16th-century Catholic Archbishop in Spain
Alonso de Aragon
or
Alfonso de Aragon
(1468 ? 24 February 1520) was
Archbishop of Zaragoza
,
Archbishop of Valencia
and
Lieutenant General of Aragon
. Born in
Cervera
, he was an illegitimate son of
Ferdinand II of Aragon
by a Catalan noblewoman called
Aldonza Ruiz de Ivorra
(1454?1513). In his youth his tutor was Antonio Geraldini, brother of the humanist scholar
Alessandro Geraldini
.
Ecclesiastical career
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Alonso was more a politician than a clergyman. His ecclesiastical career was determined by his father when he was five years old; his half-uncle,
Juan de Aragon
, Archbishop of Zaragoza and illegitimate son of King
John II of Aragon
, died. Ferdinand II decided that Alonso would succeed him, but
Pope Sixtus IV
thought that he was too young and appointed
Ausias de Puggio
. By 1478, the Pope couldn't withstand the pressure any more and appointed Alonso as new archbishop on 14 August. However, he was not ordained as a priest until 7 November 1501, a day before being ordained as a bishop.
On 23 January 1512, Alonso was appointed Archbishop of Valencia. He was enthroned as such on 4 April 1512.
Political career
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His father made him Lieutenant General of the Kingdom of Naples in 1507, to replace
Gonzalo Fernandez de Cordoba
. In 1512, he was in command of the troops that conquered
Tudela
in the
Spanish conquest of Iberian Navarre
.
When his father died in 1516, the Archbishop was appointed by his will as
Lieutenant General of Aragon
and de facto
ruler of Aragon
, due to the alleged insanity of his half-sister,
Queen Joanna
, who inherited the crown. When Joanna's son and co-ruler,
Charles I
, arrived in November 1518, the Archbishop was confirmed as Lieutenant General of Aragon. He died two years later in
Lecera
.
Aragon also realised important modifications on the
La Seo Cathedral
, where he was buried.
Issue
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Despite being Archbishop, Alonso had seven children with Ana de Gurrea (1470?1527), including:
Arms
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References
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External links
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