In 1368, the King of the Crown of Castile bestowed the title of Count of Medinaceli on Bernal de Foix, the second husband of Isabel de la Cerda. Their grandson Luis, 3rd Count of Medinaceli, eventually inherited the title and changed his family name to "de la Cerda". Later on, Queen Isabella I of Castile raised the title from Count to Duke in 1479 for Luis de la Cerda y de la Vega, 5th Count of Medinaceli.
Counts of Medinaceli
Bernal de Foix, 1st Count of Medinaceli (d. 1381). He took the side of the royal bastard Henry of Trastámara in 1368 against Henry's legitimate half-brother, King Peter of Castile. A bastard of Gaston III, Count of Foix, Bernal de Foix chose to stay in Castile when Henry had King Peter executed in March 1369 at the Castle of Montiel. He was the second husband of the wealthy Isabel de la Cerda, who was of legitimate royal descent from King Alfonso X of Castile through her grandfather.
Luis de la Cerda y de la Vega, 1st Duke of Medinaceli (c. 1442–1501), Count in 1454 and Duke in 1479, was the first person awarded the title of "Duke of Medinaceli". He fought in battles against Portugal and the Moorish Kingdom of Granada.
2nd Duke of Medinaceli
Duke Juan I de la Cerda y Vique, the 2nd Duke of Medinaceli, was a bastard who was legitimated with Grandee by the Spanish Crown in 1520. He was a courtier under Queen Isabella I of Castile, her daughter Queen Joanna of Castile, and her son King Charles I of Spain. He took part in the battles for the "incorporation" of the Kingdom of Navarre on behalf of Ferdinand II of Aragon, the grandfather of King Charles I of Spain.
3rd Duke of Medinaceli
Duke Gastón de la Cerda y Portugal, died without issue. He married María Gómez Sarmiento, daughter of the 3rd Count of Salinas and Count of Ribadeo.
Duke Juan III Luis de la Cerda y Manuel de Portugal, 5th Duke of Medinaceli, was an Ambassador in Portugal and a Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece. He was married four times. His first wife, Isabella d'Aragona (bef. 1543 - August 1578) was the daughter of Antonio d'Aragona, (1506–1543). His second wife was Duca di Montalto and after 1578, he married Juana de la Lama. His 4th wife was Marquesa de la Adrada, daughter of Gonzalo Fernández de la Lama.
6th Duke of Medinaceli
Duke Juan Luis de la Cerda y Aragón, 6th Duke of Medinaceli (20 May 1569 - 24 November 1607) was a Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece. He was an Ambassador to Germanic countries. He married twice, the first time in 1564, to Ana de la Cueva, daughter of the 5th Duque de Albuquerque, Gabriel de la Cueva, Governor of the Duchy of Milano (Italy). He got married for a second time in 1606, to Antonia Dávila y Colonna (d. 29 October 1625), daughter of Gómez Dávila y de Toledo, the 2nd Marqués de Velada (d. 30 January 1599), tutor of King Philip III of Spain.
7th Duke of Medinaceli
Duke Antonio Juan de la Cerda y Toledo (25 October 1607 – 7 March 1671), 7th Duque de Medinaceli, Grandee of Spain, and Captain General of Valencia in 1641. He was married at the age of seventeen to Ana Francisca Luisa Enriquez de Ribera y Portocarrero, who was thirteen years of age. The marriage took place on November 28, 1625, in Dos Hermanas, province of Sevilla. Ana Francisca Luisa Enríquez de Ribera y Portocarrero (bef. 19 September 1613 - 21 May 1645) was later granted the title of hereditary 5th Duquesa de Alcalá de los Gazules, as daughter of Pedro Enríquez Girón de Ribera, a Knight of the Military Order of Santiago.
8th Duke of Medinaceli
Juan Francisco de la Cerda y Portocarrero, 8th Duke of Medinaceli, (4 November 1637– 20 February 1691) was a Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece. He was the Prime Minister of King Charles II of Spain. Medinaceli's strategies "produced fierce antipathy" between Marie-Louise of Orleans, the new Queen of Spain. He firmly believed in the rivalry of France and Spain and considered France the enemy. Therefore, he tried to isolate the young Queen from any french influence. In 1681, Medinaceli managed to have the Marquis of Villars, the french ambassador, removed from the spanish court. [2]
^ abBorgognoni, Ezequiel. "The Royal Household of Marie-Louise of Orleans, 1679 - 1689: The struggle over Executive Offices". The Court Historian. 23: 166–181.
