Juan de la Cerda y Silva, 4th Duke of Medinaceli facts for kids

Juan de la Cerda y Silva was an important Spanish nobleman who lived from about 1514 to 1575. He held the title of the 4th Duke of Medinaceli and was also a Grandee of Spain, which meant he was a very high-ranking noble.

Juan de la Cerda was the son of Juan de la Cerda, the 2nd Duke of Medinaceli, and his second wife, María de Silva. In 1552, Juan de la Cerda became the Duke after his older half-brother, Gastón de la Cerda y Portugal, passed away. Both Juan and Gastón were officially recognized by the King as the rightful heirs to their father's titles.

Juan de la Cerda as Viceroy of Sicily

In 1557, King Philip II of Spain gave Juan de la Cerda an important job: he became the Viceroy of Sicily. A viceroy was like a governor who ruled a region in the name of the king. Juan de la Cerda held this position until 1564.

During his time as Viceroy, he led a large fleet to attack the city of Tripoli in North Africa. This city was controlled by Dragut, a famous Turkish admiral and privateer (a kind of pirate working for a government). The fleet included ships from Spain, Genoa, Tuscany, the Knights of Malta, and the Papal States. However, this battle, known as the Battle of Djerba, did not go well for them, and their forces were almost completely destroyed.

Other Important Roles

In 1567, Juan de la Cerda was appointed Viceroy of Navarre, another important governing role in Spain. He was supposed to stay there until 1572.

However, by the end of 1570, he took on a new role. He became the head of the household for Queen Anna of Austria. He continued in this important position until his death in 1575.

Governor of the Netherlands

In the spring of 1572, King Philip II sent Juan de la Cerda to the Spanish Netherlands to be the new governor. At this time, there were many problems and much unhappiness in the Netherlands.

Juan de la Cerda reported to the King that the main issues were "excessive strictness," bad behavior by some officers and soldiers, and a very unpopular tax called the "Tenth Penny." He believed these problems, not just religious differences or rebellion, were causing all the trouble.

One of his officers also mentioned that people in the Netherlands hated the name of the previous military commander, the Duke of Alba. Juan de la Cerda strongly suggested to the King that the Duke of Alba should be removed from his military command.

Because Juan de la Cerda and the Duke of Alba had very different ideas on how to handle the situation, King Philip II decided to remove both of them from their positions. He then replaced them with a new leader, Luis de Requesens.

Family and Children

On April 7, 1541, in Ocaña, Juan de la Cerda married Joana Manuel. She was the daughter of Sancho de Noronha, the 2nd Count of Faro. Juan and Joana had seven children together:

• María de la Cerda (born around 1542 – died around 1575), who married Antonio d’Aragona, the 4th Duke of Montalto.
• Juan de la Cerda, 5th Duke of Medinaceli (1544 – 1594), who became the 5th Duke of Medinaceli after his father.
• Gastón de la Cerda y Silva (born around 1546 – died around 1562), who was captured and died as a prisoner in Constantinople.
• Sancho de la Cerda y Portugal, the 1st Marquis of la Laguna de Camero Viejo (born around 1550 – died 1626).
• Angela de la Cerda, who married Pier Giulio de Luna, the 2nd Duke of Bivona.
• Blanca de la Cerda, the 1st Marchioness of Rifes, who married Fernando de Silva, the 6th Count of Cifuentes.
• Catalina de la Cerda, who married Francisco Gómez de Sandoval, the 1st Duke of Lerma. Their granddaughter, Luisa de Guzman, later became the Queen of Portugal. Also, their great-granddaughter was Catherine of Braganza, who became an English queen.

Sources

See also

In Spanish: Juan de la Cerda y Silva para niños