Tomás Fernández de Medrano

Another of the witnesses, Don Juan Ruiz Calderón, specified even more by indicating that the said Tomás Fernández de Medrano was secretary to the Infanta Catalina, Duchess of Savoy, wife of Charles Emmanuel of Savoy and daughter of the King of Spain himself, Philip II. She was born of his marriage to Isabella of Valois, the third of his four wives.[12] According to the biographers of the "Prudent King", Isabella and Catherine were the apple of the sovereign's eye. The best confirmation of the strong bonds of affection that united the king and his daughters are the letters they wrote to each other over the years, recently edited by Fernando Bouza. In them, Tomás Fernandez de Medrano is quoted on 31 January 1592 by King Philip II: "He was very happy with the news of your health and my grandchildren that you give me in the letters of the end of last month and the 5th and 6th of this month, and you are absolutely right that the Duke should not take so many risks as he does. Although I have already asked him many times to be careful, I will do it again now with Medrano, whom he has sent here, and I really approve of your decision to come and visit."[13]

Don Tomás Fernandez de Medrano was entrusted with a dangerous mission to deal with the Duke of Savoy's political-military affairs in Madrid shortly after his appointment on 1 August 1591 with the king himself: "The state of affairs in this Provence and the great and extreme necessity that we are in here have forced me to send to Your Majesty my secretary of state and war, Tomás Fernández de Medrano, so that, as a person through whose hands everything has passed and who infinitely desires the service of Your Majesty, he may understand the importance of your assistance in these parts. And so, whatever he proposes to Your Majesty on my behalf, it will be my pleasure for you to give him the same credit as you would to my own person. And a resolution as soon as possible."

King Philip II himself gives more information in letters written in his own handwriting to Carlos Manuel after receiving the Dukes letter of 28 December with Medrano. On that trip, he was robbed and important documents were taken from him: "My secretary Tomás Fernández de Medrano, whom I sent from Provence to deal with His Majesty on some matters of great importance, informed me that among other things, thieves robbed him on the road from Barcelona to Madrid, and that the Papal bulls which Your Majesty ordered to be dispatched from Rome with hanging seals, when with the approval and pleasure of His Holiness he granted him the habit of San Juan from his own hand (without vows), for certain claims that are shared with his house." He was even captured by the French during the return journey from France to Spain, with an embassy of business, by soldiers from Marseilles.

Monseñor Ladighiera (Lesdiguières in French), a French general, invaded Savoy in early 1592 as part of the Spanish-French conflict during the late 16th century. Philip II had supported the Catholic Guises against the Huguenots, who were led by the future Henry IV. It was even thought that Isabella Clara Eugenia, his other daughter, would claim her rights to the French throne as the eldest daughter of Princess Elizabeth of Valois, who was Philip's third wife. Tomas Fernandez de Medrano and the Duke of Savoy played a key role in this conflict, and Ladighiera was one of the most important pieces on the French side. During the French Wars of Religion his brother Don Francisco Fernández de Medrano commanded a Spanish garrison from Flanders, under Alexander Farnese, to be stationed in Paris. In Garzigliana, Ladighiera had indeed shown his capacity by inflicting a significant defeat on the Duke's troops.

His brother Don Francisco de Medrano had distinguished himself, having been severely wounded,[14] and that for all this and for his relationship with his brother Don Tomás Fernandez de Medrano, the Duke was trying to achieve his progress in a very particular way: by requesting from the king the appointment of the alcaidía of Los Arcos.[15] He must not have obtained this coveted position. However, this did not prevent him from achieving a comfortable position, as shown by the fact that in 1598 he was tasked with recruiting a company of 250 infantrymen in Burgos and its surrounding area or that he was appointed as a councilor of the state of the hijosdalgo of the city of Logroño.[16]

A series of incidents will forcibly alter Don Tomás Fernandez de Medrano's destiny in life. The Infanta Catalina Micaela, Duchess of Savoy, will pass away first. On 6 November 1597, she gave birth and passed away at the age of 30. The signing of the Peace of Vervins with France on 2 May 1598, which put an end to years of hostilities, will be the second event. The final event will be the passing of King Philip II, who was another significant death. The courts in Turin and Madrid both descended into chaos and intrigue. To make matters worse, Charles Emmanuel I would eventually become independent of Spanish influence, and a first step to do so was to eliminate the surveillance and guardianship that the Spanish monarch could exercise through Don Tomás Fernandez de Medrano.

With kind words and even the appointment as secretary to the infant sons of the Duke of Savoy, Tomas Fernandez de Medrano was dismissed. In fact, a new position was already being sought for him. Two letters dated 28 March 1598 from the Duke of Savoy to the king and the Marquis of Denia (future Duke of Lerma) attest to this. His appointment as Secretary of State and War of the Princes of Savoy most likely began in 1603, this is confirmed by Prince Manuel Filiberto who wrote to the Duke of Lerma on 8 April 1606 stating that Tomás Fernández de Medrano, the duke's secretary, endures with more patience than they do. The prince adds that Tomás does this because he adjusts himself to his will, and with his great occupations, which are attributed to him, the Prince Manuel Filberto recognizes his many talents and merits for so many years.[17]

On 9 October 1598 Don Tomás Fernandez de Medrano himself formalized the request to return to Spain. Duke of Savoy gave him the desired permission to make this journey, and the money to do so. With his wife and children, he departed for Spain.[20] In the end, Don Tomas Fernandez de Medrano received his pension thanks to the intercession of the Duke of Lerma. The sponsorship of the favourite Francisco de Sandoval y Rojas, 1st Duke of Lerma, was the logical consequence of the marriage of Don Tomas Fernandez de Medrano from La Rioja with Doña Isabel de Sandoval. The Duke of Savoy wrote a letter dated 24 August 1599 informing the Duke and Marquis of Denia of what he has done for the good progress of Doña Isabel de Sandoval (having requested that she be sent to him), asking them to show great favor to her and her husband the secretary.

At this request, considering the past services, the Marquis of Denia made efforts with His Majesty in an old consultation to grant Don Tomás Fernandez de Medrano four hundred ducats of income in Milan on 10 August 1607. In this letter, it is already clearly reflected under whose protection Don Tomás returns: under that of the strong man of the new king, the Duke of Lerma. Although the king of Spain would still have to confirm the grant a year later in a letter to the constable of Castile, Philip III of Spain granted a pension of four hundred escudo per year in that state to Tomás Fernández de Medrano, secretary of State and War of the Duke of Savoy and of the Infanta Doña Catalina, his siblings on 26 July 1608.[21]

The couple's income would increase even more thanks to the supplement of the pension granted to Isabel for her services to the Infanta Catalina and a reconsideration of the one granted on 10 August 1607 to Tomás Fernández de Medrano, former secretary of His Highness, and to Doña Isabel de Sandoval, his wife, 274,200 maravedis each year, for which his Majesty granted them until another equivalent one is granted to them.[22] However, this did not necessarily mean that he would receive it regularly. The economic situation remained extremely delicate and had conditioned all of the Monarchy's international policy, which was forced to sign peace with France and soon with England (in 1604). The bankruptcy of 1596 had been disastrous, and the same would happen with that of 1607.

Valdeosera, of the municipality of San Román de Cameros in La Rioja (Spain)

There is a work written in 1601 by the lawyer Salinas whose title is "Summary of the Memorable and holy battle of Clavijo, true origin and antiquity of the Lordship and lords of the town, land and currencies of Valdeosera," dedicated to King Philip III of Spain by Don Juan Fernández de Medrano y Sandoval: "All sources and rivers (my lord) originate from the sea and return to it. Therefore, having addressed Secretary Tomás Fernández de Medrano, my father, regarding the summary and compendium of the memory and holy battle of Clavijo (in which Your Majesty is so interested on behalf of the glorious King Ramiro), along with the origin, nobility, and antiquity of the lordship and lords of the village, land, and insignia of Valdeosera (since they are connected), it seemed fitting to him (before it was made public) for me to dedicate it to Your Majesty."[23]

The work by Salinas deals with the battle of Clavijo as the origin of the lordship of the estate of Valdeosera. In the plot of Valdeosera,[24] created according to tradition in the 9th century by King Ramiro, there were 13 "divisas", coinciding with the thirteen offspring of Don Sancho Fernández de Tejada.[25] Probably the site had previously been a "presura" of Don Sancho, confirmed by King Ramiro, who was interested in populating this no-man's land on the border between his kingdoms and Islam. It is located in the heart of Camero Viejo; The urban center of Valdeosera is located at 1,130 meters of altitude, with an area of 954 hectares.

Francisco Gómez de Sandoval y Rojas, First Duke of Lerma

The Mixed Republic is dedicated to Francisco de Sandoval, 1st Duke of Lerma:

"The ship that is governed by two Captains, endures the storm at peril. The Empire that depends on more than one, experience teaches us, cannot endure. If another sun were to join the sky where the sun that illuminates us shines, the earth would be enveloped in darkness. Although this Kingdom may seem like an image of many bodies, it is not more than one, and only one soul governs and rules it. When the members are united (as they are), they only attend to and look after the preservation of their individuality, for the good of the public. Our Lord the King made Your Excellency the Captain of this Ship. The soul of this body recognizes, as wise men do, the equality of light, for it had the same light in its origin as it has now in matter and form, which is real.

I bring these three bouquets of Religion, Obedience, and Justice, with some touches of politeness (which are the colors with which Your Excellency has always adorned himself), for having found them composed as they are of select flowers in my father's garden, which, although it is common to all, there is no silver or flower that I do not wish to cultivate individually for the service of Your Excellency as the universal father of the republic, to whom everything is owed, and to whom I humbly beg to continue to place them, so that they do not wither in the waters of his grace, continuing the favor that Your Excellency has always shown us (as our lord), in whose virtue and merits we hope for what we can expect from such a great Prince. In response to such debt, I will only say with St. Augustine: Your fortune does not lack the opportunity to reward, nor will our ability to repay be lacking." - Tomas Fernández de Medrano in Madrid, 22 August 1601[28]

The Duke of Lerma was the favorite (valido) of Philip III and, as such, governed the destinies of the crown on behalf of the sovereign. At his impulse, in 1601, the court had been moved to Valladolid, benefiting, in passing, from a planned real estate speculation operation.

República Mista is a political treatise which, without naming Machiavelli, is a forceful response to his politics, in which Don Tomas Fernandez de Medrano defends the new system of government imposed in the monarchy after the accession to the throne of Philip III: the favoritism. The Medrano family had close ties to the Duke of Lerma, the first great private and initiator of the phenomenon.[29]

For the prologue, Tomás Fernández de Medrano arranges all the political doctrine within a novelistic fiction, which recalls the ancient Spanish literature of Arabic origin. In this invention, King Tolomeo of Egypt appears discussing over dinner with seven Ambassadors from the most flourishing contemporary states: Rome, Carthage, Sicily, Rhodes, Athens, Sparta, and Sicionia. Each Ambassador explains the three main bases of the policy of his country,[30] leading Tomas to conclude that a mixed republic would be the most effective if the twenty-one political principles of the seven states were combined.

The main text focuses on the constitutive role of the political order played by religion and is integrated into the context of the anti-Machiavellian current to the extent that it tries to refute the Florentine's thesis that they attribute to religion a merely strategic role, in no case constitutive of the political order. According to Medrano, a mixed republic is a government that combines elements of both monarchy and republicanism using the twenty-one political principles of the seven states combined. In this system, the monarch is the head of state, but power is shared with a representative assembly that is elected by the people. Tomas believed that the mixed republic offered the best of both worlds: the stability and order of a monarchy, combined with the accountability and representation of a republic. Tomás Fernández de Medrano argued that this system would prevent the abuses of power that often occur in pure monarchies or pure republics. In a mixed republic, the monarch is constrained by the laws and customs of the land, and is required to consult with and seek the advice of the representative assembly. The assembly, in turn, has the power to veto the monarch's decisions and to enact laws that are in the best interests of the people. He does not hesitate to state that if we do not follow through with careful deliberation, we will end up with "a form of depraved Republic called Democracy, where free and poor men, being in greater numbers, become rulers of the State and act with force against the few."

The book's content is reduced to religious and juridical policy and emphasizes the importance of preserving religion and authority while administering justice. It includes a 16-page prologue on generalities, defining politics, and the formation of society, including family, municipality, province, and kingdom. Medrano accepts the theory that any type of republic that is not moderated by others soon degenerates into vice, and for republics to endure in straight government, they must have virtues and properties of the others united in them. Among other things, he writes about how important it is for Kings and Princes to be religious in order to be more obedient to their subjects.

He writes first, concerning the importance of kings and princes being religious; the second, regarding the obedience owed to them by their subjects and the reverence with which they should speak of them and their ministers, councils, and magistrates; and the third, on how the good should be rewarded and the evil punished. Medrano's ideas about the mixed republic were influenced by earlier political philosophers such as Aristotle and Polybius, who also wrote about the benefits of combining different forms of government, which prove that the preservation of religion and authority is the foundation of good governance. Tomas also discusses the three good political regimes: monarchy, aristocracy, and timocracy, with their three opposites: tyranny, oligarchy, and democracy.

Within his work on The Mixed Republic, Tomas also wrote about the natural rights of individuals, arguing that people had certain inherent rights that could not be taken away by the state. He believed that the purpose of government was to protect these natural rights, and that any government that failed to do so was illegitimate. Tomás Fernández de Medrano's ideas had a significant impact on political thought in Europe and the Americas, particularly during the age of Enlightenment.

Other works written by Tomas Fernandez de Medrano: Consoling prayer to Sermo Carlo Emanuel, Duke of Savoy, made by Don Tomás Fernández de Medrano, of the Messrs. of Valde Osera and Almarza, Secretary of State and war of their highnesses and their council, Turin, Antonio de Bianqui, 1598; Funeral prayer to the gifts of the most powerful Filipo Segundo: Invictissimo King of Spain and of the New World made by Don Tomás Fernández de Medrano, Secretary of State and War of the Sereneness and catholic Duke of Savoy, and of the serene princes, his sons, and of his council, Milano, Gratiadio Ferioli.

The princes Philip Emmanuel, Victor Amadeus, and Emmanuel Philibert had been sent on a formative trip to the Spanish court in 1603.[32] Very likely, Tomás Fernández de Medrano took care of their affairs from that date forward. The latter two remained there in 1606. The first one had died a year earlier, and both were about to leave Madrid, so they were trying to secure the position of their dependents, including Don Tomás Fernández de Medrano. Victor Amadeus I would succeed his father, Charles Emmanuel I in 1630.

His younger brother, Emmanuel Philibert, held the title of Grand Prior and Grand Admiral of Castile in the Order of St. John, to which Don Tomás Fernandez de Medrano belonged. For this reason, in view of the prospect of returning to Turin, the prince made the decision to appoint Tomás Fernández de Medrano, his secretary and knight of his habit (in his departure for Italy) as Manager of the Grand Prior of Castilla San Juan, occupied in this court in all matters of the Religion that are the princes responsibility and Medrano's duty.[33]

San Juan de Acre in the town of Salinas de Añana

Tomas Fernandez de Medrano's patronage of the Monastery of San Juan de Acre is in the town of Salinas de Añana. Ecclesiastical patronage, notably unknown to historiography, was one of the greatest demonstrations of supremacy and distinction that the nobility of the time could exercise. The appropriation of patronage afterwards was not as common.

The convent of San Juan de Acre belonged to the women's section of the Order of Saint John and was located - still today it is - outside the walls of the town of Salinas de Añana, in the diocese of Burgos. This was a strategic location due to the presence of its coveted salt pans, one of the most important in Castile, which had been incorporated into the crown in 1564, respecting the rights of its previous owners, including the said convent. On 22 June 1608, the only four nuns who lived in the oratory, Doña Inés Hurtado de Corcuera y Mendoza, prioress, Doña Manuela Hurtado de Corcuera y Mendoza, Doña María de Xérica and Doña María de Corcuera, met to make a very important decision for their future:

"Because their ancestors and relatives, and those of Don Tomás Fernández de Medrano, a knight of the Order of Saint John, lord of the town and estate of Valdeosera, and secretary of the Serene Prince Grand Prior, by His Majesty's command, made and founded this said convent, where the said secretary and his ancestors are buried in the side chapel of the main chapel and where they have their coat of arms, and seeing that the religion of Saint John and the Grand Priors have completely abandoned the protection of this said convent of San Juan de Acre and that the church, house and walls of it have fallen (due to age and antiquity), with the help and favor of their relatives, they have made the said church of stone again... considering the great good that the said secretary has done to the said convent, all four said prioress and nuns, together and unanimously in one voice, being as they are in their chapter and meeting, which they have held for the said purpose, named and appointed as patron of this said convent and church and house of the lord Saint John of Acre, with everything annexed and belonging to it in the temporal sense, to the said lords Don Tomás Fernández de Medrano and Doña Isabel de Sandoval, his wife, and to their heirs and successors, succeeding each other, so that as such patrons they may do and dispose of all things annexed and concerning the said monastery and house and its goods in the temporal sense, as said above, as the said prioress and nuns could and as if it were their own property."[34]

The convent of San Juan de Acre came under the patronage of Don Tomás Fernandez de Medrano and his wife, who already had, apparently, their family pantheon in one of the chapels of the convent. As an immediate measure of compensation for their commitment, the couple, in gratitude for this, have promised and given to the said prioresses and nuns and convent, fifty ducats of income for two lives, and a thousand ducats once from their own estate. The benefits that their marriage obtained from all this business allowed these social sectors to access the prestigious dignity of patron of a convent and the honorary and spiritual benefits that came with it, as well as other social and political potentialities that such quality could imply, especially at a time when the conventual network was already saturated.

On 26 July 1608 King Philip III of Spain wrote to Tomás Fernández de Medrano, a trusted and beloved friend of the King. The letter describes Tomás as a knight of the sacred religion, and the lord of the town and estate of Valdeosera. The king praised Medrano's service to him over many years, especially in the capacity of Secretary of State and War for the Duke of Savoy and Infanta Doña Catalina, the king's siblings. The king noted that Tomás served him in war, performing particular tasks and ministries as a noble and knight. He described Tomás Fernández de Medrano having great prudence and goodness when he tended to the king on important matters for his royal service. Additionally, the king commended Medrano's zeal in matters of religion and his work translating the statutes of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem from Latin into Castilian. The king stated that it will be of great benefit and utility to the knights and religious of the order.

The king concluded by requesting that the Order of St. John of Jerusalem grant Tomás all the grace and favor possible in his pretensions and those of his children. The king then expressed a desire for Tomás to be the Most Reverend and of great Religion Master of the Convent and Order of St. John of Jerusalem, a position that the king believed Tomás was just and worthy of holding, and one that would bring him particular pleasure and satisfaction: "Most Reverend and of great religion Master of the convent and order of S. John of Jerusalem, our very dear and beloved friend Tomás Fernández de Medrano, knight of that sacred religion, lord of the town and estate of Valdeosera, secretary to the Princes of Savoy my nephews, by my order and that of the sacred chapters and assemblies of Castile..." King Philip III, 26 July 1608[35]

Tomas Fernandez de Medrano was married to Doña Isabel de Sandoval, relative of the first Duke of Lerma Francisco de Sandoval y Rojas. Isabel's sister was Magdalena de Sandoval, the mother of the children of the Duke of Uceda. Isabel de Sandoval was also related to Gaspar Alfonso Pérez de Guzmán y Sandoval, 9th Duke of Medina Sidonia, his mother Juana de Sandoval was a daughter of the Duke of Lerma, and his sister Luisa de Guzmán y Sandoval married to the newly proclaimed king John IV of Portugal.

A letter describes the request made by the Duke of Lerma to the King to grant a financial amount to Doña Isabel de Sandoval, who became a widow before her first marriage was consummated, so that she can remarry.[36] On 8 December 1594, the Duke of Savoy already said that Tomás Fernández de Medrano was arranged to marry Doña Isabel de Sandoval from the chamber of the Infanta, his wife, so it probably took place sometime in 1595.

Tomas Fernandez de Medrano and Isabel de Sandoval had two children:

• Don Juan Fernandez de Medrano y Sandoval, first born son, heir and friar at San Prudencio de Monte Laturce. Fray Juan declared his sister, Doña Ana María Fernández de Medrano y Sandoval, as universal heir.
• Doña Ana María Fernández de Medrano y Sandoval, Lady of Queen Isabel de Borbón. Dona Ana Maria married Don Rodrigo Martínez de Fresneda, knight of the Order of Montesa.[37]

Monastery of San Prudencio de Monte Laturce

His son Don Juan Fernandez de Medrano y Sandoval's will is preserved in the notarial protocols of the Provincial Historical Archive of La Rioja.[38] Consequently, the monastery where Fray Juan Fernandez de Medrano had entered was far from being just another monastery. He was a novice at the monastery of San Prudencio de Monte Laturce of the Order of St. Bernard of Cistercians, in the diocese of Calahorra. It was also an enormously symbolic place for the inhabitants of the region. Its location coincided with the field of one of the mythical battles of the reconquest in the area: the battle of Clavijo. San Prudencio de Monte Laturce was lord of a nearby village: Villanueva de San Prudencio. Fray Juan Fernandez de Medrano y Sandoval owned various lands and had rights in several towns in La Rioja: Clavijo, Lasanta, Tudelilla, Villamediana, Yangüela, Lagunilla, Leza, Alberite, Ribafrecha, El Villar de Arnedo... thus, it was not surprising that the abbey of San Prudencio de Monte Laturce sheltered an average of 20 monks throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. At the beginning of the 17th century, the best sign of the prosperity in which the oratory was living was, without a doubt, the expansion of the facilities to which Fray Juan Fernandez de Medrano alluded in his will.

For decades, art historians have wondered about the dating of the impressive refectory building in the abbey of San Prudencio de Monte Laturce, it is one of the structures that best withstood the neglect and ruin to which the abbey was subjected after its abandonment in 1835. The remains of the refectory were found in the 17th century. Thanks to the testimony of Medrano, historians have dated them to around 1616. Juan Fernandez de Medrano y Sandoval donated 600 ducats of 20 Castilian reales to the said monastery of San Prudencio and to the abbot in his name to help with the work of the refectory and cells that were built in the said monastery. Friar Juan Fernandez de Medrano y Sandoval added in the second clause that if this figure was not delivered in the four months following the signing of his will, he obliged himself to double the donation, reaching 1,200 ducats. These were not the only disbursements he foresaw. He distributed a large sum of money to his family, relatives and servants.

Tomas had a brother named Francisco Fernandez de Medrano, lord and divisero of Regajal, who fought during the French Wars of Religion under Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma. Francisco Fernandez de Medrano married Maria Ana de Espinosa. Captain Francisco Fernández de Medrano was registered in the census of divisional knights: "captain, neighbor of Entrena. Registered on May 1, 1596. Divisa de Regajal". Two sons of the latter are also registered: "this said day, month and year (May 1, 1614), his mercy of said lieutenant ordered to register in this Currency the captain D. Francisco Fernández de Medrano and Don Diego and Don Francisco Fernández de Medrano y Espinosa, his legitimate sons and of Doña María Ana de Espinosa, his wife, because of the information he gave him, to be lords of the said Solar and Divisa de Regajal, and so he provided and ordered it ". El Regajal is a unique estate located in the municipality of Aranjuez, at the southern border of the Community of Madrid, known to entomologists around the world since the mid-19th century. Within its grounds, 77 out of the 225 species of lepidoptera found on the Iberian Peninsula reside, not only remarkable for their quantity but also for the rarity of some of them.