Diego Pacheco Téllez-Girón Gómez de Sandoval, also called Diego Fernández de Velasco y Pacheco or Diego Pacheco Telles Giron Fernandez de Velasco y Enrique (1754 – Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

, 1811), was a Spanish noble and politician, who supported the French during the Peninsular War

Peninsular War

The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...

, and who was therefore known as a Afrancesado

Afrancesado

Afrancesado was the term used to denote Spanish and Portuguese partisans of Enlightenment ideas, Liberalism, or the French Revolution, who were supporters of the French occupation of Iberia and of the First French Empire.-Origins:...

.

Family

He was the son of Andrés Manuel Alonso Téllez-Girón Pacheco y Toledo and María Portería Fernández de Velasco y Pacheco. His mother was the daughter of Bernardino Fernández de Velasco, 11th Duke of Frías, who was succeeded by his brother Martín Fernández de Velasco y Pimentel. When the 12th Duke died in 1776 without children, the title of 13th Duke of Frías went to Diego, who called himself since then Diego Fernández de Velasco y Pacheco.

Pedro had an impressive collection of titles :

• Duke of Frías nº 13.
• Duke of Escalona n° 13.
• Duke of Uceda nº 8.
• Count of Alba de Liste nº 18.
• Count of Alcaudete nº 14.
• Count of Fuensalida nº 16.
• Count of Oropesa nº 16.
• Count of Peñaranda de Bracamonte nº 9
• Count of Haro (last).
• Marquis of Frómista nº 10.
• Marquis of Villena nº 13.

He was also a Knight in the Order of the Golden Fleece

Order of the Golden Fleece

The Order of the Golden Fleece is an order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip III, Duke of Burgundy in 1430, to celebrate his marriage to the Portuguese princess Infanta Isabella of Portugal, daughter of King John I of Portugal. It evolved as one of the most prestigious orders in Europe...

 since 1808.

He married with Doña Francisca de Paula de Benavides de Córdoba, and one son, called Bernardino Pacheco Téllez-Girón y Benavides. When Pedro died, he also changed his name to Bernardino Fernández de Velasco y Pacheco.

Career

In 1798, during the reign of Charles IV of Spain

Charles IV of Spain

Charles IV was King of Spain from 14 December 1788 until his abdication on 19 March 1808.-Early life:...

, Pedro was ambassador in Portugal.

When the French invaded Spain in 1808, he chose their side and received some important functions in the government of Joseph Bonaparte

Joseph Bonaparte

Joseph-Napoléon Bonaparte was the elder brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, who made him King of Naples and Sicily , and later King of Spain...

. He played an important role in editing the Bayonne Statute

Bayonne Statute

The Bayonne Statute —also Bayonne Constitution or Bayonne Charter and, officially in French, Acte Constitutionnel de l’Espagne—was a constitution or a royal charter approved in Bayonne, France, 8 July 1808, by Joseph Bonaparte as the intended basis for his rule as king of Spain...

, which was approved on July 8 1808.

Diego died in 1811 in France, where he was Spanish ambassador. He was buried in the Père Lachaise Cemetery

Père Lachaise Cemetery

Père Lachaise Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the city of Paris, France , though there are larger cemeteries in the city's suburbs.Père Lachaise is in the 20th arrondissement, and is reputed to be the world's most-visited cemetery, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors annually to the...

 in París

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

.