| Alonso Enríquez | |
|---|---|
| Spouse(s) | Juana de Mendoza y de Orozco |
| Noble family | House of Enríquez |
| Father | Fadrique Alfonso, Lord of Haro |
| Mother | Paloma |
| Born | 1354 Guadalcanal |
| Died | 1429 Guadalupe |
Alonso Enríquez (Guadalcanal, 1354 Guadalupe, 1429) was Lord of Rioseco and Admiral of Castile.
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Alonso Enríquez was an illegitimate son of Fadrique Alfonso, 25th Master of the Order of Santiago. His father was murdered on 29 May 1358 in the Alcázar of Seville, on the orders of his brother Peter.
It is unknown who his mother was. She was probably a converso, a Jew who had converted to Christianity.
In 1389, John I of Castile gave him the area around Aguilar de Campos. In later years, he managed to extend his territory. Until 1402, he served the King as a commander and administered the castle of Medina de Rioseco.
In 1387, Alonso married Juana de Mendoza y de Orozco. After his brother-in-law Diego Hurtado de Mendoza y de Orozco died in 1404, his wife convinced the King to appoint Alonso as Admiral of Castile. The Enríquez family held this post from 1405 to 1705. Alsonso was the most famous admiral in the family, winning many sea battles.
In 1407, he defeated the combined fleet of Tunis, Granada and Tremecén. This was his last major sea battle. Afterward, he inspected the fleet and led military actions on land, such as the capture of Antequera in 1410. He was involved in the court's political undertakings and in its feasts[1].
In 1421, he received Medina de Rioseco as a reward for his services. He became Lord of Rioseco; the city is since known as the City of the admirals. At the end of his life, he retired to the monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe, where he died in 1429 at the age of 75.
In his will, he left the monastery 11000maravedís for the construction of four chapels. His widow donated another 10000maravedís.
The poet and biographer Fernán Pérez de Guzmán, a contemporary of Alonso's, described him as medium sized, chubby, red-haired, discrete and not a talker. The historian Esteban de Garibay (1533-1600) described him as hot-tempered and quickly irritated.
From his marriage with Juana de Mendoza, Alonso had two sons and eight daughters: