Diego de Medrano

, the town where Diego de Medrano was born. Diego de Medrano was born in Hinojosa del Campo, Soria, in 1545. He was the son of the nobleman Juan Fernández de Medrano. Diego was the brother of Tomás Fernández de Medrano, Lord and Divisero of Valdeosera, Francisco Fernández de Medrano, Lord and Divisero of Regajal, and Lázaro Fernández de Medrano, an ensign in the military. His brother Tomás, knight of the Order of Saint John (without vows), author of the political treatise República Mista (1602), had been an advisor for the Habsburg monarchs of Spain; and an advisor and secretary of state and war for Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy, and Princess Catalina Micaela of Spain. Their livestock, which included 15,000 sheep, grazed in those lands, and hundreds of times they walked to the pastures of Extremadura or the royal valley of Alcudia, in La Mancha. The House of Medrano, Lords of the town of San Gregorio and many other entailed estates of the Medrano lineage in Soria and its region, are knights of great antiquity and nobility. == Family ==

bend. The cartouche reads: "Arms of Medrano: Originally, it was the plain cross on a field of war when taking part in the Battle of Baya in 1221. They took the flag with gold saltires on a field of war when participating in the Battle of Salado on October 30, 1340." The Medrano family coat of arms in La Rioja is described as a shield divided in the middle: on the right side, an argent field with a sable bend, crossing from corner to corner with a gules border with 8 argent crosses of San Andres; on the left side, a gules field with an argent cross fleury, surrounded by an Or border and the Ave Maria family motto written in sable letters. The House of Medrano under the reign of a Holy Roman Emperor Diego de Medrano was born during the reign of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, who ruled as King of Spain from 1519 to 1556. On 1 September 1552, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, issued the Carta Ejecutoria de Hidalguía to confirm the noble status of the Medrano family. Detailed genealogical records are presented to support his family's claim to nobility. The document, created in Valladolid and Arenas, Spain, concludes with official signatures and seals, affirming their noble status. It contains copies of documents issued in the names of the Countess Juana Pimentel, King Henry III, Álvaro de Luna, and others. Siblings on top of the coat of arms of Valdeosera as seen in the political treatise República Mista by Tomás Fernández de Medrano, 1602. Tomás Fernández de Medrano According to Licentiate Pedro Fernández Navarrete (b. 1564) and Licentiate Salinas, Captain Diego de Medrano was the brother of Tomás Fernández de Medrano, Knight of the Order of Saint John, Lord, High Magistrate, and Divisero of Valdeosera, Secretary of State and War to the Dukes and Princes of Savoy, etc. His nephew, Juan Fernández de Medrano y Sandoval, son of his brother Tomás, dedicated his father's political treatise República Mista to Francisco de Sandoval y Rojas, 1st Duke of Lerma. Diego de Medrano was the paternal uncle of Juan Fernández de Medrano y Sandoval and Maria Ana Fernández de Medrano y Sandoval, legitimate children of Tomas Fernández de Medrano and Isabel de Sandoval, his wife, a relative of Francisco de Sandoval y Rojas, 1st Duke of Lerma. Francisco Fernández de Medrano Diego's second brother Francisco Fernández de Medrano was the Lord and Divisero of Regajal, who fought during the French Wars of Religion under Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma. Francisco Fernández de Medrano married Maria Ana de Espinosa. Lázaro Fernández de Medrano Diego's third brother Lázaro Fernández de Medrano served in the military as an ensign. Lázaro Fernández de Medrano, a resident of Entrena, was registered on May 1, 1596, in the land of Valdeosera, from the Velilla branch, lords of that town. Following his death, Medrano's remains were transferred to Il Borgo, where Grand Master Jean de Valette ordered that he be interred among the Knights Grand Cross. This exceptional honor, typically reserved for the highest-ranking members of the Order, was granted in recognition of his distinguished service and the esteem in which he was held. In the late 15th and early 16th centuries, the Medrano family in the Kingdom of Castile maintained a very successful rope trading business under the direction of Diego's relative, Martine de Medrano. Martine de Medrano's sister Catalina de Medrano supplied fine cloth to the royal wardrobe of Queen Isabella I of Castile from 1497 to 1503 and was married to the conquistador Pedro Barba (nephew of Amerigo Vespucci), and then married a second time to the famous maritime explorer Sebastian Cabot, son of the Italian navigator John Cabot. == Military career ==

Diego stood out in the famous battles of Terceira and Lepanto. He was also crucial in the fight against corsairs on the Galician and Portuguese coasts. On 7 February 1588, Diego de Medrano wrote a letter in Lisbon, addressed to King Philip II of Spain, recalling twenty five years of his previous naval warfare experience, writing: I beseech you to remember my twenty-five years of service, including the twenty years in these galleys, during which I assisted in the relief of Cyprus as captain of the galley Fortuna of Naples, and also in the naval battle of Lepanto, where I served to the satisfaction of the late Don Juan of Austria, and in the expedition to Navarino, where I was entrusted with twelve galleys. In the expedition to Tunis and other occasions, the late Marqués de Santa Cruz entrusted me with many bands of galleys for Sicily, Naples, and Spain. When Your Majesty assigned the galleys to the said Marqués, he immediately sent me to winter in Gibraltar with eight galleys under my command, to attend to the construction of that port and the guard of that strait, as Your Majesty knows. The following spring, by Your Majesty's order, I accompanied Pedro de Vanegas on his return from Safi, who was going to Barbary with twelve galleys, and I continued with the squadron of galleys until they arrived at the expedition of this kingdom, guarding the coast of Andalucia. There were several occasions when I captured a French ship, which Your Majesty acknowledged with satisfaction, and I guarded the coast of Spain with them. I brought Don Pedro de Padilla to Orán and to the officials who went to take possession of the African borders, all by Your Majesty's order. Lastly, I took the galleys to the Tercio, as Your Majesty knows and as I served. with a Fortuna as an ensign. General Diego de Medrano commanded four Neapolitan galleys, leading a force of 400 sailors and 110 artillery pieces while overseeing 900 enslaved rowers. It was the largest naval battle in western history since classical antiquity, involving more than 450 warships. The victory of the Holy League is of great importance in the history of Europe and of the Ottoman Empire. Conquest of Tunis (1573) . The Walters Art Museum. In 1572, Juan de Austria wintered in Naples and received instructions from His Majesty to set out in the spring of 1573 with the fleet to capture Tunis, as the Turks had seized the kingdom from Abu Abdallah Muhammad V al-Hasan, a vassal of the King of Spain. His Highness directed Álvaro de Bazán, Marquess of Santa Cruz to advance with 4,000 men to Tunis and, if possible, take control of the city and fortress. In the expedition to Tunis, the Marqués de Santa Cruz entrusted Captain Medrano with many bands of galleys for Sicily, Naples, and Spain. Álvaro de Bazán, Marquess of Santa Cruz, appointed squadron General Diego de Medrano to command twelve galleys which played a crucial role at the battle of Terceira in 1583, ultimately securing the island. The naval battle of Vila Franca do Campo, also known as the naval battle of Terceira Island, started on 26 July 1582, off the coast of the island of São Miguel in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores, during the War of the Portuguese Succession. To reinforce the Spanish in this battle, Álvaro de Bazán, Marquess of Santa Cruz, meticulously prepared twelve galleys from the Spanish fleet and entrusted them to the "brave and experienced" Captain Diego de Medrano in the spring of 1583. In the Invincible, he is mentioned among the valiant captains and lords who followed the Spanish fleet, specifically: From the galleys, Captain Medrano, who led them on the expedition to the island of Terceira. On 10 July 1583, Jorge Manrique wrote to King Philip II of Spain regarding Captain Medrano's successful navigation and victory: Captain Diego Medrano crossed with the 12 galleys, and during the navigation, he was so vigilant and careful, and everything turned out so well, that he deserves to be shown great favor by Your Majesty, as a demonstration, so that others may be encouraged to take on what everyone judged to be so difficult, and to encourage him to do so, considering its great importance. I promised him in the gulf that I would bring this matter to Your Majesty, as I am doing now, and I beg Your Majesty to release me from this obligation, as everything should be for your better service. May God keep you, etc. — From the city of Punta Delgada, July 10, 1583. — D. Jorge Manrique. Despite the risks of navigating the Gulf of the Yeguas in low, broad ships prone to instability in rough seas, especially given previous difficulties encountered by ships sent by Alonso Bazán, Medrano and his twelve galleys successfully reached the island of San Miguel. This achievement was greatly admired and celebrated by the Spanish. Navigating the Island of São Miguel in the Azores On 3 July 1583, Diego de Medrano was ordered to navigate the Island independently before the rest of the fleet arrived. It took the rest of the fleet 10 days after the galleys' arrival to finally gather at São Miguel. The fleet was also tasked with loading the siege artillery, gun carriages, carts, and all the equipment needed to operate the artillery, along with the mules required to move the pieces, as well as the munitions and supplies stored on São Miguel. Spanish victory at the Island of Terceira and the Iberian union The Spanish victory in 1583 resulted in the rapid Spanish conquest of the Azores and completed the incorporation of Portugal into the Spanish Empire. After the success of Bazán and Medrano, the Empire of Spain reached the apex of its naval power as a result of the combined might of its navy with the Portuguese navy, effectively becoming the most powerful maritime force in the world. Contemporary observers recognized the magnitude of this union. The Dominican preacher Brother Hernando del Castillo wrote that, with the union of the kingdoms of Portugal and Castile, Philip II would be "the most powerful lord and king in the world." The conquest of Terceira in 1583 and the success of the campaign was not only due to the strength and discipline of the forces but also to the meticulous planning and execution of the landing by Diego de Medrano. His galleys were crucial in selecting the right landing site, executing a feint towards Plaía, and defending and ensuring the swift consolidation of the beachhead, which were key factors in the overall victory. Indeed, Medrano's coordination of feint and force marked one of the earliest modern amphibious assaults, anticipating the tactics later used in large-scale naval landings. == The Spanish Armada (1588) ==

By 1588, Diego de Medrano's naval career had spanned a quarter-century of victories and royal service, culminating in his appointment to the Spanish Armada. Philip II of Spain rewarded Diego's 25 years of service, innovation of the Spanish galleys and victory at the islands of Terceira and Faial, by granting him the habit of the Order of Santiago and appointed him to command the four galleys of Portugal that were part of the Spanish Armada. Background Tensions between Spain and England intensified during the late sixteenth century. In 1570, Pope Pius V issued Regnans in Excelcis, a document that excommunicated Elizabeth I as a heretic and usurper. It absolved her subjects of allegiance, thereby providing religious and political justification for Catholic resistance to her rule. In the 1570s and 1580s, Elizabeth commissioned Sir Francis Drake to lead English assaults on Spanish shipping. England plundered the West Indies and the Pacific coast of America. By the late 1580s, the deterioration in Anglo-Spanish relations had reached a crisis point. King Philip II's active support for Mary, Queen of Scots, as the rightful successor to the English throne contributed directly to Elizabeth I's decision to authorize Mary's execution in 1587. Framed as a divinely sanctioned crusade by the papacy, the invasion positioned Spain not as a conqueror, but as the defender of Christendom and of rightful order against Protestant heresy and unlawful power. The galley was designed as a forward-facing assault vessel, with its artillery arranged to fire directly ahead at close range before engaging in boarding actions. This sequence of engagement combined concentrated firepower with immediate close combat. Above the guns was the arrumbada, a forward platform where soldiers were positioned to deliver small-arms fire and initiate boarding. At the stern, a raised platform, often covered by a canopy, served as the command position for Captain Diego de Medrano. From this position he directed operations and coordinated the deployment of reinforcements, which could be sent forward to the arrumbada via the corsia, a narrow gangway extending along the length of the vessel between the rowing benches. This configuration enabled communication and movement between command and combat positions within the galley. Medrano's galleys in the Muxía Bay galley in a relief from the Temple of Fortuna Primigenia in Praeneste, built c. 120 BC (Museo Pio-Clementino)|alt=A galley with its oars out equipped with a small tower-like structure and a group of battle-ready Roman legionnaires standing on the upper deck Before leaving for the English Channel, the Duke of Medina Sidonia told Diego de Medrano to wait for him in Muxía Bay, four leagues beyond the Cape. Upon sighting the Armada, de Medrano was instructed to join him immediately, without delay. For several weeks, General Diego de Medrano's galleys—Capitana, Princesa, Diana, and Bazana—took refuge in Muxía Bay. On June 10, Medrano's galleys—Capitana, Diana, La Bazana, and La Princesa—were sent ahead to La Coruña to restock provisions, as many of those initially loaded were of poor quality. On 18 July 1588, it was unanimously agreed to alter the combat formation to a structure consisting of three squadrons or tactical groups: vanguard, main battle group, and rearguard. The transport ships, primarily the urcas and smaller vessels, would be positioned in the main battle group, which would be flanked by the galleys and galleasses. On July 22, Medrano's galleys departed with the reassembled fleet. On July 23, strong favorable winds propelled the armada forward, benefiting larger ships but posing challenges for the aging galleys. That same day, Diana began leaking severely, forcing it to divert to Vivero, where it arrived heavily damaged. After repairs, it was sent to Lisbon and took no further part in the campaign. Medrano's remaining three galleys continued without major issues. Medrano continued with the remaining three galleys, and by July 24-25, under favorable southwest winds, the fleet covered over 300 miles in 53 hours. However, conditions deteriorated on July 26 when a strong northerly wind and squalls struck. By the following day, the storm worsened, with rough seas battering the fleet. Medrano’s galleys remained visible throughout July 26 but lost contact by nightfall due to worsening seas, rain, and low visibility. Seeking shelter, they diverted toward the French coast with the patache Nuestra Señora de Gracia for support. however this galley was in A Coruña when Drake and Norreys' fleet attacked in 1589, leading to the myth of María Pita. Interim Admiral Don Diego de Medrano was responsible for leading the remnants of the fleet during a particularly challenging period, marked by severe storms and the loss of several ships, including the Santa Ana, which accidentally exploded in the port of El Pasaje. Despite the difficulties, Medrano's leadership helped to manage the scattered and depleted fleet as they sought refuge along the northern coasts of Spain. == Death ==

According to Licentiate Salinas, Diego de Medrano died in 1588 during the expedition of the Spanish Armada: "[Diego de Medrano] died in the expedition to England." == See also ==