Alonso Molina de Medrano
The Most Illustrious Alonso Molina de Medrano | |
|---|---|
 Coat of arms of the House of Molina de Medrano at the Palace of Beniel | |
| Councilor of the Indies | |
| In office July 27, 1592 – July 8, 1608 | |
| Monarch | Philip II of Spain, Philip III of Spain |
| Preceded by | Rodrigo Zapata |
| Member of the Royal Council of Castile | |
| In office August 2, 1608 – July 26, 1616 | |
| Monarch | Philip III of Spain |
| Preceded by | Juan Alderete |
| Inquisitor of Córdoba and Zaragoza | |
| In office 1584–1592 | |
| Monarch | Philip II of Spain |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1550 Vélez-Málaga, Crown of Castile |
| Died | 26 July 1616 (aged 65–66) Madrid, Crown of Castile |
| Spouse(s) | Francisca de Hinojosa |
| Alma mater | University of Seville |
| Occupation | Noble, statesman, legal scholar |
| Awards | Knight of the Order of Santiago |
Alonso Molina de Medrano (b. 1550 – 26 July 1616) was a Spanish jurist, aristocrat, and advisor of the Kingdom of Castile, who served as Inquisitor of Córdoba and Zaragoza, professor at the University of Seville, Councilor of the Indies, the first Councilor and Chamberlain of the Chamber of the Indies, member of the Board of Finance of the Indies, Councilor on the Royal Council of Castile, ambassador to Lisbon, a member of the 12 lineages of Soria, and participated in the investigative boards during the reign of kings Philip II and Philip III of Spain.[1] He was a knight of the Military Order of Santiago, Commander of Benazusa and Villafranca in the Supreme Councils and Senates of the Indies and Castile, and Patron of the Main Chapel of San Francisco in Vélez-Málaga.[2]
Felipe II transferred him to Madrid and appointed him as a member of the Royal Council of the Indies by Royal Decree on July 27, 1592. Felipe III later appointed him as Counselor of the Council of the Indies in 1601 by Royal Decree. Following a royal mission in Portugal, he was named a Member of the Supreme Council of Castile in 1606.[3]
Early life
Alonso Molina de Medrano was the son of Antonio de Molina Rodríguez de Carrión and Maria de Medrano y Barrionuevo, from the Soria branch, and a member of the 12 lineages of Soria.[4] Alonso's father Antonio de Molina Rodríguez de Carrión was the son of Alonso de Molina, a Juror of the City of Murcia and a knight, and Loeonor Rodríguez de Carrión.[3]
Medrano ordered the construction of a palace to serve as a residence. The contract was signed in Malaga on December 6, 1609, and the work would proceed according to a plan delivered to the royal councilor D. Luis Tello Eraso by the commander with all the guidelines to follow, which unfortunately was not attached to the deed. The construction of the house began in January 1610, of which there is no further news until July 1612, when the work was practically completed. The last works on record date back to the year 1916 with the repair of the roof of the main hall. The final Construction of the Palace of Beniel cost was 3275 ducats.[5]
Early career
Medrano was a student at the college of Seville. After graduating from the University of Seville, he held a professorship, a chair in Prima. According to Francisco Cascales, Medrano served as a professor of Vespers and Canons.[3]
Medrano held the position of Inquisitor of the Tribunal in Córdoba and Zaragoza. This appointment dates back to at least 1584, when he was acknowledged as such during a visit to Vélez-Málaga.[6] Alonso was Inquisitor during the 1591 popular uprising related to the imprisonment of Antonio Pérez and Juan Francisco Mayorini, in which he played a decisive role, leading to his promotion to the Royal Council of the Indies (1592).[7] Alongside Doctors Morejón and Mendoza, Medrano received orders from the Suprema (Supreme Council of the Inquisition) to detain Pérez and Juan Francisco Mayorin. His written responses, dated between May and August of 1591 and preserved in the Archivo de la Aljafería, reveal his strict adherence to procedural orthodoxy, despite widespread unrest in Zaragoza and mounting pressure from the Viceroy, the Archbishop, and civil authorities.[8]
As an inquisitor, Medrano is described in a more favorable light compared to his colleague, Juan Hurtado de Mendoza; Alonso was reluctant to persecute and made his decision to directly send important documents to the inquisitor-general, bypassing the tribunal.[9] Medrano examined witnesses in Zaragoza on matters involving Antonio Pérez and Juan Francisco Mayorín.[10] His role was to conduct official inquisitorial interrogations under the authority of the Cardinal.[10]
As an inquisitor in Zaragoza during the volatile period surrounding the arrest of Antonio Pérez, Medrano played a role in the events that triggered the 1591 Zaragoza revolt.[9] Medrano refused to release the prisoners despite repeated appeals from the Archbishop, the Viceroy, and leading nobles such as the Counts of Aranda and Morata. His defiance escalated the crisis until he ultimately consented to a compromise: Pérez and Mayorini would not be freed, but transferred from the Inquisition’s custody to the civil prison of the kingdom. The decision left the inquisitors, including Medrano, in a precarious position. They halted further arrests and issued communications to the Holy Office commissioners to justify their actions. Medrano and the other inquisitors sought to defend their position while contemplating an edict of excommunication against those who had resisted them. This plan was ultimately abandoned at the urging of the Archbishop.[9]
In the 1848 historical drama "Don Juan de Lanuza; drama histórico original en cinco actos y en verso" concerning the Aragónese crisis and Antonio Pérez affair, Medrano appears as a principal character representing the Holy Office.[11]
Career
Medrano was appointed Knight of Santiago. He was also commander of Benazusa and Villafranca, ambassador to Lisbon (1601) and advisor of king Philip II and Philip III of Spain.[12]
In 1592, following the passing of Rodrigo Zapata, a seat opened up in the Council of the Indies. King Philip II appointed Medrano to assume this role. He commenced his new duties in Madrid on July 29.[13] From late 1595 onward, Medrano served as a member of the Board of Finance of the Indies. In this capacity, he was tasked with suggesting measures and offering counsel on enhancing the treasury of the American territories.[7]
In the early years of the reign of Philip III, Medrano and Tomás Fernández de Medrano became part of the small group of trusted individuals of the king's favorite, Francisco de Sandoval y Rojas, I Duke of Lerma. A Royal Decree dated August 25, 1600, endorsed by the secretary Pedro Franqueza, favorite of Lerma, established a Chamber of the Indies, similar to the Chamber of Castile. Their titles were issued on 19 January 1601. Medrano took his oath as the first chamberlain five days later.[7]
At the end of 1600, it was approved that a commission of three Castilian ministers would travel to Lisbon to assess the financial state of Portugal. Medrano, experienced in such matters due to his involvement in the Board of Finance of the Indies, was appointed, along with the accountant Diego de Herrera and the interim factor of the House of Trade Duarte Cerón.[7] Medrano received an annual payment of 2,000 reals in order to assess the financial state in Portugal, in addition to his annual salary of 500,000 maravedis as a councilor of the Indies and another 50,000 as a chamberlain. In April 1601, the three of them moved to Lisbon. Medrano was tasked with the management and control of military finances, that is, the collection of money and payment of salaries to the troops serving Philip III in the Portuguese kingdom, as well as revenues from Indian trade.[7]
The Viceroy of Portugal was obligated to convene Medrano into the War Councils that dealt with financial matters. Medrano also attended the Finance Councils of Portugal and Castile and the Board for the Execution of the Accounts or "Junta dos Contos," all based in Lisbon. At the beginning of December 1605, the Finance Board of Portugal in Lisbon disappeared. A Decree of February 9, 1606, authorized the three commissioners to participate from then on in the sessions of the Council of Finance of Portugal.[7] In early October 1606, Medrano departed from Lisbon and returned to the Court, then located in Valladolid, after spending five and a half years in Lisbon. Upon his return to Valladolid, he resumed his responsibilities as a councilor and chamberlain of the Indies and was appointed as a member of the Finance Board of Portugal. He participated in the meetings of this Board until December 26, 1607.[7]
Medrano was involved in the Board established on January 20, 1608, to investigate the case initiated by Fernando Carrillo against the Finance Councilor Alonso Ramírez de Prado, who was accused of various crimes, including bribery, prevarication, and misappropriation of public funds. This investigation commenced on May 28 of that year and concluded on August 30, with the issuance of its verdict. Medrano also took part in the Visitation Board that adjudicated the allegations against the wife and son of Alonso Ramírez de Prado, as instructed by Carrillo.[7]
On 30 August 1608, Francisco de Sandoval, I Duke of Lerma expedited the appointment of Medrano to a councilorship on the Royal Council, without awaiting the designation of a new president or seeking the Chamber's opinion. Medrano held this position on the Royal Council, which had become vacant due to the death of Juan Alderete, until his own death in July 1616, Madrid.[7]
Death and burial
Medrano died on 26 July 1616, Madrid and buried in the convent of San Francisco, Vélez-Málaga, of which he was patron and which was part of the mayorazgo that he founded.[12] According to Doña Purificación Ruiz García, the parents of Medrano were already laid to rest in the Convent of San Francisco. Doña Francisca de Hinojosa, widow of Don Alonso Molina de Medrano, commissioned the placement of the slab, honoring him as a Knight of the Sacred Military Order of Santiago, Commander of Villafranca in the Supreme Councils and Senates of the Indies and Castile, and Patron of the Main Chapel of San Francisco.[3]
Personal life
Medrano married Francisca de Hinojosa, without descendants.[3] Francisca de Hinojosa, widow of lord Molina de Medrano, was the guardian of another Alonso Molina de Medrano in a lawsuit against Juan Antonio de Molina, auditor of the Royal Council of Navarre. It was published in Granada by Francisco Heylan in 1630.[4]
References
- ↑ "Molina de Medrano, Alonso (Ca. 1550 - 1616) | Biblioteca General Histórica". bibliotecageneralhistorica.usal.es. Retrieved 2024-09-25.
- ↑ "Alonso Molina de Medrano - De Toda La Villa". detodalavilla.velezmalaga.es. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 https://dialnet.unirioja.es/descarga/articulo/4284377.pdf A tombstone reflects the history of Vélez-Málaga Br. Eugenio Martínez Manjón OFM Father Guardian of the Convent of San Francisco, Veléz-Málaga
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Hinojosa y Montalvo, Francisca de; Heylan, Francisco; Molina Medrano, Juan Antonio de; Perez de Lara, Juan (1630). Por la señora D. Francisca de Hinojosa, viuda del señor Molina de Medrano, como tutora de don Alonso Molina de Medrano, en el pleyto con el doctor D, Iuan Antonio de Molina oydor del Consejo Real de Nauarra. Biblioteca de la Universidad de Sevilla. En Granada : por Francisco Heylan. Search this book on
- ↑ "952 50 74 01 - Monuments and areas of tourist interest". www.visitcostadelsol.com. 2024-01-03. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
- ↑ "Molina de Medrano, Alonso (Ca. 1550 - 1616) | Biblioteca General Histórica". bibliotecageneralhistorica.usal.es. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8 "Alonso Molina de Medrano | Real Academia de la Historia". dbe.rah.es. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
- ↑ "Colección de documentos inéditos para la historia de España v. 12". HathiTrust. Retrieved 2025-05-17.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 "The Project Gutenberg eBook of The History if The Inquisition of Spain, by Juan Antonio Llorente". www.gutenberg.org. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 de), Pedro José Pidal (marqués (1862). Historia de las alteraciones de Aragon en el reinado de Felipe II (in español). J. Martin Alegria. Search this book on
- ↑ "Don Juan de Lanuza; drama histórico original en cinco actos y en verso". HathiTrust. Retrieved 2025-05-17.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Alonso Molina de Medrano - De Toda La Villa". detodalavilla.velezmalaga.es. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
- ↑ de León Pinelo, Antonio. "Tablas cronológicas de los Reales Consejos supremo y de la cámara de las Indias Occidentales: al Rey nuestro señor en sus dos Reales Consejos de las Indias. Segunda edición. Madrid: Tipografía de Manuel Gines Hernández, 1892". HathiTrust. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
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