuguese (1396,1397) and the Berbers (1400).

His second marriage with Leonor de la Vega, a member of the powerful Basque family, brought him additional wealth in the form of numerous counties, towns, seigniories, pastures, salt mines, seaports, and other assets in Biscay, Santander, and the Asturias of Santillana.

Diego dided in 1404 after a painful illness. Although is difficult to assess his overall wealth, from his will we know that he owned fifty properties, including five towns and ten villages. During his lifetime, the family of lower nobility origin became one of the leading and most wealthiest families of the Castilian aristocracy.