García de Medrano y Álvarez de los Ríos

In this Basque name, the first surname is Medrano and the second is Álvarez de los Ríos.

His Excellency García de Medrano y Álvarez de los Ríos Lord of San Gregorio, Knight of Santiago
Coat of arms of Garcí Bravo de Medrano y Molina Mendoza (García's ancestor)
Judge of Studies
In office 1630–1632
Monarch	Philip IV of Spain
Mayor and Prosecutor of the Audiencia of Seville
In office 1632–1636
Monarch	Philip IV of Spain
Professor at the University of Salamanca
In office October 17, 1636 – September 4, 1638
Prosecutor of the Chancery of Valladolid
In office 1641 – February 10, 1643
Monarch	Philip IV of Spain
Auditor of Valladolid
In office February 10, 1643 – January 17, 1645
Monarch	Philip IV of Spain
Regent of the Kingdom of Navarre
In office January 17, 1645 – 1648
Monarch	Philip IV of Spain
Preceded by	Gabriel Vigil
Succeeded by	King Charles II of Spain
Auditor of the Treasury Council and Council of the Indies
In office September 17, 1648 – September 11, 1652
Monarch	Philip IV of Spain
Prosecutor of the Council of Castile
In office September 11, 1652 – September 25, 1652
Monarch	Philip IV of Spain
Regent of the Audiencia of Seville
In office September 25, 1652 – 1657
Monarch	Philip IV of Spain
Preceded by	García de Porres
President of the Chamber of Magistrates in Seville
In office 1657–1664
Monarch	Philip IV of Spain
Member of the Council of Inquisition
In office September 10, 1664 – June 1678 (first term) January 1, 1680 – September 3, 1683 (second term)
Monarchs	Philip IV of Spain (initial term), Charles II of Spain (reinstated term)
Preceded by	García de Porres
Personal details
Born	July 20, 1604 Valladolid, Crown of Castile
Died	September 3, 1683 (aged 79) Empire of Spain
Spouse	María Ignacia de Mendizábal y Uribe
Children	García de Medrano y Mendizábal, I Count of Torrubia Andrés de Medrano y Mendizábal, 2nd Count of Torrubia Domingo de Medrano y Mendizábal
Alma mater	University of Salamanca
Known for	Key crown official Royal reform of the Colegio Mayor de San Ildefonso
Awards	Knight of the Order of Santiago

García de Medrano y Álvarez de los Ríos, Lord of San Gregorio (Valladolid, 20 July 1604 – 3 September 1683) was a prominent Spanish nobleman, statesman and jurist from the House of Medrano, holding numerous high-ranking positions throughout his career. He served as regent and interim viceroy of the Kingdom of Navarre, Fiscal (prosecutor), mayor and regent of Seville, and professor at the University of Salamanca. In 1657, he presided over the Hall of Mayors of Castile and led significant reforms of the colleges in Spain, including a royal reform of the Colegio Mayor de San Ildefonso at the University of Alcalá in 1666. He was also a Knight of the Order of Santiago, perpetual regidor of Soria and procurator in the Cortes, crime prosecutor of the Royal Audiencia and Chancery of Valladolid, auditor of Valladolid, auditor of the Council of Finance and the Council of the Indies, Minister of Finance, Minister of the Council of the Indies, President of the Chamber of Magistrates in Seville, Prosecutor and Councilor of the Royal Council of Castile, Minister of Justice, Minister of Castile and His Majesty's Chamber, and Councilor of the Spanish Inquisition.

Background

García de Medrano y Alvarez de los Rios, Lord of San Gregorio, was born in Valladolid on 20 July 1604. He was the son of García de Medrano y Castejón, President of the Council of Orders, a Knight of Santiago, and a member of the Royal Council of Castile, who was married to María Álvarez de los Ríos. This marriage became the foundation of one of the most prominent families of royal legal officials (togados) serving the Spanish Monarchy throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. His father, as President of the Council of Orders, played a critical role in the legalization and codification of the family doctrine, medrar, which legitimized the Duke of Lerma's ascent as valido and reinforced the broader system of delegated authority within the Habsburg Spanish Empire.

The Medrano family, known for their extensive landholdings and wealth, played a key role in managing Soria’s municipal affairs during the 15th century, building their wealth through corn cultivation and sheep farming. By the 16th century, they had risen to prominent positions in central administration, with members serving on the Royal Council of Castile. According to genealogical proofs provided by García de Medrano y Castejón, this branch of the family not only owned the entailed estate and fortress of San Gregorio but also possessed 15,000 sheep.

Progenitor of the Counts of Torrubia

García's son, García de Medrano y Mendizábal, was granted the title of 1st Count of Torrubia, a Spanish noble title created on 29 August 1694 by King Charles II of Spain. His second son, Andrés de Medrano y Mendizábal, succeeded him as the 2nd Count of Torrubia after his elder brother died without heirs.

Castle of San Gregorio

García was the lord of San Gregorio and of the Casa Fuerte de San Gregorio in Soria

Their ancestral estate is situated in San Gregorio, approximately seven kilometers from La Rubia in the province of Soria. In 1677, García de Medrano added a new construction or renovation to the Castle of San Gregorio, commemorated in stone above the entrance.

House of Álvarez de los Ríos

His mother María Álvarez de los Ríos, from the noble House of Álvarez de los Ríos, was born in Soria and baptized in the parish of Santa María Magdalena on 27 September 1561.

Ancestry

García de Medrano y Álvarez de los Ríos is the paternal grandson of García de Medrano y Vinuesa, born in Soria, and his wife Catalina de Castejon. His grandfather was lord of San Gregorio.

Garcia de Medrano is the paternal great–grandson of Diego López de Medrano, Lord of San Gregorio, and Francisca de Vinuesa, who were known for being immensely wealthy.

Garcia de Medrano is the great–great–grandson of Diego López de Medrano y Vergara, Lord of San Gregorio, a member of His Majesty's Council, and Magdalena Bravo de Lagunas, well-known for their nobility in the Kingdom of Castile.

Relatives

García de Medrano is also the great-uncle of Francisco Antonio de Agurto Salcedo Medrano Zúñiga, Captain General and Governor of the Habsburg Netherlands.

Education and career

On 18 October 1626, García de Medrano entered the prestigious Colegio Mayor de San Bartolomé at the University of Salamanca, where he completed a licentiate in Canon Law. According to Ruiz y Vergara:

He graduated as a Licentiate in Canons at the College in 1636. On October 17, the Council gave him the position of Sixth Chair of Property, above all the other professors who had been promoted before him.

In 1630, he was appointed juez de estudios (judge of studies), and by 1632, he was serving as alcalde and fiscal of the Audiencia of Seville, positions he held until 1636. His academic career led him to occupy the Chair of Canons on 17 October 1636, and that of Sextus (Sextus Decretalium) and Clementines (Clementine Constitutions) at the University of Salamanca, as professor. He was Doctor of Canons on September 4, 1638.

Regency and Viceroy of Navarre

In 1641, he was named fiscal of the Royal Chancery of Valladolid, and on February 10, 1643, he was elevated to the position of oidor (judge) within the same court. On January 17, 1645, following the death of Gabriel Vigil, he was appointed regent of the Kingdom of Navarre, and by September 17, 1648, he had become oidor of both the Council of Finance and the Council of the Indies.

In November 1645, he presided over the interim viceroy position in Navarre in the absence of the Count of Oropesa. He later served as a consultant to the viceroy during the Cortes of 1645 and 1646.

Despite his brief time in Navarre, he made a strong impact, leading the kingdom to request in 1648 that his replacement be of equal standing, describing him as:

a distinguished figure in governance and letters, worthy as is Don García.

Judge of the Council and the General Accounting Office of the Treasury

On April 2, 1648, he was elevated to the position of judge of the Council and the General Accounting Office of the Treasury, though he did not officially assume the role until January 27 of the following year.

Regency of Seville and Council of Castile

García de Medrano was appointed fiscal of the Royal Council of Castile on September 11, 1652, and just two weeks later, on September 25, he was named regent of the Audiencia of Seville, thereby also becoming a full councilor of Castile. In 1657, he presided over the Hall of Mayors of the same Audiencia and was appointed visitador (official visitor) to the University of Alcalá, where he later oversaw one of the most comprehensive academic reforms of the Spanish Golden Age.

On September 10, 1664, he was appointed to the Supreme Council of the Inquisition, replacing García de Porres, a position he formally assumed on December 23. He joined the Chamber of the Council (Cámara del Consejo) on March 26, 1670. Though he retired from public office in June 1678, he was reinstated on January 1, 1680. He died on September 3, 1683.

Medrano's reform of the Colegio Mayor de San Ildefonso

Main article: Royal reform of the Colegio Mayor de San Ildefonso

Decree of Philip IV empowering García de Medrano to implement the 1666 reform of the Colegio Mayor de San Ildefonso.

In 1665, García de Medrano was appointed by King Philip IV as royal visitor to the University of Alcalá de Henares. Acting under a royal decree, he authored the royal reform of the Colegio Mayor de San Ildefonso, also known as the reform of García de Medrano, including the institution's statutes, governance, and discipline. Codified in 1666 into an 82-title legal code and implemented the following year, the reform ended the university’s traditional autonomy, regulated faculty elections, introduced term limits, and imposed Crown oversight in academic affairs. It is widely regarded as one of the most detailed academic restructurings of the Spanish Habsburg era.

College of San Eugenio

The College of San Eugenio, also known as San Ambrosio, was situated on Nebrija Street alongside the Colleges of San Isidro and the Hospital of San Lucas. Originally housing 36 students in Latin and Greek, enrollment was reduced to 16 under García de Medrano’s reforms. In the early 19th century, the college was relocated to Santa Balbina.

Additional reforms, incorporation, union and patronage of the Colegios in Spain

Foundation of the Colegio de los Verdes

The Colegio de Santa Catalina Mártir, better known as los Verdes ("the Greens") for the distinctive color of its students' cloaks, was established in 1586 by Catalina Suárez de Mendoza y Cisneros. A daughter of Alonso Suárez de Mendoza, 3rd Count of Coruña, and Juana Jiménez de Cisneros—niece of Cardinal Cisneros—she founded the college with eight scholarships for theology students, also permitting the admission of some law students. The institution was placed under the authority of the Abbot of San Bernardo and formally sanctioned by a papal bull from Pope Sixtus V on March 23, 1586.

She endowed the institution with an annual income of 2,000 maravedís from her own estate, an act ratified by papal bull under Pope Sixtus V. The college was intended to benefit her legitimate descendants and those of her lineage, and it was placed under the potential administration of the Abbot of San Bernardo (Cistercian Order), should her daughter so choose.

Following Catalina's death in 1597, her daughter Juana de Mendoza y Gamboa undertook a major constitutional reform of the college in 1615, with approval from the Patrons. She expanded the endowment by 1,000 ducats and extended eligibility to candidates from the House of Arteaga, the Seigniory of Vizcaya, and the Province of Cantabria, while maintaining preference for descendants of Ambrosio Flórez y Gamboa. Juana's reforms emphasized both lineage and merit, granting the right of presentation to her male heirs and, in their absence, to her son-in-law or the senior noble of Guipúzcoa. Governance of the Colegio remained entrusted to the House of Arteaga, preserving its noble oversight wherever it might be situated.

Catalina de Mendoza later provided the institutional model that García de Medrano would adopt and expand, incorporating the Colegio into a broader, royal-sanctioned framework of educational governance. By fusing inherited noble patronage with centralized academic reform, he transformed the Verdes college into a pillar of the unified College of Santa Catalina de los Medrano.

García de Medrano and the reform of collegiate education

García de Medrano, a senior royal official and Visitador General in the service of the Spanish Crown, played a central role in reforming and institutionalizing collegiate education in 17th-century Spain. His work culminated in the unification and centralization of multiple charitable colleges under royal and ecclesiastical supervision, establishing enduring administrative and doctrinal precedents for noble patronage, ecclesiastical jurisdiction, and social ascent (medrar) through education.

The House of Medrano and the united-constitutional reform

In 1663, Medrano issued a sweeping reform uniting the Colleges of Tuy, Vizcaínos, and Verdes under a single administration governed by uniform constitutions, centralized governance, and a joint house headquartered at the College of Tuy, which had the best facilities, with joint oversight of all associated rights, obligations, and revenues, including those that derived from the inheritance of the House of Medrano.

Taking into account that the founding grants were insufficient to sustain the constitutions of the three colleges, and that García de Medrano was both the heir and successor of their founders as well as the patron of their benefices—and further, that the House of Medrano itself had endowed these colleges through other members of the family—he decreed their consolidation into a single institution, governed by a unified administration and shared constitutions.

He merged their properties, fellowships, and ecclesiastical jurisdictions, placing the entire system under the legal authority of the Visitador General. By this act, García de Medrano became both executor and exemplar of the Medrano doctrine—a model of rising through structured service, unity, regulation, and benevolence.

Foundation and endowment of the College of San Justo y Pastor in Tuy

In 1663, acting under royal commission, García de Medrano formally incorporated the College of San Justo y Pastor in Tuy into the broader system of royal colleges. Founded by Dr. Juan García, the Tuy college served students from the local diocese. Dr. Juan García, a native of the University of Tuy and Doctor of Sacred Theology, served as Canon and Penitentiary of the Cathedral of Tuy.

With royal approval and the support of García de Medrano—who actively advocated for the project—he founded eight fellowships for students from the Tuy diocese and its surrounding areas. The college's statutes, following the model of the Colegio de los Verdes, received formal endorsement from the Royal Council.

In this context, García de Medrano funded the college fellowships by a generous annual pension of 12,000 maravedís each (96,000 maravedís annually), endowed the institution with properties from both the original founder and his own estate, and obtained official royal approval of the statutes. He appointed Tomás de Medrano, a judge and Knight of Santiago, to solemnize the act. This act not only consolidated noble authority within the educational sphere, but also established medrar through formal learning as a legitimate path of ascent.

Incorporation of the Vizcaínos and Verdes colleges

In 1664, García de Medrano expanded this institutional model by incorporating the College of the Vizcaínos, based in Santurce, and later reformed the College of the Verdes. These colleges had provided support to students of noble but modest background from Vizcaya and the town of Rota, respectively. Medrano's reforms addressed the financial instability and fragmented governance that had plagued their independent existence.

Santurce was part of the Bishopric of Abla. This was done at the request of Juan Ibáñez de Chávarrieta, the benefactor, and with the approval of the parish priest of the town and the Ordinary Mayor.

New Foundations and Legacy: College of Santa Catalina de los Medrano

Medrano also created a dowry and educational fund for noble daughters from his lineage, including Mariana Ros de Medrano, and finally incorporated the Verdes College into the College of Santa Catalina de los Medrano in 1668, under the protection of Captain Plasencia and other judges of the court, ensuring perpetual maintenance of fellowships for students from Vizcaya.

This legacy reveals how Medrano's reforms moved beyond charity into systemic political theology: a vision of noble ascent through centralized meritocratic structures, with medrar codified into institutional practice. In this manner, he ensured the preservation of all the grants and fellowships for students from Vizcaya and the other houses, continuing the pious work of the Medrano family.

Legacy and Bourbon-Era Continuation of Medrano's Collegiate Reforms

Between 1662 and 1666, García de Medrano's intervention, backed by royal commission, was comprehensive in scope and duration—lasting four years—sought to enforce constitutional compliance, modernize governance, and centralize oversight of the institution’s buildings, assets, and internal organization. Medrano's reform extended beyond the Colegio Mayor de San Ildefonso to include the minor colleges such as Vizcaínos, Irlandeses, San Clemente de los Manchegos, León, and Lugo.

He inspected properties, uncovered legal and financial irregularities, and drafted a new legislative framework to be submitted to the Council of Castile. Despite resistance from certain councillors who ultimately vetoed key proposals, Medrano's recommendations—rooted in doctrinal discipline, administrative rigor, and centralized oversight—became a legal model for the University of Alcalá until the end of the 18th century.

Francisco Pérez Bayer's testimony

Francisco Pérez Bayer later recognized Medrano’s reform as the second foundational legal text of the university, just after the original Cisnerian constitutions. This reform not only reflected the consolidation of colleges such as Verdes, Tuy, and Vizcaínos under unified constitutions, but also exemplified the medrar principle in action: the elevation of students through meritocratic stewardship and institutional reform.

Role in the return of Marie Mancini

García de Medrano served as the king of Spain's appointed envoy in the Crown's attempt to enforce Marie Mancini's return.

In the late 1670s, García de Medrano played a key role as a minister of justice and royal councilor during the delicate political maneuvers surrounding the rebellious movements and personal affairs of Marie Mancini, Princess of Paliano, niece of Cardinal Mazarin and former love interest of Louis XIV.

Mancini, who had scandalized European courts by fleeing convent life and defying royal authority, found herself targeted by multiple factions within the Spanish court. In one pivotal episode, the Almirante of Castile, the papal Nuncio, and García de Medrano — representing the royal council and the chamber of Castile — were dispatched on behalf of the Spanish king to forcibly return Marie to the convent she had abandoned without permission.

Acting as the official tasked with executing the king's justice, García de Medrano reportedly warned Marie that he had explicit orders to detain her under close guard should she resist. While Marie's initial defiance was strong, it was ultimately the emotional pleas of her hostess, the Marquise de Mortare, that convinced her to yield.

Accompanied by royal envoys and under the oversight of García de Medrano, she was transported back to the convent, despite the uproar it caused among the nuns, who loudly protested the repeated violation of their community’s privileges. This episode illustrates García de Medrano's prominence not only in formal judicial matters but also in delicate political and personal interventions at the intersection of court authority, ecclesiastical power, and noble resistance.

Marie Mancini and the enforcement of medrar

The episode between García de Medrano and Marie Mancini, niece of Cardinal Mazarin, exemplifies the limits of medrar — a doctrine promoting advancement through obedience to rightful authority, a structure introduced and long maintained by García's family within the Spanish Empire.

Once a powerful noble figure tied to Louis XIV, Marie Mancini defied royal orders by leaving the convent she was confined to in Spain, placing herself outside the bounds of medrar. Her rebellion challenged both political and religious structures, prompting the Crown to send García de Medrano, minister of justice, to restore order. Although Mancini ultimately yielded to the emotional pleas of her hostess rather than official threats, the episode stands as a clear example of how defiance led to the loss of protection and privilege under medrar, forcing even the highest-born back under royal authority.

Marriage and issue

García de Medrano y Álvarez de los Ríos was married to María Ignacia de Mendizábal y Uribe, the daughter of Gregorio López de Mendizábal. Dr. Gregorio López de Mendizábal (1590–1647) was a distinguished jurist who held several prominent positions, including Fiscal in Granada (1623), Oidor in Granada (1628), Alcalde de Casa y Corte (1635), and Councilor of Castile (1642).

Children

Together García and Maria had three sons:

• García de Medrano y Mendizábal, I Count of Torrubia, born in Madrid on 7 September 1652, and died on 3 March 1695.

• Andrés de Medrano y Mendizábal, 2nd Count of Torrubia, born in Seville on 5 November 1654, and died in Madrid on 22 December 1720.

• Domingo de Medrano y Mendizabal, born in 1650, died in 1672. Baptized in Madrid on March 15, 1650.

His son Andrés de Medrano was the great-grandfather of María del Carmen Chacón Medrano, Duchess of Gor, Grandee, by marriage. The title's name refers to the town of Gor in the province of Granada. García de Medrano's great-great-granddaughter Duchess María del Carmen Chacón Medrano married Nicolás Mauricio Álvarez de las Asturias Bohorques y Vélez Ladrón de Guevara, Verdugo y Enríquez de Sevilla, I Duke of Gor.

His son Domingo became a knight of the Order of Calatrava at just nine years old and inherited the family estate of San Gregorio, which he left to his younger brother, García, as he had no heirs. He died at a young age. After studying at the Colegial Mayor de Santa Cruz de Valladolid, he started his administrative career, having taken on the role of auditor for the Audiencia of Seville on November 11, 1672, when he passed away.

In 1668-1669, Domingo de Medrano was a professor and rector at the University of Salamanca. He married María de Robles, together they had a daughter named Águeda de Medrano. On May 10, 1664, Francisco de Aragüés y Medrano, son of José de Aragüés y Abarca and María de Medrano, married Águeda de Medrano, daughter of Domingo de Medrano and María de Robles. The couple were second cousins.

For at least about 160 years, many members in the House of Medrano were linked to the University of Salamanca: in 1508, Luis de Medrano was the rector and his sister Luisa de Medrano was the first female professor at the University of Salamanca and Europe. The next generation of the Medrano family also produced two rectors at the University of Salamanca: Domingo and García de Medrano y Mendizábal, both fourth nephews of Luisa de Medrano and knights of the Order of Calatrava. The Book of the university's Claustro for the year 1668-1669 describes Domingo's abdication and García's election for the rest of the year very clearly. The Book of the university's Claustro of 1668-1669 indicates that Domingo de Medrano, due to urgent business in Madrid, was forced to resign, and was succeeded by García de Medrano y Mendizábal, undoubtedly his brother.

Death

Although King Charles II was reluctant to grant retirements to members of the Council of Castile, García de Medrano was authorized to retire in 1678 due to his advanced age and the fact that he attended council meetings only 15 to 20 days a year. Shortly thereafter, he was officially granted retirement, but by January 1680, he returned to his duties, serving until his death on 3 September 1683.

Ecclesiastical patronage

View of the Monastery of Las Huelgas

At the time of his passing, García de Medrano y Álvarez de los Ríos had under his patronage several religious institutions in Spain.

Burgos

In Burgos, Medrano was a patron of the Convent of Las Huelgas, a royal Cistercian monastery founded in 1187 by King Alfonso VIII and Queen Eleanor of England. This convent held significant prestige, serving as a burial site for Castilian royalty and maintaining a privileged status under the direct authority of the monarchy.

Madrid

Main facade of the Colegiata de San Isidro

García supported the Convent of San Isidro in Madrid, a Jesuit institution known for its theological scholarship and missionary work, reinforcing the intellectual and spiritual influence of the Society of Jesus.

He also contributed to the Mercedarian Discalced Convent in Madrid, a reformed branch of the Order of Mercy, which was dedicated to the ransom of Christian captives held by Muslim powers. His patronage of the Royal Monastery of San Antón in Madrid, a prestigious institution tied to the Spanish monarchy and the Antonine Order, further solidified his connection to both the Crown and the Church, particularly in the charitable treatment of those afflicted by Saint Anthony’s Fire (ergotism).

Duruelo

Beyond the capital, his support extended to the Carmelite Convent in Duruelo, the first reformed Carmelite monastery founded by Saint Teresa of Ávila in 1568. As a center of monastic renewal and ascetic devotion, the convent embodied the ideals of the Counter-Reformation, emphasizing spiritual discipline and a return to stricter religious observance.