The House of Lara or Casa de Lara are a noble

Nobility

Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...

 family, known from the medieval Kingdom of Castile

Kingdom of Castile

Kingdom of Castile was one of the medieval kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula. It emerged as a political autonomous entity in the 9th century. It was called County of Castile and was held in vassalage from the Kingdom of León. Its name comes from the host of castles constructed in the region...

.

Two of its branches, those from the Duke 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:...

 and from the Marquis of Aguilar de Campoo

Aguilar de Campoo

Aguilar de Campoo is a town in the province of Palencia, autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. It is close to the River Pisuerga.-History:In 1255 Alfonso X the Wise declared it Villa Realenga...

 were considered Grandees of Spain. The Lara family, which gained numerous territories in Castile

Castile (historical region)

A former kingdom, Castile gradually merged with its neighbours to become the Crown of Castile and later the Kingdom of Spain when united with the Crown of Aragon and the Kingdom of Navarre...

, León

Kingdom of León

The Kingdom of León was an independent kingdom situated in the northwest region of the Iberian Peninsula. It was founded in AD 910 when the Christian princes of Asturias along the northern coast of the peninsula shifted their capital from Oviedo to the city of León...

, Andalucía, and Galicia, were most prominent in the history of the first two realms from the 11th to the 14th century. For example, Álvar Núñez de Lara served as regent for Henry I of Castile

Henry I of Castile

Henry I of Castile was king of Castile. He was the son of Alfonso VIII of Castile and his wife Eleanor Plantagenet, ....

. They had much of their land dispossessed by Peter I, only to have much returned by Henry II.

The authors Gómez Manrique

Gómez Manrique

Gómez Manrique , Gómez Manrique y de Castilla was a Spanish poet, soldier, politician and dramatist born in Amusco. The fifth son of Pedro Manrique de Lara y Mendoza, , adelantado mayor of Leon...

 and Jorge Manrique

Jorge Manrique

Jorge Manrique was a major Spanish poet, whose main work, the Coplas a la muerte de su padre , is still read today...

 belong to this lineage.

History

The family arose in the 11th century through a marriage that united the paternal lands around Lara of Gonzalo Nuñez with the inheritance of his wife Goto, representing those of the noble Álvarez and Alfonso families. During the 12th through 15th centuries, members of the Lara family found themselves at different times in either support or opposition to the established ruler. In 1113, Pedro González de Lara

Pedro González de Lara

Pedro González de Lara was a Castilian magnate. He served Alfonso VI as a young man, and later became the lover of Alfonso's heiress, Queen Urraca. He may have joined the First Crusade in the following of Raymond IV of Toulouse, earning the nickname el Romero...

 supported Queen Urraca of Castile

Urraca of Castile

Urraca was Queen regnant of León, Castile, and Galicia, and claimed the imperial title as suo jure Empress of All the Spains from 1109 until her death in childbirth, as well as Empress of All Galicia.- Childhood :...

 in her struggles against Alfonso I of Aragón. Pedro and his brother, Rodrigo, also confronted Alfonso VII of Castile in 1130. Rodrigo later helped Alfonso counter the rise of the Almoravids

Almoravids

The Almoravids were a Berber dynasty of Morocco, who formed an empire in the 11th-century that stretched over the western Maghreb and Al-Andalus. Their capital was Marrakesh, a city which they founded in 1062 C.E...

. Manrique Pérez de Lara

Manrique Pérez de Lara

Manrique Pérez de Lara was a magnate of the Kingdom of Castile and its regent from 1158 until his death. He was one of the most important counsellors and generals of three successive Castilian monarchs: Alfonso VII , Sancho III and Alfonso VIII...

, Álvar Pérez and Nuño Pérez de Lara

Nuño Pérez de Lara

Nuño Pérez de Lara was a Castilian nobleman, politician and military leader. He began his career at the court of the Emperor Alfonso VII, during whose reign he took part in the repoblación of the Extremadura and the defence of the Almohad frontier...

 disputed the regency of Alfonso VIII

Alfonso VIII of Castile

Alfonso VIII , called the Noble or el de las Navas, was the King of Castile from 1158 to his death and King of Toledo. He is most remembered for his part in the Reconquista and the downfall of the Almohad Caliphate...

, and Fernando Núñez de Lara

Fernando Núñez de Lara

Fernando Núñez de Lara was a count of the House of Lara. He spent most of career in the service of the Kingdom of Castile, but at times served the neighbouring Kingdom of León as well...

 was Alfonso's alférez

Alférez

Alférez is a junior officer rank also used in Spain, Argentina, Chile and Uruguay. The variant Alferes is used in Portugal and was formerly also used in Brazil. A naval variant, Frigate Alférez, is used in Spain, Dominican Republic and Peru. "Alférez" is often translated as ensign...

. Álvar Núñez de Lara became regent of Henry I

Henry I of Castile

Henry I of Castile was king of Castile. He was the son of Alfonso VIII of Castile and his wife Eleanor Plantagenet, ....

. Nuño González de Lara served Fernando III

Ferdinand III of Castile

Saint Ferdinand III, T.O.S.F., was the King of Castile from 1217 and León from 1230. He was the son of Alfonso IX of León and Berenguela of Castile. Through his second marriage he was also Count of Aumale. He finished the work done by his maternal grandfather Alfonso VIII and consolidated the...

 and Alfonso X, but in 1270 led an alliance of nobles against the same king. Juan Núñez de Lara el Mayor, Señor Soberano of Albarracín

Albarracín

Albarracín is Spanish town, in the province of Teruel, part of the autonomous community of Aragon. According to the 2007 census , the municipality had a population of 1075 inhabitants...

, opposed the crowning of Sancho IV

Sancho IV of Castile

Sancho IV the Brave was the King of Castile, León and Galicia from 1284 to his death. He was the second son of Alfonso X and Yolanda, daughter of James I of Aragon.-Biography:...

, and had to temporarily flee to France. Juan Núñez de Lara

Juan Núñez de Lara

Juan Núñez de Lara , Lord of Lara and Vizcaya, son of Ferdinand de la Cerda and Juana Núñez de Lara the Little Dove...

 headed various rebellions against Alfonso XI. Ultimately, the family suffered greatly after the victory of Peter I the Cruel against Henry II of Castile.

The Manrique de Lara

The only branch of the family to survive the Middle Ages were the Manrique de Lara, who supported the Catholic Monarchs

Catholic Monarchs

The Catholic Monarchs is the collective title used in history for Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon. They were both from the House of Trastámara and were second cousins, being both descended from John I of Castile; they were given a papal dispensation to deal with...

 in their war against the supporters of the contender Juana la Beltraneja. In 1520, Charles I of Spain raised the House of Lara to a position as Grandees, as Dukes 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:...

 and Marquis of Aguilar de Campoo

Aguilar de Campoo

Aguilar de Campoo is a town in the province of Palencia, autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. It is close to the River Pisuerga.-History:In 1255 Alfonso X the Wise declared it Villa Realenga...

. Members of the family were to serve the crown as viceroys, captain generals, ambassadors and cardinals. The first Count of Paredes de Nava became Master of the Order of Santiago

Order of Santiago

The Order of Santiago was founded in the 12th century, and owes its name to the national patron of Galicia and Spain, Santiago , under whose banner the Christians of Galicia and Asturias began in the 9th century to combat and drive back the Muslims of the Iberian Peninsula.-History:Santiago de...

.

The original coat of arms is supposed to represent two cauldrons, which represent the ability of the family to sustain many followers.

Family tree

	Members of the House of Lara in the male line
	Marriage or extra-marital relationship
	Descent

External links

• Lara en Medieval Lands by Charles Cawley.