Biographical Index A-C

  • Name and Title.
    Biographical Information.
    Letter numbers.
  • Abbess of the Descalzas Reales
    84
  • Acevedo y Zúñiga, Manuel de, 6th Count of Monterrey
    30, 31, 32, 40, 46, 99, 103, 154, 168, 179
  • Aguirre, Juan de
    He was appointed Alcalde de la Corte, on the Council of Navarre in 1628, and as a Councillor of Navarre in 1632.
    1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 17, 35, 37, 38, 40, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 49, 50, 92, 110, 114, 115, 117, 177
  • Aianzo, Jerónimo de
    64
  • Alarcón, Francisco Antonio de
    He was appointed as an Alcalde de Hijosdalgo, of Valladolid in 1613; as an Oidor de Granada, in 1616. He was sent on special commissions to Naples in both 1622 and 1628. He was appointed as Councillor of Indies in 1624, and to the Chamber of Castile in 1634. In 1643 he became Governor of Finance. For more information see biography.
    95, 98, 99, 103, 115, 138, 168, 169, 170, 171, 172
  • Alboroz, Cardenal
    154
  • Aldana, Antonio de
    69
  • Alossa Rodarte, Antonio de
    He sat on both the Chamber of Castile and the Supreme Council of the Inquisition.
    29, 39
  • Alvarez de Toledo, Duarte Fernando, 7th Count of Oropessa
    18
  • Alvarez de Toledo, Fernando, 6th Duke of Alba
    13, 46, 118, 122, 146, 150
  • Alvarez de Toledo y Enríquez de Cabrera, Antonio, Marquis of Villanueva
    Villanueva was the son and heir of the Duke of Alba
    46, 116, 117, 125
  • Amores, Maestro
    He was Juan de Austria's tutor.
    36, 69
  • Andrade, Fernando de, Archbishop of Palermo
    He sat on the Council of Inquisition. He died in 1646.
    10, 12, 16, 36
  • Andrade y Sotomayor, Fernando de, Archbishop of Santiago
    97
  • Aragón, Antonio de, Cardinal
    He was an inluential Councillor of Orders. He died in 1650, at which time his brother Pascual became a Cardinal.
    77, 114, 156
  • Aragón, Vicente de
    117
  • Aragón y Cardona, Luis de, 6th Duke of Cardona and Segorbe
    Luis de Aragon was the head of the extensive Cardona family, having considerable lands in both Catalonia and Andalusia. The 5th Duke had acted as Viceroy of Catalonia and the family had suffered financially since the Catalan rebellion. There were many brothers: Pedro Antonio, who was the Ayo of Baltasar Carlos, and the most long-lived of the brothers, becoming Embassador to Rome after his younger brother Pascual; Antonio - see above; Vicente - see above; Pascual, who became a  Cardinal after the death of Antonio, served as Embassador to Rome, and later became Archbishop of Toledo. There were also two sisters including Catalina Fernandez de Cordoba, married to Luis de Haro.
    103, 114, 125, 155
  • Arce y Reinoso, Diego de, Inquisitor General, Bishop of Plasencia
    Arce was probably of humble origins never being referred to as don in the papers of the Chamber of Castile. He worked his way up the royal administration becoming an Oidor in Granada in 1625, Regent of Seville in 1629, and being elected to the Council of Castile in 1633, before becoming Bishop of Tuy, then Plasencia and Inquisitor General. By many historians he is believed to be one of the principal influencers of Philip IV in the latter part of his reign.
    3, 5, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92
  • Arduien, Count of
    He was a general in the French army.
    59
  • Austria, Ferdinand III, King of Hungary
    In one of the frequent inter-Hapsburg marriages, Ferdinand was married to María de Austria - Philip IV’s younger sister, once courted by Prince Charles, Prince of Wales. After the death of Maria he married Leonor de Gonzaga y Gonzaga, sister of the Duke of Mantua.
    49, 150, 151
  • Austria, Juan José de
    Born in 1629 as an illigitimate son of Philip IV, legitimised in 1642, don Juan appears to have been a controversial figure. He became involved in government affairs during the regency of Charles II, dieing in 1677.
    10, 12, 16, 87, 89, 90, 92, 94, 95, 98, 99, 101, 107, 110, 112, 113, 119, 121, 122, 123, 131, 134, 136, 140, 143
  • Austria, Leopoldo Guillermo de, Archduke
    The son of Ferdinand II and Mariana of Bavaria. He was Bishop of Strasbourg, Halberstadt, Olmutz and Warsaw. Between 1646-56 he was Governor of the Netherlands.
    21, 137, 147, 153
  • Austria/ Hapsburg, María de, Empress of Austria
    The younger sister of Philip IV,  married to Ferdinand III - see above, and mother of Mariana of Austria. Her death, which followed shortly the death of Isabel de Borbon, deeply affected Philip IV.
    49
  • Austria, Mariana de
    Mariana was the daughter of Ferdinand III and María de Austria. Originally it was agreed that she would marry her cousin Prince Baltasar Carlos, but when he died prematurely in 1646, she became, at the age of 16, the second wife of Philip IV. After his death she acted as Regent during the infancy of their son Charles II. Mariana followed in the tradition of Hapsburg women, producing a large number of children, most of which she outlived, later dieing of breast cancer.
    21, 49, 55, 80, 93, 99, 100, 150, 151, 179
  • Avellaneda, María de, 3rd Countess of Castrillo
    173
  • Avila Muñoz, Juan García de
    88
  • Ayala, Fernando de
    5, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24, 37, 39, 42, 44, 45, 65, 75, 77, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 116, 117, 118, 119, 142, 144, 147
  • Barberini, Antonio, Cardinal
    17, 19, 38
  • Barberino, Matteo, Pope Urban VIII
    2, 7, 11, 12, 19, 20, 29, 38, 114, 115, 151, 156
  • Barbossa, Dr.
    5, 7
  • Bartolomé
  • Bastán, Isabel Manrique de
    Isabel appears to have been a favourite companion of Catalina Fernández de Córdoba. Due to the similarity of surnames there is a possibility she was related to Santa Cruz.
    108, 112
  • Bazán, Alvaro de, 2nd Marquis of Santa Cruz
    Santa Cruz was one of the elder statesmen of this period, dieing in 1647. He was married to María Fonseca Doria, a daughter of the Duke of  Nájera.
    49, 64
  • Benavides, Antonio de, Councillor of Orders
    Between 1679-1691 Antonio was Patriarch of the Indies.
    121
  • Benavides, Mendo de, Ex-Bishop of Segovia
  • Benavides de Bazán, Diego de, 8th Count of Santistevan
    Santistevan became Governor of Galicia in 1647. He was also a member of the Council of War. Throughout this correspondence we can see the beginnings of an allegiance between Santistevan and Cardona which resulted in the marriage of his daughter and Cardona in second nuptials.
    122
  • Benavides y Bazán, Enrique de, Marquis of Bysso (Viso), Consort
    He was married to Mencía Pimentel y Bazán, the 4th Marchioness.
    61
  • Bermudez, Christoval, Padre Fray
    158
  • Bermudez, Gerónimo
    7, 157
  • Bobadilla, Diego de
    155
  • Borja, Fernando de
    Along with Philip IV Borja was a correspondent of sor María de Ágreda. He was the uncle of Francisco de Borja, and a Councillor of Orders. His brother was the Duke of Villahermosa, by marriage. Moreover, Borja was a personal friend of friar Pedro's.
    23, 33, 64, 65, 140, 142
  • Borja, Francisco de
    The son of Villahermosa, also related to the Prince of Esquilache.
    140
  • Borja Centellas y de Velasco, Carlos Francisco de, 7th Duke of Gandía
    1
  • Borja y Aragón, Carlos de, Duke of Villahermosa, Consort.
    He was married to María de Aragón, the Duchess.
    144, 145, 147
  • Borja y Velasco, Gaspar de, Cardinal Archbishop of Toledo
    The son of the 6th Duke of Gandía. In 1611 he became a Cardinal, and in 1613 a Councillor of State. In 1630 he was made Bishop of Albano, shortly afterwards in 1632 becoming Archbishop of Seville and in 1645 moving on to the top position of Archbishop of Toledo. Between 1616-19; and 1631-45 he was Embassador to Rome, famously falling out with the Pope. He was President of the Councils of Aragón and Italy. As befitted such a high churchman he baptized the Infanta María Teresa.
    1, 2, 3, 5, 13, 110, 117, 177
  • Bosque, Antonio de
    10
  • Bourbon, Louis II de, Principe de Condé, “Le Grand”
    123, 125, 126, 131, 134, 137, 139, 140, 142, 143, 153, 157
  • Bracamonte, Gaspar de, Count of Peñaranda, Consort
    106, 134
  • Brito, Gregorio
    32, 69, 139, 140, 142
  • Bustamente, Tomás de, Padre Fray
    The Bustamente family were from Casarubios (the same town as Francisco de Oviedo), and were also related to the Espinosas.
    39
  • Camerino, Bemingo
    91
  • Camerino, Joseph
    1, 3, 44, 166
  • Camporredondo, Antonio de
    10, 12, 115, 143, 145
  • Canerí, Miguel
    138
  • Cardona Ladrón Pallás, Blanca de, 1st Marchioness of Taracena
    She was married to Carlos de Ibarra y Barrés  who sat on the Council of War, and was General of the Fleet and Galleons, and Admiral of the Atlantic Fleet.
    92
  • Casiodoro, Flavio Magno
    114
  • Castañeda, Inés de
    Tapia’s sister
    108, 109, 160, 162
  • Castejón, Diego de, Bishop of Tarazona
    24, 34, 73
  • Castro, Antonio de
    Castro was a highly successful Court lawyer, acting as lawyer for Pedro de Tapia in his position as Bishop of Siguenza. He probably originated from Burgos, being a relative of the señor of Zelada. He died in January 1647.
    1, 2, 3, 5, 66, 102, 114, 133
  • Cavallero, Juan Baptista, Licenciado
    52
  • Cebrián, Juan, Bishop of Zaragoza
    7
  • Cerda, Ana Catalina de la
    168
  • Cerda, Antonia María Luisa de la
    94, 102, 104, 107, 119, 121, 123, 125, 128, 135, 151, 168, 170, 173
  • Cerda, Antonio Juan Luis de la, 7th Duke of Medinaceli
    1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 24, 29, 31, 32, 33, 35, 36, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 48, 49, 53, 54, 56, 57, 58, 59, 61, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 121, 122, 123, 125, 126, 128, 129, 131, 132, 133, 134, 136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148, 150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 155, 156, 157, 158, 159, 160, 162, 164, 165, 168, 169, 170, 171, 175, 176, 177, 178
  • Cerda, Fernando de la
    Fernando was Medinaceli’s cousin. He was one of many illegitimate sons of Fernando de la Cerda, brother of the 4th Duke of Medinaceli. He was a Gentleman of the King, Mayordomo of the Queen,  and a Councillor of War. He was married to the 3rd Marchioness of La Rosa.
    156, 157
  • Cerda, Juan Francisco Tomás Lorenzo de la, Duke of Alcalá (El Duquecito)
    Juan Francisco later became the valido of Charles II, particularly ironic considering his father's manifest distrust of the position. See Father's biography
    16, 80, 82, 121, 137, 138, 153, 165, 168
  • Cerda, Thomás Antonio Manuel Lorenzo de la, later 3rd Marquis of La Laguna
    Tomas died in 1692. He later became Mayordomo Mayor of the Queen, and Viceroy of Galicia and New Spain (1680-1686). See Father's biography.
    16, 18, 142
  • Chacón Ponce de León, Juan, Councillor of Castile
    He was and Oidor in Valladolid in 1631, being elected to the Council of Orders in 1644. He was the son of Gaspar Chacón y Ayala and Isabel Ponce de León and the grandson of the señor of Casarubios del Monte (Francisco de Oviedo's home town). He was the nephew of 1st Count of Casarubios and Isabel de Sandoval, the sister of the Archbishop of Toledo.
    151
  • Chaves y Mendoza, Baltasar de, Marquis of Salinas del Río Pisuerga, Consort
    He was married to Mariana de Velasco Osorio e Ibarra, the 5th Marchioness.
    12
  • Chirivoga, Francisco de
    64
  • Christo, Ana del, Madre
    150, 151, 152, 179
  • Chumacero y Sotomayor, Juan, President of Castile, 1643-8
    Another royal bureaucrat, rising through the ranks of the royal administration. He was Oidor in Granada in 1614, Fiscal of the Council of Orders in 1622, Councillor of Orders in 1626,  and elected to the Chamber of Castile in 1631. He went to Rome on a royal commission returning in 1643.
    35, 72, 95, 133, 136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 144, 150, 151, 152, 179
  • Coello de Rivera y Zapata, Pedro, 1st Count of La Ventosa
  • Colmenero, Dr.
    2, 4, 6, 7, 13, 39
  • Colón de Portugal y Castro, Pedro Nuño, 5th Duke of Veraguas
    He was married to Isabel de la Cueva, the widow of the Duke of Nájera.
    118
  • Contreras, Antonio de
    23, 30, 31, 33, 36, 83, 85, 88, 98, 112, 115, 140, 142
  • Córdoba, Fernando Luis de, 4th Count of Palma
    107, 113, 118
  • Cortazas, F.
    He was a Madrid silk merchant.
    16
  • Cuello, Pedro
    93
  • Cueva, Francisco Fernández de la, 7th Duke of Alburquerque
    He was a cousin of Medinaceli’s half-sister Juana de la Cerda, and also of Juan de la Cerda y la Lama, fifth Marquis of Ladrada. Albuquerque was married to Ana Enríquez de Cabrera y Colona, the sister of the ninth Admiral of Castile, Juan Alonso Enríquez de Cabrera y Mendoza. Albuquerque was one of the older generation of courtiers and was a member of the Council of State and Governor of the Council of Aragon.
    33