Polop
Encyclopedia
The Barony of Polop
is an ancient Spanish hereditary lordship in the Kingdom of Valencia
under the Crown of Aragon
(in Spanish, baronía señorial aragonesa), similar in some respects to the English feudal barony
and the Scottish feudal lordship. The barony, including its castle and extensive land, is located in the province of Alicante
, Valencia
, Spain
, only a few miles from the Mediterranean Sea
.
After being possessed by the Crown of Aragon
, in the XV century the barony was bestowed upon the Fajardo de Mendoza family. The most notable Barons of Polop are the Infantes of Aragon
and Doña Beatriz Fajardo de Mendoza y Guzmán, Lady of Albudeyte. Other people associated with the Barony include the Castilian
nobleman Don Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, better known as El Cid
Campeador.
by the Moors who occupied the Iberian Peninsula
in the X century, when a fortress was built and named Polop. In the XI century, as it is related in the Historia Roderici
("History of Rodrigo"), El Cid
Campeador occupied Polop Castle in 1089-1090 before conquering the city of Valencia in 1094. Following his conquest of the Kingdom of Valencia
, King Jaume I of Aragon offered Polop Castle to the Muslim leader Mohammad Abu Abdallah Ben Hudzail al Sahuir
until 1258 when the latter was defeated during a failed attempt against the life of the monarch.
In the XIII century, Polop became a feudal barony under the Charter of Sobrarbe
. In 1268 the barony was granted by King Jaume I of Aragon to his distant cousin doña Berenguela Alfonso of Castile and León, who had become his female companion after his wife Teresa Gil de Vidaure developed leprosy, but returned to the Crown upon her death without issue. In 1271 the King revived it for the knight Don Beltran de Bellpuig and, upon his death without issue, for Admiral Don Bernat de Sarrià.
During most of the XIV century the Infantes of Aragon
administered the lordship and were styled as Barons of Polop. In those years, Polop Castle continued being a strategic place to prevent the invasion of the large Muslim population.
Since the XV century until the present days, the lordship has passed by personal descent through several generations of the Fajardo de Mendoza family and its heirs. It was on 17 December 1430 when the Infante John II of Aragon
, King of Navarre through his marriage to Queen Blanche I of Navarre
, granted it to his Lord-in-Waiting and Chamberlain Don Rodrigo Díaz de Mendoza and his heirs. Such grant was confirmed by his brother King Alfonso V of Aragon
by Royal Charter of 1437. In 1727 King Philip V of Spain
issued a Royal Charter
allowing baronies in the Crown of Aragon
to become titles of nobility in their own right. For instance, the Barony of la Pobadilla and the Barony of Bellpuig
made use of such privilege in 1728 and 1923 respectively.
Following the abolition of the feudal system in the XIX century, Polop, like other Spanish feudal baronies and lordships, became obsolete but never extinct. In particular, the Abolition of Feudal Tenure (Spain) Act 1820 (Ley de Desvinculaciones de 1820) simply took away the legal and juridical rights pertaining to these lordships but preserved the property rights attached to them and the dignity of their honours including the right to use the feudal title and the coat of arms. In the present days, despite having no political power as such, lordships, like titles of nobility, simply remain rights held as prerogative
of honour and exercised to the exclusion and detriment of others.
according to the classic definition of feudalism
, which involved a set of reciprocal legal and military obligations among the warrior nobility. The baron
was the nobleman who held the land or fief, including Benidorm, Chirles and La Nuncia, originally given by the king, and granted possession to the vassal
in exchange for benefits, protection and other services. The Barons of Polop administered laws, waged war, established markets in towns, and maintained their own chanceries that kept their records. They also had their own deputies, or sheriffs and jurisdiction over all cases at laws sitting in their own courts. They could declare and wage war, establish boroughs, and grant extensive charters of liberties. They could confiscate the estates of traitors and felons, and regrant these at will. Finally, they could claim any and every feudal due, aid, grant, and relief. In contrast to titles of nobility in the Spanish peerage, no baronial relief was payable in order to lawfully take possession of the lordship.
The Barony of Polop is not to be confused with a manorial lordship
in England and Wales. While manorial lordships can be sold, Polop, like other Spanish baronies
, is hereditary in nature and under no circumstances can it be traded.
Those holding the lordship have held aristocratic rank and control over the land and been addressed and styled not only as lord but also as baron
, as in the Crown of Aragon
, lordships were called baronies, so namely, Lord of the Barony of Polop, Baron of Polop or simply Lord Polop (in Spanish, Señor de la Baronía de Polop, o shortly Barón de Polop or Señor de Polop).
of 1448. When Don Diego Fajardo de Mendoza y Guzmán died in 1643 without a male heir and with a sole sister, the Royal Audience of Valencia had to administer the lordship for 11 years until by Royal Charter of 1654 King Philip IV of Spain
allowed it to be passed to an heir of either gender. Since then and until the present days, the barony has continued to be held by members of the Fajardo de Mendoza family and his blood relatives in the direct line of descent. Unlike titles of nobility in the Spanish peerage, each new baron is not required to be confirmed in the lordship by Royal Charter
issued and signed by the monarch.
As the Barons of Polop never made use of their right to let the lordship become a title of nobility under the Royal Charter
of 1727 issued by King Philip V of Spain
, Polop has remained a feudal barony with aristocratic rank. Therefore, following the enactment of the Abolition of Feudal Tenure (Spain) Act 1820, its transmission from generation to generation is not subject to the current revival legal provisions for titles of nobility but rather to the provisions of the original grants in the light of the Spanish historic law and the current civil procedure rules. The Cronista Rey de Armas
for Castile and León, the only public authority empowered to certify personal coat of arms in Spain, should issue a certificate of genealogy and arms to the present holder of the barony.
were styled as Barons of Polop during the Low Middle Ages until 1430.
, King of Navarre and Duke of Peñafiel and Montblanch, revived the lordship for his Lord-in-Waiting don Rodrigo Díaz de Mendoza, who died without male issue, and bequeathed it to his niece's husband Don Juan Alonso Fajardo and his heirs, the Fajardo de Mendoza family.
Following the death of Doña María Bernuy y Osorio de Moscoso in 1899, the barony has been represented by a descendant of the Fajardo de Mendoza family.
is an appellation commonly used by Spanish
historians to refer to a group of infantes (princes) of the House of Trastámara in the XV century.
Admiral Don Bernat de Sarrià
Doña Beatriz Fajardo de Mendoza y Guzmán also inherited the lordship of Benidorm, a half-destroyed town, depopulated, that had lost its category of municipality after having been absorbed by Polop. But in 1666 the baroness repopulated Benidorm, granted a new Puebla Letter to it and established limits for the municipality very similar to the existing ones today. By guaranteeing the supply of water through the construction of the Reg Major of l'Alfàs, she transformed Benidorm into an economically viable city, the embryo of the present city. By deed granted in April 1666 in Polop Castle, the baroness also founded the Nou Reg to irrigate 1,207 hectares of land. She lived an eventful life.
of Polop
is located in the province of Alicante
, Valencia
, Spain
, only a few miles from the Mediterranean Sea
.
Polop
The Barony of Polop is an ancient Spanish hereditary lordship in the Kingdom of Valencia under the Crown of Aragon , similar in some respects to the English feudal barony and the Scottish feudal lordship...
is an ancient Spanish hereditary lordship in the Kingdom of Valencia
Kingdom of Valencia
The Kingdom of Valencia , located in the eastern shore of the Iberian Peninsula, was one of the component realms of the Crown of Aragon. When the Crown of Aragon merged by dynastic union with the Crown of Castile to form the Kingdom of Spain, the Kingdom of Valencia became a component realm of the...
under the Crown of Aragon
Crown of Aragon
The Crown of Aragon Corona d'Aragón Corona d'Aragó Corona Aragonum controlling a large portion of the present-day eastern Spain and southeastern France, as well as some of the major islands and mainland possessions stretching across the Mediterranean as far as Greece...
(in Spanish, baronía señorial aragonesa), similar in some respects to the English feudal barony
English feudal barony
In England, a feudal barony or barony by tenure was a form of Feudal land tenure, namely per baroniam under which the land-holder owed the service of being one of the king's barons. It must be distinguished from a barony, also feudal, but which existed within a county palatine, such as the Barony...
and the Scottish feudal lordship. The barony, including its castle and extensive land, is located in the province of Alicante
Alicante (province)
Alicante or Alacant is a province of eastern Spain, in the southern part of the Valencian Community. It is bordered by the provinces of Murcia on the southwest, Albacete on the west, Valencia on the north, and the Mediterranean Sea on the east...
, Valencia
Valencian Community
The Valencian Community is an autonomous community of Spain located in central and south-eastern Iberian Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Valencia...
, 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...
, only a few miles from the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
.
After being possessed by the Crown of Aragon
Crown of Aragon
The Crown of Aragon Corona d'Aragón Corona d'Aragó Corona Aragonum controlling a large portion of the present-day eastern Spain and southeastern France, as well as some of the major islands and mainland possessions stretching across the Mediterranean as far as Greece...
, in the XV century the barony was bestowed upon the Fajardo de Mendoza family. The most notable Barons of Polop are the Infantes of Aragon
Infantes of Aragon
The Infantes of Aragon is an appellation commonly used by Spanish historians to refer to a group of 15th C. infantes of the House of Trastámara, specifically the sons of King Ferdinand I of Aragon and his wife Leonor Urraca, Countess of Albuquerque:* Infante Alfonso - became Alfonso V of Aragon...
and Doña Beatriz Fajardo de Mendoza y Guzmán, Lady of Albudeyte. Other people associated with the Barony include the Castilian
Castilian
Castilian may refer to:* Alternative name for the Spanish language .* Something related to the Crown of Castile, a former state in present-day Spain...
nobleman Don Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, better known as El Cid
El Cid
Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar , known as El Cid Campeador , was a Castilian nobleman, military leader, and diplomat...
Campeador.
History
Its origins date back to the conquest of HispaniaMuslim conquests
Muslim conquests also referred to as the Islamic conquests or Arab conquests, began with the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He established a new unified polity in the Arabian Peninsula which under the subsequent Rashidun and Umayyad Caliphates saw a century of rapid expansion of Muslim power.They...
by the Moors who occupied the Iberian Peninsula
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
in the X century, when a fortress was built and named Polop. In the XI century, as it is related in the Historia Roderici
Historia Roderici
The Historia Roderici , originally Gesta Roderici Campi Docti and sometimes in Spanish Crónica latina del Cid , is an anonymous Latin prose history of the Castilian folk hero Rodrigo Díaz, better known as El Cid Campeador.It is generally written in a simple, unadorned Latin by...
("History of Rodrigo"), El Cid
El Cid
Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar , known as El Cid Campeador , was a Castilian nobleman, military leader, and diplomat...
Campeador occupied Polop Castle in 1089-1090 before conquering the city of Valencia in 1094. Following his conquest of the Kingdom of Valencia
Kingdom of Valencia
The Kingdom of Valencia , located in the eastern shore of the Iberian Peninsula, was one of the component realms of the Crown of Aragon. When the Crown of Aragon merged by dynastic union with the Crown of Castile to form the Kingdom of Spain, the Kingdom of Valencia became a component realm of the...
, King Jaume I of Aragon offered Polop Castle to the Muslim leader Mohammad Abu Abdallah Ben Hudzail al Sahuir
Mohammad Abu Abdallah Ben Hudzail al Sahuir
Mohammad Abu Abdallah Ben Hudzäil al Sähuir , popularly known as Al-Azraq الأزرق , was an Arab Moorish commander in the Iberian Peninsula in the south of the Kingdom of Valencia.He was son of a Muslim father, Hudzäil al Sähuir and of a Christian mother...
until 1258 when the latter was defeated during a failed attempt against the life of the monarch.
In the XIII century, Polop became a feudal barony under the Charter of Sobrarbe
Sobrarbe
Sobrarbe is one of the Comarcas of Aragon, Spain. It is located in the northern part of the province of Huesca, part of the autonomous community of Aragon in Spain...
. In 1268 the barony was granted by King Jaume I of Aragon to his distant cousin doña Berenguela Alfonso of Castile and León, who had become his female companion after his wife Teresa Gil de Vidaure developed leprosy, but returned to the Crown upon her death without issue. In 1271 the King revived it for the knight Don Beltran de Bellpuig and, upon his death without issue, for Admiral Don Bernat de Sarrià.
During most of the XIV century the Infantes of Aragon
Infantes of Aragon
The Infantes of Aragon is an appellation commonly used by Spanish historians to refer to a group of 15th C. infantes of the House of Trastámara, specifically the sons of King Ferdinand I of Aragon and his wife Leonor Urraca, Countess of Albuquerque:* Infante Alfonso - became Alfonso V of Aragon...
administered the lordship and were styled as Barons of Polop. In those years, Polop Castle continued being a strategic place to prevent the invasion of the large Muslim population.
Since the XV century until the present days, the lordship has passed by personal descent through several generations of the Fajardo de Mendoza family and its heirs. It was on 17 December 1430 when the Infante John II of Aragon
John II of Aragon
John II the Faithless, also known as the Great was the King of Aragon from 1458 until 1479, and jure uxoris King of Navarre from 1425 until his death. He was the son of Ferdinand I and his wife Eleanor of Alburquerque...
, King of Navarre through his marriage to Queen Blanche I of Navarre
Blanche I of Navarre
Blanche I was Queen of Navarre from 1425 to 1441. She became queen regnant upon the death of her father King Charles III of Navarre...
, granted it to his Lord-in-Waiting and Chamberlain Don Rodrigo Díaz de Mendoza and his heirs. Such grant was confirmed by his brother King Alfonso V of Aragon
Alfonso V of Aragon
Alfonso the Magnanimous KG was the King of Aragon , Valencia , Majorca, Sardinia and Corsica , and Sicily and Count of Barcelona from 1416 and King of Naples from 1442 until his death...
by Royal Charter of 1437. In 1727 King Philip V of Spain
Philip V of Spain
Philip V was King of Spain from 15 November 1700 to 15 January 1724, when he abdicated in favor of his son Louis, and from 6 September 1724, when he assumed the throne again upon his son's death, to his death.Before his reign, Philip occupied an exalted place in the royal family of France as a...
issued a Royal Charter
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...
allowing baronies in the Crown of Aragon
Crown of Aragon
The Crown of Aragon Corona d'Aragón Corona d'Aragó Corona Aragonum controlling a large portion of the present-day eastern Spain and southeastern France, as well as some of the major islands and mainland possessions stretching across the Mediterranean as far as Greece...
to become titles of nobility in their own right. For instance, the Barony of la Pobadilla and the Barony of Bellpuig
Bellpuig
Bellpuig is a town in the comarca of l'Urgell in Catalonia, Spain.Nowadays Bellpuig is the third most important village in the area of Urgell....
made use of such privilege in 1728 and 1923 respectively.
Following the abolition of the feudal system in the XIX century, Polop, like other Spanish feudal baronies and lordships, became obsolete but never extinct. In particular, the Abolition of Feudal Tenure (Spain) Act 1820 (Ley de Desvinculaciones de 1820) simply took away the legal and juridical rights pertaining to these lordships but preserved the property rights attached to them and the dignity of their honours including the right to use the feudal title and the coat of arms. In the present days, despite having no political power as such, lordships, like titles of nobility, simply remain rights held as prerogative
Prerogative
In law, a prerogative is an exclusive right given from a government or state and invested in an individual or group, the content of which is separate from the body of rights enjoyed under the general law of the normative state...
of honour and exercised to the exclusion and detriment of others.
Jurisdiction
In the Low Middle Ages and until 1820, the Barony of Polop was a form of feudal land tenureFeudal land tenure
Under the English feudal system several different forms of land tenure existed, each effectively a contract with differing rights and duties attached thereto. Such tenures could be either free-hold, signifying that they were hereditable or perpetual, or non-free where the tenancy terminated on the...
according to the classic definition of feudalism
Feudalism
Feudalism was a set of legal and military customs in medieval Europe that flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries, which, broadly defined, was a system for ordering society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour.Although derived from the...
, which involved a set of reciprocal legal and military obligations among the warrior nobility. The baron
Baron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
was the nobleman who held the land or fief, including Benidorm, Chirles and La Nuncia, originally given by the king, and granted possession to the vassal
Vassal
A vassal or feudatory is a person who has entered into a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. The obligations often included military support and mutual protection, in exchange for certain privileges, usually including the grant of land held...
in exchange for benefits, protection and other services. The Barons of Polop administered laws, waged war, established markets in towns, and maintained their own chanceries that kept their records. They also had their own deputies, or sheriffs and jurisdiction over all cases at laws sitting in their own courts. They could declare and wage war, establish boroughs, and grant extensive charters of liberties. They could confiscate the estates of traitors and felons, and regrant these at will. Finally, they could claim any and every feudal due, aid, grant, and relief. In contrast to titles of nobility in the Spanish peerage, no baronial relief was payable in order to lawfully take possession of the lordship.
The Barony of Polop is not to be confused with a manorial lordship
Lord of the Manor
The Lordship of a Manor is recognised today in England and Wales as a form of property and one of three elements of a manor that may exist separately or be combined and may be held in moieties...
in England and Wales. While manorial lordships can be sold, Polop, like other Spanish baronies
Spanish feudal barony
A Spanish feudal barony was a form of Feudal land tenure in the Kingdoms of Aragon and Valencia, namely per baroniam under which the land-holder owed the service of being one of the king's barons...
, is hereditary in nature and under no circumstances can it be traded.
Those holding the lordship have held aristocratic rank and control over the land and been addressed and styled not only as lord but also as baron
Baron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
, as in the Crown of Aragon
Crown of Aragon
The Crown of Aragon Corona d'Aragón Corona d'Aragó Corona Aragonum controlling a large portion of the present-day eastern Spain and southeastern France, as well as some of the major islands and mainland possessions stretching across the Mediterranean as far as Greece...
, lordships were called baronies, so namely, Lord of the Barony of Polop, Baron of Polop or simply Lord Polop (in Spanish, Señor de la Baronía de Polop, o shortly Barón de Polop or Señor de Polop).
Order of succession
Polop, like most other lordships, was hereditary in nature. In the Low Middle Ages and until 1654, it was only allowed to pass down by inheritance through the male line under Royal CharterRoyal Charter
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...
of 1448. When Don Diego Fajardo de Mendoza y Guzmán died in 1643 without a male heir and with a sole sister, the Royal Audience of Valencia had to administer the lordship for 11 years until by Royal Charter of 1654 King Philip IV of Spain
Philip IV of Spain
Philip IV was King of Spain between 1621 and 1665, sovereign of the Spanish Netherlands, and King of Portugal until 1640...
allowed it to be passed to an heir of either gender. Since then and until the present days, the barony has continued to be held by members of the Fajardo de Mendoza family and his blood relatives in the direct line of descent. Unlike titles of nobility in the Spanish peerage, each new baron is not required to be confirmed in the lordship by Royal Charter
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...
issued and signed by the monarch.
As the Barons of Polop never made use of their right to let the lordship become a title of nobility under the Royal Charter
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...
of 1727 issued by King Philip V of Spain
Philip V of Spain
Philip V was King of Spain from 15 November 1700 to 15 January 1724, when he abdicated in favor of his son Louis, and from 6 September 1724, when he assumed the throne again upon his son's death, to his death.Before his reign, Philip occupied an exalted place in the royal family of France as a...
, Polop has remained a feudal barony with aristocratic rank. Therefore, following the enactment of the Abolition of Feudal Tenure (Spain) Act 1820, its transmission from generation to generation is not subject to the current revival legal provisions for titles of nobility but rather to the provisions of the original grants in the light of the Spanish historic law and the current civil procedure rules. The Cronista Rey de Armas
Cronista Rey de Armas
The Chronicler King of Arms in the Kingdoms of Spain was a civil servant who had the authority to grant armorial bearings. The office of the King of Arms in Spain originated from those of the heralds . In the early days of heraldry, anyone could bear arms and as is normal where human beings are...
for Castile and León, the only public authority empowered to certify personal coat of arms in Spain, should issue a certificate of genealogy and arms to the present holder of the barony.
Armorial
| Figure | Name and blazon |
| Historic Coat of Arms of the Crown of Aragon | |
| Following the wishes of Don Luis Fajardo de Mendoza y López de Ayala in 1593, the Shield was divided vertically with one half Fajardo and the other half Mendoza | |
| In addition to the Lords of Polop, the family Fajardo included other prominent members such as Pedro Fajardo Pedro Fajardo .Pedro Fajardo de Zúñiga y Requesens , Viceroy of Valencia, 1631–1635, Viceroy of Navarre, 1638–1640, dismissed Viceroy of Catalonia, 1640–1642, to be replaced as Viceroy of Catalonia by Pedro Antonio de Aragón, 1642–1644, Ambassador at Rome, and Viceroy of Sicily, 1644 - Palermo, Sicily, 3... , Viceroy of Valencia, Navarre and Sicily, 5th Marquess of the Vélez and Grandee of Spain |
|
| The official Arms of the municipality of Polop de la Marina display the arms of the Crown of Aragon Crown of Aragon The Crown of Aragon Corona d'Aragón Corona d'Aragó Corona Aragonum controlling a large portion of the present-day eastern Spain and southeastern France, as well as some of the major islands and mainland possessions stretching across the Mediterranean as far as Greece... and those of the Fajardo de Mendoza family. They were approved based on a legal opinion by the Spanish Royal Academy of History dated 1974. |
The first life holders in the Crown of Aragon
The lordship was first granted by King Jaume I of Aragon to his cousin Doña Berenguela Alfonso of Castile and León in 1268, and upon her death without issue, revived for the knight Don Beltrán de Bellpuig in 1271 and for Admiral Don Bernat de Sarrià in 1291.| Holder | Period | |
|---|---|---|
| I | Doña Berenguela Alfonso of Castile | 1235 †1272 |
| II | Don Beltran de Bellpuig, Baron of Castellmontant and Lord-Lieutenant to King Jaume I of Montpellier | |
| III | Don Bernat de Sarrià, Admiral and nobleman in the service of King Jaume II of Aragon | 1266 †1335 |
The Infantes of Aragon as Royal Hereditary Barons of Polop
The Infantes of AragonInfantes of Aragon
The Infantes of Aragon is an appellation commonly used by Spanish historians to refer to a group of 15th C. infantes of the House of Trastámara, specifically the sons of King Ferdinand I of Aragon and his wife Leonor Urraca, Countess of Albuquerque:* Infante Alfonso - became Alfonso V of Aragon...
were styled as Barons of Polop during the Low Middle Ages until 1430.
| Holder | Period | |
|---|---|---|
| IV | Infante Don Pere of Aragon d'Anjou, Count of Ribagorça, Ampúries and Prades | 1305 †1381 |
| V | Infante Don Alfonso of Aragon Foix, Duke of Gandia Duke of Gandia The hereditary Spanish title duke of Gandía was created in 1485 by Ferdinand II of Aragon from the original Italian title "duke of Candia" belonging to the Italian Stato di Mare or Italian Kingdoms of the Mediterranean Sea; originally granted around 1206 to a Genoan marquis member of the House of... and Count of Dénia and Ribagorça |
1305 †1381 |
| VI | Infante Don Alfonso of Aragon Arenós, Duke of Gandia Duke of Gandia The hereditary Spanish title duke of Gandía was created in 1485 by Ferdinand II of Aragon from the original Italian title "duke of Candia" belonging to the Italian Stato di Mare or Italian Kingdoms of the Mediterranean Sea; originally granted around 1206 to a Genoan marquis member of the House of... and Count of Dénia |
1355 †1425 |
The Fajardo de Mendoza family as Hereditary Barons of Polop
In 1430 the Infante John II of AragonJohn II of Aragon
John II the Faithless, also known as the Great was the King of Aragon from 1458 until 1479, and jure uxoris King of Navarre from 1425 until his death. He was the son of Ferdinand I and his wife Eleanor of Alburquerque...
, King of Navarre and Duke of Peñafiel and Montblanch, revived the lordship for his Lord-in-Waiting don Rodrigo Díaz de Mendoza, who died without male issue, and bequeathed it to his niece's husband Don Juan Alonso Fajardo and his heirs, the Fajardo de Mendoza family.
| Holder | Period | |
|---|---|---|
| VII | Don Rodrigo Díaz de Mendoza, Lord-in-Waiting to Infante John II of Aragon John II of Aragon John II the Faithless, also known as the Great was the King of Aragon from 1458 until 1479, and jure uxoris King of Navarre from 1425 until his death. He was the son of Ferdinand I and his wife Eleanor of Alburquerque... , King of Navarre |
†1447 |
| VIII | Don Juan Alonso Fajardo | |
| IX | Don Diego Fajardo y Díaz de Mendoza | †1494 |
| X | Don Alonso Fajardo de Mendoza y Heredia | †1530 |
| XI | Don Alonso Fajardo de Mendoza y Soto | 1491 †1562 |
| XI | Don Luis Fajardo de Mendoza y López de Ayala | †1593 |
| XII | Don Pedro Fajardo de Mendoza y López de Ayala | |
| XIII | Don Alonso Fajardo de Mendoza y Fajardo de Medina | †1622 |
| XIV | Don Juan Fajardo de Mendoza y de la Cueva | 1583 †1622 |
| XV | Don Alonso Fajardo de Mendoza y Guzmán | †1637 |
| XVI | Don Diego Fajardo de Mendoza y Guzmán | †1643 |
| XVII | Doña Beatriz Fajardo de Mendoza y Guzmán, Lady of Albudeyte | 1619 †1678 |
| XVIII | Don Gaspar de Puixmarín y Fajardo de Mendoza | 1654 †1687 |
| XIX | Don José Rodrigo Baltasar de Puxmarín y Fajardo de Mendoza, Marquess of Albudeyte | 1691 |
| XX | Doña Josefa de Puixmarín y Fajardo de Mendoza, Countess of Montealegre | 1716 †1791 |
| XXI | Doña María Antonia Teijeiro de Valcárce y Puxmarín, Marchioness of Albudeyte, Grandee of Spain | 1754 †1805 |
| XXII | Doña Ana Agapita de Valda y Teijeiro de Valcárce, Marchioness of Albudeyte, Grandee of Spain | 1781 †1854 |
Usage following the abolition of feudal tenure in Spain in the XIX century
Post-1820, there is evidence in the archives of the Spanish Royal Academy of History that the following descendants of the Fajardo de Mendoza family were called to the title of honour of Barón de Polop and the use of the Arms of the barony.:| Holder | Period | |
|---|---|---|
| XXIII | Don José Eusebio Bernuy y Valda, Marquess of Valparaíso | 1804 †1856 |
| XXIV | Don Francisco de Paula Bernuy y Osorio de Moscoso, Marquess of Valparaíso | 1824 †1875 |
| XXV | Doña María Bernuy y Osorio de Moscoso, Marchioness of Valparaíso and Marchioness of Villafuerte | 1830 †1899 |
Following the death of Doña María Bernuy y Osorio de Moscoso in 1899, the barony has been represented by a descendant of the Fajardo de Mendoza family.
Notable Barons of Polop
Infantes of AragonInfantes of Aragon
The Infantes of Aragon is an appellation commonly used by Spanish historians to refer to a group of 15th C. infantes of the House of Trastámara, specifically the sons of King Ferdinand I of Aragon and his wife Leonor Urraca, Countess of Albuquerque:* Infante Alfonso - became Alfonso V of Aragon...
is an appellation commonly used by Spanish
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
historians to refer to a group of infantes (princes) of the House of Trastámara in the XV century.
Admiral Don Bernat de Sarrià
Doña Beatriz Fajardo de Mendoza y Guzmán also inherited the lordship of Benidorm, a half-destroyed town, depopulated, that had lost its category of municipality after having been absorbed by Polop. But in 1666 the baroness repopulated Benidorm, granted a new Puebla Letter to it and established limits for the municipality very similar to the existing ones today. By guaranteeing the supply of water through the construction of the Reg Major of l'Alfàs, she transformed Benidorm into an economically viable city, the embryo of the present city. By deed granted in April 1666 in Polop Castle, the baroness also founded the Nou Reg to irrigate 1,207 hectares of land. She lived an eventful life.
Location
The municipalityMunicipalities of Spain
The municipalities of Spain In other languages of Spain:*Catalan/Valencian , sing. municipi.*Galician or , sing. municipio/bisbarra.*Basque , sing. udalerria. are the basic level of Spanish local government...
of Polop
Polop
The Barony of Polop is an ancient Spanish hereditary lordship in the Kingdom of Valencia under the Crown of Aragon , similar in some respects to the English feudal barony and the Scottish feudal lordship...
is located in the province of Alicante
Alicante (province)
Alicante or Alacant is a province of eastern Spain, in the southern part of the Valencian Community. It is bordered by the provinces of Murcia on the southwest, Albacete on the west, Valencia on the north, and the Mediterranean Sea on the east...
, Valencia
Valencian Community
The Valencian Community is an autonomous community of Spain located in central and south-eastern Iberian Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Valencia...
, 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...
, only a few miles from the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
.
External links
- Spanish National Historical Archive, Section of Nobility
- Royal Archives of the Kingdom of Valencia
- Castles of Spain
- Biblioteca Virtual de Derecho Aragonés
- Instituto Beatriz Fajardo de Mendoza
See also
- Spanish feudal baronySpanish feudal baronyA Spanish feudal barony was a form of Feudal land tenure in the Kingdoms of Aragon and Valencia, namely per baroniam under which the land-holder owed the service of being one of the king's barons...