The family arose in 11th century Castile through a marriage that united the paternal lands around
Lara de los Infantes belonging to
Gonzalo Núñez with the inheritance of his wife, Goto Núñez, representing the holdings of the noble Álvarez and Alfonso families. By the 13th century, the Lara family origin had been linked to the protagonists in the epic
Cantar de los Siete Infantes de Lara (Song of the Seven Lara Princes), a 10th-century tale of revenge set around the lands subsequently held by the Lara family, but there is no evidence that the tale reflected historical events and the names in the legend cannot be matched with the family's known ancestry. From the 12th through 15th centuries, members of the Lara family found themselves at different times either supporting of or opposing their monarch. In 1113,
Pedro González de Lara supported Queen
Urraca of Castile in her struggles against her former husband,
Alfonso I of Aragon. Pedro and his brother, Rodrigo, also confronted her son
Alfonso VII in 1130. Rodrigo later helped Alfonso counter the rise of the
Almoravids.
Manrique Pérez de Lara, Álvar Pérez and
Nuño Pérez de Lara disputed the regency of
Alfonso VIII, and
Fernando Núñez de Lara was Alfonso's
alférez.
Álvaro Núñez de Lara became regent of
Henry I.
Nuño González de Lara served
Ferdinand III and
Alfonso X, but in 1270 led an alliance of nobles against the same king.
Juan Núñez I de Lara el Gordo,
Señor de Albarracín, opposed the enthronement of
Sancho IV, and had to temporarily flee to France.
Juan Núñez II de Lara headed various rebellions against
Alfonso XI. Ultimately, the family suffered greatly after the victory of King
Peter against his usurping half-brother,
Henry II. == The Manrique de Lara ==