Fadrique Álvarez de Toledo y Mendoza
Encyclopedia
′Fadrique Álvarez de Toledo y Mendoza (Naples
, May 30, 1580 – Madrid
, December 11 de 1634), was a Spanish noble and admiral.
He was a Knight of the Order of Santiago
, a Spanish Admiral, and Captain General of the Spanish Navy at the age of 37.
He was born in Naples as the son of Pedro Álvarez de Toledo, 5th Marquis of Villafranca, then commander in chief of the Spanish Army in the Kingdom of Naples
, and Doña Elvira de Mendoza.
He served in the Spanish fleet under command of his father and rose quickly through the ranks, as did his elder brother García Álvarez de Toledo, 6th Marquis of Villafranca. In 1617, he became Capitán General de la Armada del Mar Océano or Armada de Barlovento.
He gained several victories against the Dutch
, in 1621 near Gibraltar
and in 1623 in the English Channel
, blockading the Dutch coast. In the same year he defeated a Moorish incursion near Gibraltar.
In 1625 he was appointed General of Portugal
(then in a personal union
with Spain
), and Capitán General of the Army of Brazil
. He sailed towards Brazil at the head of a fleet consisting of 34 Spanish ships, 22 Portuguese ships and 12,566 men (three quarters were Spanish and the rest Portuguese). There he reconquered
the strategically important city of Salvador da Bahia from the Dutch on April 30, 1625.
This victory would prove decisively important in the Dutch-Portuguese War
to oust the Dutch from Brazil
over the next two decades. In 1629 he commanded a spanish expedition that expelled the English and French
colonial settlers from the islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis.
For all of his victories he was awarded the title of Marques de Villanueva y Valdueza on January 17, 1634.
.
They had three children :
Don Fadrique also had two illegitimate children:
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, May 30, 1580 – Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, December 11 de 1634), was a Spanish noble and admiral.
He was a Knight 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...
, a Spanish Admiral, and Captain General of the Spanish Navy at the age of 37.
He was born in Naples as the son of Pedro Álvarez de Toledo, 5th Marquis of Villafranca, then commander in chief of the Spanish Army in the Kingdom of Naples
Kingdom of Naples
The Kingdom of Naples, comprising the southern part of the Italian peninsula, was the remainder of the old Kingdom of Sicily after secession of the island of Sicily as a result of the Sicilian Vespers rebellion of 1282. Known to contemporaries as the Kingdom of Sicily, it is dubbed Kingdom of...
, and Doña Elvira de Mendoza.
He served in the Spanish fleet under command of his father and rose quickly through the ranks, as did his elder brother García Álvarez de Toledo, 6th Marquis of Villafranca. In 1617, he became Capitán General de la Armada del Mar Océano or Armada de Barlovento.
He gained several victories against the Dutch
Dutch Republic
The Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...
, in 1621 near Gibraltar
Battle of Gibraltar (1621)
The Battle of Gibraltar took place on 10 August 1621 during the Eighty Years' War...
and in 1623 in the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
, blockading the Dutch coast. In the same year he defeated a Moorish incursion near Gibraltar.
In 1625 he was appointed General of Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
(then in a personal union
Iberian Union
The Iberian union was a political unit that governed all of the Iberian Peninsula south of the Pyrenees from 1580–1640, through a dynastic union between the monarchies of Portugal and Spain after the War of the Portuguese Succession...
with Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
), and Capitán General of the Army of Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. He sailed towards Brazil at the head of a fleet consisting of 34 Spanish ships, 22 Portuguese ships and 12,566 men (three quarters were Spanish and the rest Portuguese). There he reconquered
Recapture of Bahia
The recapture of Bahia was a joint Spanish-Portuguese military expedition in 1625 to retake the city of Salvador da Bahia in Brazil from the forces of the Dutch West India Company .In May 1624, Dutch WIC forces under Jacob Willekens captured Salvador Bahia from the Portuguese...
the strategically important city of Salvador da Bahia from the Dutch on April 30, 1625.
This victory would prove decisively important in the Dutch-Portuguese War
Dutch-Portuguese War
The Dutch–Portuguese War was an armed conflict involving Dutch forces, in the form of the Dutch East India Company and the Dutch West India Company, against the Portuguese Empire. Beginning in 1602, the conflict primarily involved the Dutch companies invading Portuguese colonies in the Americas,...
to oust the Dutch from Brazil
Dutch Brazil
Dutch Brazil, also known as New Holland, was the northern portion of Brazil, ruled by the Dutch during the Dutch colonization of the Americas between 1630 and 1654...
over the next two decades. In 1629 he commanded a spanish expedition that expelled the English and French
Battle of St. Kitts (1629)
The Battle of St. Kitts or St. Cristopher was a successful Spanish expedition that seized the islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis from the English and French during the Anglo-Spanish War .-Background:...
colonial settlers from the islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis.
For all of his victories he was awarded the title of Marques de Villanueva y Valdueza on January 17, 1634.
.
Marriage and children
Don Fadrique married in Madrid, on August 12, 1627 with his cousin Doña Elvira Ponce de León, daughter of Don Luis Ponce de León, VI Marqués de Zahara, and Doña Victoria Álvarez de Toledo.They had three children :
- Doña Elvira de Toledo, married Don Juan Gaspar Enríquez de Cabrera, 6th Duke of Medina de Rioseco.
- Doña Victoria de Toledo, married her cousin Don Francisco Ponce de León, 5th Duke of Arcos.
- Don Fadrique Álvarez de Toledo y Ponce de León, 7th Marquis de Villafranca and Grandee of Spain.
Don Fadrique also had two illegitimate children:
- Pedro Álvarez de Toledo, Abbot of the Royal Monastery of Alcalá la RealAlcalá la RealAlcalá la Real is a city located in the province of Jaén, Spain. According to the 2006 census , the city has a population of 22,129 inhabitants.-Geography:...
, JaénJaén, SpainJaén is a city in south-central Spain, the name is derived from the Arabic word Jayyan, . It is the capital of the province of Jaén. It is located in the autonomous community of Andalusia....
. - Íñigo de Toledo, who married Leonor de Velasco, XI Countess of SiruelaSiruelaSiruela is a municipality located in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain. According to the 2006 census , the municipality has a population of 2,214 inhabitants....
.