Nuño Pérez de Lara
Encyclopedia
Nuño Pérez de Lara was a Castilian
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...

 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
Repoblación
The Repoblación was the ninth-century repopulating of a large region between the River Duero and the Cantabrian Cordillera which had been depopulated in the early years of the Reconquista....

of the Extremadura
Extremadura
Extremadura is an autonomous community of western Spain whose capital city is Mérida. Its component provinces are Cáceres and Badajoz. It is bordered by Portugal to the west...

 and the defence of the Almohad
Almohad
The Almohad Dynasty , was a Moroccan Berber-Muslim dynasty founded in the 12th century that established a Berber state in Tinmel in the Atlas Mountains in roughly 1120.The movement was started by Ibn Tumart in the Masmuda tribe, followed by Abd al-Mu'min al-Gumi between 1130 and his...

 frontier. Between 1164 and 1169 he governed Castile as regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...

 for the underage Alfonso VIII, and he continued to exercise semi-regal power in the kingdom until 1176. He founded two monasteries and fostered the cult of Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his murder in 1170. He is venerated as a saint and martyr by both the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion...

 in Spain. He died taking part in the Reconquista
Reconquista
The Reconquista was a period of almost 800 years in the Middle Ages during which several Christian kingdoms succeeded in retaking the Muslim-controlled areas of the Iberian Peninsula broadly known as Al-Andalus...

of Cuenca
Cuenca, Spain
-History:When the Iberian peninsula was part of the Roman Empire there were several important settlements in the province, such as Segóbriga, Ercávica and Gran Valeria...

.

Family

Nuño was the third of four sons of 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...

 and his wife Ava, probably from northern France. His elder brothers were Álvaro
Álvaro Pérez de Lara
Álvaro Pérez de Lara was a nobleman of the Lara family. He was the youngest son of Pedro González de Lara. His mother was Eva, who may have been a daughter of Pedro Froilaz de Traba, or perhaps a Frenchwoman. She was originally married to García Ordóñez, but was married to Pedro by November 1127...

 and Manrique
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...

 and he had a younger brother named Rodrigo. Sometime before March 1154 Nuño married Teresa Fernández, an illegitimate daughter of Fernando Pérez de Traba and Theresa of Portugal. Together they were the parents of Álvaro, Fernando
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...

, Gonzalo, Sancha (wife of Sancho, Count of Provence
Sancho, Count of Provence
Sancho was the count of Cerdanya from 1168, Provence from 1181 to 1185, and Roussillon from 1185. He was the youngest son of Count Raymond Berengar IV of Barcelona and Queen regnant Petronilla of Aragón....

) and countess Elvira, perhaps wife of Ermengol VIII, Count of Urgell.

Early public career

In February 1141 Nuño entered public life, subscribing a charter of the monastery at Arlanza
Arlanza
The River Arlanza rises in the Sierra de la Demanda, near Quintanar de la Sierra in an area known as Fuente Sanza. As it flows through the province of Burgos, Spain, it passes through the municipalities of Castrovido, Salas de los Infantes, Covarrubias and Lerma...

. In March 1145 he was appointed imperial 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...

, a post he held until February 1155, an unusually long term for an office that was typically held by younger noblemen early in their careers. In 1146 he held the tenencia 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...

, his first recorded fief. He held an interest in some houses in the important city of Toledo
Toledo, Spain
Toledo's Alcázar became renowned in the 19th and 20th centuries as a military academy. At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 its garrison was famously besieged by Republican forces.-Economy:...

, which he granted to Gonzalo de Marañón
Gonzalo de Marañón
Gonzalo de Marañón was a Castilian magnate during the reigns of Alfonso VII , Sancho III , and Alfonso VIII . By January 1174 he had attained the rank of count , the highest in the kingdom. He was one of the earliest members of the Spanish nobility to adopt a toponymic as a family name...

 in November 1148. There exists a charter dated 1 July 1152 which claims to be a fuero
Fuero
Fuero , Furs , Foro and Foru is a Spanish legal term and concept.The word comes from Latin forum, an open space used as market, tribunal and meeting place...

conceded by Nuño with the consent of the king to the city of Castro Benavente, now Castronuño
Castronuño
Castronuño is a municipality located in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 1,049 inhabitants....

, but it is probably a forgery. The attached list of witnesses indicates that it cannot pre-date 1156, although the re-settlement of the town had occurred as early as 1154. It had been directed by Nuño with the assistance of bishop Navarro of Salmanaca and his archdeacon Cipriano. The ecclesiastics took the lead in the construction of new churches and the provision of liturgical books and vestments, while Nuño oversaw the repopulation of the village. Between February and December 1154 Nuño received the frontier tenencia of Montoro
Montoro
Montoro is a city and municipality in the Córdoba Province of southern Spain, in the north-central part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is located about east-northeast of the capital of the province, Córdoba...

.

As alférez Nuño was used to spending his time at court and governing his fief in absentia, but when Montoro came under Almohad attack in the spring of 1156 he was called to defend it. He was unsuccessful. The fortress fell and he was probably captured. He was not ransomed and returned to court until January 1157. With the loss of Montoro he was transferred to the tenencia of Avia (perhaps Abia de las Torres
Abia de las Torres
Abia de las Torres is a municipality located in the province of Palencia, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 186 inhabitants....

), which he continued to govern until his death. In March 1156 Alfonso VII granted Nuño the vill
Vill
Vill is a term used in English history to describe a land unit which might otherwise be described as a parish, manor or tithing.The term is used in the period immediately after the Norman conquest and into the late medieval. Land units in Domesday are frequently referred to as vills, although the...

 of Alcabón
Alcabón
Alcabón is a municipality located in the province of Toledo, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. According to the 2006 census , the municipality has a population of 707 inhabitants....

 and in 1158 Nuño exchanged his lands at Castronuño with the Hospitallers for theirs at Torre de Herrín. In 1158 Alfonso granted Nuño the tenencia of Villagarcía, and in 1160 those of Cabezón
Cabezon
Cabezón is the Spanish word for "stubborn" or "big-headed". Cabezon or cabezón may refer to:In Chile, cabezon means intelligent.-Fish species:* Cabezone , a species of fish in the Cottidae family...

 (until 1173), Covillas (briefly), and Herrera
Herrera
-Places:*Herrera de Pisuerga, a town in the province of Palencia, Spain*Herrera Province, Panama*Herrera, Spain, a municipality in the province of Sevilla*Enrique Olaya Herrera Airport*Herrera, Entre Ríos in Argentina*Herrera, Santiago del Estero in Argentina...

 (until his death). In 1160 Nuño and his brothers fought a battle at Lobregal
Battle of Lobregal
The Battle of Lobregal took place in March 1160 between the House of Lara and its allies and the forces of the House of Castro under Fernando Rodríguez de Castro...

 with the rival Castros
House of Castro
The House of Castro, is believed to have had its origins in Castile, the name deriving from the town of Castrogeriz , and had deep branches in Galicia.-Origins and Brief History:...

, whom they had earlier that year exiled from the kingdom. They were defeated and Nuño was captured by Fernando Rodríguez de Castro
Fernando Rodríguez de Castro
Fernando Rodríguez de Castro was a Castilian nobleman, statesman and military leader who made his career in León. He was the leader of the House of Castro during the civil wars that followed the death of Sancho III of Castile and the succession of the infant Alfonso VIII...

. By March 1162 Nuño had been granted the title comes
Comes
Comes , plural comites , is the Latin word for companion, either individually or as a member of a collective known as comitatus, especially the suite of a magnate, in some cases large and/or formal enough to have a specific name, such as a cohors amicorum. The word comes derives from com- "with" +...

(count), probably by his brother Manrique, who was regent at the time for the young king, Alfonso VIII. That same year Nuño was made guardian (or tutor) of the king, a responsibility he received against in 1172 and 1173, and was rewarded with the tenencias of Dueñas
Dueñas
Dueñas may refer to:*Dueñas, Iloilo, Philippines*Dueñas, Palencia, Spain...

 (until 1175) and Moratinos
Moratinos
Moratinos may refer to*Moratinos, Palencia, a municipality in the province of Palencia, Spain.*José Lebrún Moratinos , Archbishop of Caracas, Venezuela in 1980-1995.*Miguel Ángel Moratinos a Spanish diplomat and politician....

.

Regency of Castile and later years

When Manrique died in 1164, Nuño succeeded him as regent of Castile. In 1165 he began governing the tenencias of Carrión
Carrion
Carrion refers to the carcass of a dead animal. Carrion is an important food source for large carnivores and omnivores in most ecosystems. Examples of carrion-eaters include vultures, hawks, eagles, hyenas, Virginia Opossum, Tasmanian Devils, coyotes, Komodo dragons, and burying beetles...

 (until 1176, or his death) and Villafáfila
Villafáfila
Villafáfila is a municipality located in the province of Zamora, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 628 inhabitants....

. In March 1168 Alfonso VIII put the town of Chillón
Chillón
Chillón is a municipality in Ciudad Real, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. It has a population of 2,271....

 and its mercury
Mercury (element)
Mercury is a chemical element with the symbol Hg and atomic number 80. It is also known as quicksilver or hydrargyrum...

 mine under the joint control of Nuño and the Order of Calatrava
Order of Calatrava
The Order of Calatrava was the first military order founded in Castile, but the second to receive papal approval. The papal bull confirming the Order of Calatrava as a Militia was given by Pope Alexander III on September 26, 1164.-Origins and Foundation:...

. On 11 November 1169 Alfonso came of age, yet Nuño continued "dwelling on the affairs of the kingdom" (manente super negotia regni) as late as 31 October 1176. In 1170 the king gave Nuño charge of Villavaquerín
Villavaquerín
Villavaquerín is a municipality located in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 206 inhabitants....

, transferring him to that of San Román (1171) and then Cuenca de Campos
Cuenca de Campos
Cuenca de Campos is a municipality in Valladolid ....

 (1172–76) and Tamariz (1172). In 1173 Nuño was governing the tenencias of Amaya
Amaya
Amaya can refer to:* Amaya , a professional Middle Eastern dancer* Amaya o los vascos en el siglo VIII, a novel by Francisco Navarro-Villoslada** Amaya , a 1920 opera by Jesús Guridi based in the novel...

, Castrojeriz, Saldaña
Saldaña
-Places:*Saldana Municipality*Saldaña, Palencia*Saldaña, Colombia*Saldaña de Burgos*Saldaña River...

, and Tariego. In May 1174 Nuño exchanged an estate belonging to a certain Don Sarracín with the monastery of Arlanza for the vill of Huérmeces
Huérmeces
Huérmeces is a municipality located in the province of Burgos, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 131 inhabitants....

. That same year a certain Bernard secured his simoniacal election as Bishop of Osma by paying Nuño and Pedro de Arazuri 5,000 maravedíes. In 1176 Nuño received some houses in Toledo that had once belonged to Sancha Raimúndez from the archbishop, Cerebruno, for an annual rent of five maravedíes. They also gave some houses they owned near the imperial palace to the archbishop.

In 1176 Nuño Pérez de Lara was appointed governor of the tenencias 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:...

, Ubierna, and Valeria
Valeria
Valeria or Valéria is a female given name dating back to the Latin verb valere. The male version is Valerius, Valerio or Valery. Valeria is also connected to the same root with the name, "Valentine," and "Valerian," or "Valeriana officinalis," the herb...

. One year later, in July 1177, he was present at the siege of Cuenca
Cuenca, Spain
-History:When the Iberian peninsula was part of the Roman Empire there were several important settlements in the province, such as Segóbriga, Ercávica and Gran Valeria...

. He was killed in action a few weeks later on the 3rd of August. His widow fled to the Leonese court and there married King Ferdinand II
Ferdinand II of Leon
Ferdinand II was King of León and Galicia from 1157 to his death.-Life:Born in Toledo, Castile, he was the son of King Alfonso VII of León and Castile and of Berenguela, of the House of Barcelona. At his father's death, he received León and Galicia, while his brother Sancho received Castile and...

.

Religious patronage

On 29 January 1160 Nuño and his wife founded the Cistercian convent of Santa María at Perales
Perales
Perales is a municipality located in the province of Palencia, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 107 inhabitants....

, with lands also in Zorita
Zorita de los Canes
Zorita de los Canes is a municipality located in the province of Guadalajara, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 98 inhabitants....

. In 1169 Nuño, his brother Álvaro, and Gonzalo and Sancha Osorio renounced their rights over the monastery 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...

, a daughter house of that of Retuerta
Retuerta
Retuerta is a municipality located in the province of Burgos, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 65 inhabitants....

, and established some Augustinians
Augustinians
The term Augustinians, named after Saint Augustine of Hippo , applies to two separate and unrelated types of Catholic religious orders:...

 there. They provoked controversy by expelling the monks of Retuerta's other nearby daughter house at Herrera de Pisuerga
Herrera de Pisuerga
Herrera de Pisuerga is a municipality located in the province of Palencia, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 2,457 inhabitants....

 and transferring its properties to Aguilar, engendering a dispute that was only resolved in 1173. Aguilar adopted the Praemonstratensian rule and rapidly became the most important Praemonstratensian monastery in the peninsula and patronised by the king. Nuño was especially generous to the cathedrals of the realm, endowing those of Santa María de León
León Cathedral
Santa María de León Cathedral, also called The House of Light or the Pulchra Leonina is situated in the city of León in north-western Spain. It was built on the site of previous Roman baths of the 2nd century which, 800 years later, king Ordoño II converted into a palace.The León Cathedral,...

 (1170), Santa María de Burgos
Burgos Cathedral
The Burgos Cathedral is a Gothic-style Roman Catholic cathedral in Burgos, Spain. It is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and is famous for its vast size and unique architecture. Its construction began in 1221, and was in use nine years later, although work continued on and off for two hundred years...

 (1174), and Santa María de Toledo. At the last they founded a chapel dedicated to Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his murder in 1170. He is venerated as a saint and martyr by both the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion...

 in 1174 and endowed it further in 1177 with the village of Alcabón
Alcabón
Alcabón is a municipality located in the province of Toledo, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. According to the 2006 census , the municipality has a population of 707 inhabitants....

, some houses in Toledo, twenty cows, and one hundred sheep. Nuño have specifically intended to promote the cult of Thomas in Spain. In 1172 he made a grant of half the village of Aceca to the Order of Calatrava
Order of Calatrava
The Order of Calatrava was the first military order founded in Castile, but the second to receive papal approval. The papal bull confirming the Order of Calatrava as a Militia was given by Pope Alexander III on September 26, 1164.-Origins and Foundation:...

. Sometime before 1174 Nuño and his wife founded a hospital beside the Cistercian monastery of Saint Nicholas in Itero del Castillo
Itero del Castillo
Itero del Castillo is a municipality located in the province of Burgos, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 110 inhabitants....

 for travellers on the Way of Saint James crossing the Pisuerga by the bridge (puente de Itero) there.

Works cited

  • Barton, Simon. The Aristocracy in Twelfth-century León and Castile. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997.
  • Fletcher, Richard A.
    Richard A. Fletcher
    Richard A. Fletcher was a historian who specialized in the medieval period. He was Professor of History at the University of York and one of the outstanding talents in English and Spanish medieval scholarship....

    The Episcopate in the Kingdom of León in the Twelfth Century. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1978.
  • Reilly, Bernard F. The Kingdom of León-Castilla under King Alfonso VII, 1126–1157. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1998.
  • Rodríguez-Picavea Matilla, Enrique. "La Orden de Calatrava en la meseta meridional castellana: encomiendas y distrubución geográfica de las propiedades (1158–1212)." Hispania, 51:179 (1991), 875–899.
  • Sánchez de Mora, Antonio. La Nobleza Castella en la Plena Edad Media: El Linaje de Lara (ss. XI-XIII). Doctoral Thesis, Universidad de Sevilla, 2003.
  • Yáñez Neira, María Damián. "El monasterio cisterciense de Perales, cuna de la recolección." Publicaciones de la Institución Tello Téllez de Meneses, 59 (1988), 387–414.
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