Fernando Niño de Guevara was born in
Toledo, Spain in 1541, the son of Rodrigo Niño, Marquis of Tejares. An uncle, also named
Fernando Niño de Guevara (d. 1552), was
Archbishop of Granada from 1542 to 1552. He studied
law at the
University of Salamanca. He then moved to
Cuenca, Spain, where he became
archdeacon of
the cathedral. In 1570, he became an
oidor in
Valladolid. He became a member of the
Council of Castile in 1580. On 3 December 1599 he was appointed
Grand Inquisitor of
Spain. During his tenure as Grand Inquisitor, the
Spanish Inquisition burned 240 heretics, plus 96 in effigy. 1,628 other individuals were found guilty and subjected to lesser penalties. On 10 Oct 1599, he was
consecrated bishop by
Pope Clement VIII with
Camillo Borghese,
Cardinal-Priest of
Santi Giovanni e Paolo, and
Alfonso Visconti,
Bishop of Cervia, serving as
co-consecrators. In 1600 he had a
portrait painted by
El Greco. On 30 April 1601 he was also appointed
Archbishop of Seville. Fernando Niño de Guevara engaged the
Jesuits in a dispute about the nature of
papal authority. As a result,
Pope Clement VIII prevailed on
Philip III of Spain to induce him to resign as Grand Inquisitor in 1602. He did, however, retain his duties as Archbishop of Seville. In this capacity, he called a
synod in 1604 in order to suppress the
confraternities and replace them with similar institutions dominated by clerics. He died, probably in
Seville, on 8 January 1609. He is buried in the Convent of San Pablo in Toledo. ==Episcopal succession==