Alonso de Guzmán (1256–1309), known as Guzmán el Bueno ("the good"), was a Spanish nobleman, was the founder of the line which the dukes of Medina Sidonia belonged to.
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He was born at León. However, there is evidence that he was not Spanish but a Moor. In a permit to export wheat signed in 1288, he is given permission to export the crop to where "he is from", probably in Morocco. Furthermore, in a document from 1297 owned by the Duchess of Medina Sidonia and signed by the then king, Guzmán is referred to as "a vassal", i.e. a non-Spaniard.[1] The Duchess, a direct descendent, has said that his history was "cleaned up" in the sixteenth century to cleanse his ethnicity from the records and make him more palatable to Spain's Christian society.[1]
In 1296 he defended the town of Tarifa on behalf of Sancho IV of Castile. Guzmán had been given charge of Tarifa, recently captured from the Moors, despite having fought for Alfonso X against the rebellion of his son Sancho IV. Guzmán held Tarifa's castle against the siege of the Moors and the Infante Don Juan, Sancho's rebellious brother. Guzmán's son had been placed under the care of Don Juan who attempted to kill the captive unless Guzmán surrendered the city. According to legend, Guzmán rebuffed the demand with dramatic words: according to one rendition, "I did not beget a son to be made use of against my country, but that he should serve her against her foes. Should Don Juan put him to death, he will but confer honour on me, true life on my son, and on himself eternal shame in this world and everlasting wrath after death." Guzman punctuated his words by throwing his own knife down for the besiegers to use in killing his son. [1] He was rewarded by large grants of crown land. The ducal title was conferred by John II in 1445 on one of his descendants, Juan Alonzo de Guzmán, count of Niebla. The addition "El Bueno" to the family name of Guzmán was used by several of the house, which included many statesmen, generals and colonial viceroys.
In 1309 he helped Ferdinand IV of Castile capture Gibraltar from the Moors, who had held it since 711.