Íñigo Vélez de Guevara, 7th Count of Oñate
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Íñigo Vélez de Guevara, seventh Count of Oñate and Count of Villamediana (1566 – Madrid
, October 31, 1644) was a Spanish
political figure. He played an important role in the Thirty Years War.
He was the son of Pedro Vélez de Guevara and María de Tassis.
He married Catalina Vélez, fifth Countess of Oñate. When her only brother Ladrón was killed in battle on sea against the English in 1588, Iñigo became seventh Count of Õnate.
After the death of his cousin Juan de Tassis y Peralta, 2nd Count of Villamediana
he also inherited the title of Count of Villamediana.
He served as Spain's
ambassador to the Holy See
.
During the Thirty Years War, the Spanish sent an army from Brussels
under Ambrosio Spinola to support the Emperor, and, as the Spanish ambassador in Vienna, don Íñigo persuaded Protestant Saxony
to intervene against Bohemia in exchange for control over Lusatia
. The Saxons invaded, and the Spanish army in the West prevented the Protestant Union's forces from assisting.
Oñate conspired to transfer the electoral title from the Palatinate to the Duke of Bavaria in exchange for his support and that of the Catholic League
. Under the command of General Tilly, the Catholic League army (which included René Descartes
in its ranks) pacified Upper Austria
, while the Emperor's forces pacified Lower Austria
; united, the two moved north into Bohemia. Ferdinand II decisively defeated Frederick V at the Battle of White Mountain
, near Prague
on 8 November 1620. In addition to making it Catholic, Bohemia would remain in Habsburg hands for three hundred years.
In Spain he had ambitions to follow the Duke of Lerma as valido, but the King's favourite
and Oñigo's adversary was chosen , the Count-Duke of Olivares. He lost the King's favor and Luis de Haro
became the successor of Olivares.
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...
, October 31, 1644) was a Spanish
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...
political figure. He played an important role in the Thirty Years War.
He was the son of Pedro Vélez de Guevara and María de Tassis.
He married Catalina Vélez, fifth Countess of Oñate. When her only brother Ladrón was killed in battle on sea against the English in 1588, Iñigo became seventh Count of Õnate.
After the death of his cousin Juan de Tassis y Peralta, 2nd Count of Villamediana
Juan de Tassis y Peralta, 2nd Count of Villamediana
Don Juan de Tassis y Peralta, 2nd Count of Villamediana, , was a Spanish poet. In Spain he is simply known as Conde de Villamediana....
he also inherited the title of Count of Villamediana.
He served as Spain's
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...
ambassador to the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
.
During the Thirty Years War, the Spanish sent an army from Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
under Ambrosio Spinola to support the Emperor, and, as the Spanish ambassador in Vienna, don Íñigo persuaded Protestant Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
to intervene against Bohemia in exchange for control over Lusatia
Lusatia
Lusatia is a historical region in Central Europe. It stretches from the Bóbr and Kwisa rivers in the east to the Elbe valley in the west, today located within the German states of Saxony and Brandenburg as well as in the Lower Silesian and Lubusz voivodeships of western Poland...
. The Saxons invaded, and the Spanish army in the West prevented the Protestant Union's forces from assisting.
Oñate conspired to transfer the electoral title from the Palatinate to the Duke of Bavaria in exchange for his support and that of the Catholic League
Catholic League (German)
The German Catholic League was initially a loose confederation of Roman Catholic German states formed on July 10, 1609 to counteract the Protestant Union , whereby the participating states concluded an alliance "for the defence of the Catholic religion and peace within the Empire." Modeled...
. Under the command of General Tilly, the Catholic League army (which included René Descartes
René Descartes
René Descartes ; was a French philosopher and writer who spent most of his adult life in the Dutch Republic. He has been dubbed the 'Father of Modern Philosophy', and much subsequent Western philosophy is a response to his writings, which are studied closely to this day...
in its ranks) pacified Upper Austria
Upper Austria
Upper Austria is one of the nine states or Bundesländer of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders on Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as on the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria, and Salzburg...
, while the Emperor's forces pacified Lower Austria
Lower Austria
Lower Austria is the northeasternmost state of the nine states in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria since 1986 is Sankt Pölten, the most recently designated capital town in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria had formerly been Vienna, even though Vienna is not officially part of Lower Austria...
; united, the two moved north into Bohemia. Ferdinand II decisively defeated Frederick V at the Battle of White Mountain
Battle of White Mountain
The Battle of White Mountain, 8 November 1620 was an early battle in the Thirty Years' War in which an army of 30,000 Bohemians and mercenaries under Christian of Anhalt were routed by 27,000 men of the combined armies of Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor under Charles Bonaventure de Longueval,...
, near Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
on 8 November 1620. In addition to making it Catholic, Bohemia would remain in Habsburg hands for three hundred years.
In Spain he had ambitions to follow the Duke of Lerma as valido, but the King's favourite
Favourite
A favourite , or favorite , was the intimate companion of a ruler or other important person. In medieval and Early Modern Europe, among other times and places, the term is used of individuals delegated significant political power by a ruler...
and Oñigo's adversary was chosen , the Count-Duke of Olivares. He lost the King's favor and Luis de Haro
Luis de Haro
Luis Méndez de Haro, 6th Marquis of Carpio, Grandee of Spain, , , was a Spanish nobleman, political figure and general....
became the successor of Olivares.
Children
- Pedro, killed in Milan after falling off his horse
- IñigoÍñigo Vélez de Guevara, 8th Count of OñateÍñigo Vélez de Guevara , 8th Count of Oñate was a Spanish political figure.He was the son of Íñigo Vélez de Guevara, 7th Count of Oñate and Catalina Vélez. His younger brother was Beltrán, Viceroy of Sardinia....
(1597–1658), Viceroy of Naples - Juan, priest
- Felipe Emmanuel, killed in battle in 1642 near Perpignan
- BeltránBeltrán Vélez de Guevara, Marquis of Campo RealBeltrán Vélez Ladrón de Guevara, 1st Count of Campo Real was a Spanish political figure.He was the son of Iñigo Vélez de Guevara and Catalina de Guevara, 5th Countess of Oñate...
, Viceroy of Sardinia - María Ana, married Don Antonio María
- Maria Angela, nun
- Catalina, nun
- Ana Maria, nun