Alonso de Guzman El Bueno, 7th Duke of Medina Sidonia

Don Alonso Pérez de Guzmán el Bueno, 7th Duke of Medina Sidonia (September 10, 1550 - 1615) was the commander-in-chief of the Spanish Armada. He was the son of Don Juan Carlos de Guzmán, eldest son of the 6th duke, and of his wife Doña Leonor Manrique de Zuniga y Sotomayor. His father died in 1555, and Don Alonso became duke, and master of one of the greatest fortunes in Europe, on the death of his grandfather in 1539.

Betrothal and Marriage

The 7th duke was betrothed in 1565 to Ana de Silva y Mendoza, who was then four years of age, the daughter of the prince of Eboli. In 1572 when the duchess was a little more than ten years of age, the pope granted a dispensation for the consummation of the marriage. The scandal of the time, for which there appears to be no foundation, accused Philip II of a love intrigue with the princess of Eboli. The unvarying and unmerited favor he showed the duke has been accounted for on the ground that he took a paternal interest in the duchess.

Related Topics:
1565 - Eboli - 1572 - Pope - Dispensation - Consummation - Scandal - Philip II

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