Ruiz López Dávalos

Ruiz López Dávalos or Ruy López Dávalos (* 1357 in Úbeda ; † 1428 in Valencia ) was Count of Ribadeo , Adelantado of Murcia (1396) and constable of Castile (1400-1423) during the reign of the Castilian kings Henry III. (reg. 1390-1406) and Johann II. (reg. 1406-1454). He was also on the side of Ferdinand of Antequera, who later became King Ferdinand I of Aragón .

origin

Ruiz López Dávalos came from a Basque family from the place Ábalos , to whose landlord (señor) he was appointed in 1397; his parents were Diego López Dávalos and Catalina de Mendoza. His grandparents had already emigrated to Andalusia during the Reconquista , where they finally settled in Úbeda. As a young man he took part in battles against the Nasrid Empire of Granada but was captured and eventually released on payment of a ransom. His steep career at the Castilian court began after a victorious duel against an English officer during the siege of Benavente . He was showered with honors by John I of Castile (r. 1383-1390) and his successors for his repeatedly victorious battles against the Portuguese under João I of Avis and received or acquired numerous estates (including the cities of Arenas de San Pedro , Mombeltrán , La Torre de Esteban Hambrán , Jódar , Castillo de Bayuela and Arcos de la Frontera ). In the course of his taking sides for the still young Infante Heinrich II. Von Trastámara , however, he fell out of favor and lost all titles and offices in 1422/23. The new constable was Don Álvaro de Luna , who instigated an indictment of high treason against Ruiz López Dávalos in 1423 and seized some of his titles and property.

During this time Ruiz López Dávalos had withdrawn to Valencia; he never set foot on Castilian soil again and died on January 6, 1428.

buildings

In the years 1400–1423 Ruiz López Dávalos had the castle (castillo) built by Arenas de San Pedro. He also built a city palace in Úbeda for himself and his family in the years 1395–1423, which, however, was torn down after his fall and had to make way for a new palace.

progeny

From three marriages he had a total of at least 10 children. The noble family of Avalos oriented itself in the 15th century to Italy, where it came to fame and prestige.

literature

• Gutierre Díaz de Games: El Victorial. Universidad de Salamanca, 1997, ISBN 978-8474818437 .
• Juan Torres Fontes: The constables of Castile in the middle ages. In: Yearbook of the history of the Spanish right. 1971 XLI, pp. 57-112.

Web links

• Ruiz López Dávalos - Biography (English)