María Pacheco

María Pacheco (Grenade, towards 1496 - Oporto, Portugal, 1531). Noble Castilian and driving of the rebellion of the the Communities of Castille.

Life

Childhood

Girl of gift Íñigo López de Mendoza there Quiñones, first marquis of Mondéjar and second count of Tendilla, and Francisca Pacheco (girl of Juan Pacheco, first marquis of Villena). María adopted as family name that of his/her mother to differ from her two sisters (who had adopted Mendoza while following the tradition). Its birth date is unknown, although files indicate that at the date of its marriage with Grenade, on August 18th 1511, it was fifteen years old.

Raised with other brothers in the small court of Tendilla, a medium impregnated by the Rebirth, María was a learned woman, with knowledge in Latin, Greek, Mathématiques, letters and Histoire. Child, it assisted in 1500 with the events of the first rising Morisque since his residence of Albaicín.

Marriage

At the 14 years age (November 10th 1510) is decided its marriage with Juan de Padilla, noble tolédan of row lower than his (what seem-you it was not its taste). In the writings of the time, it seems Doña María Pacheco , while her husband receives the treatment of Juan de Padilla . In the contract of the marriage, one obliges it to give up his rights on the paternal heritage in exchange of a dowry of 4.500.000 Maravédis.

War of the Communities of Castille

When Juan de Padilla succeeds his/her father with the rank of Captain of men-at-arms, the husbands leave food to Tolède in 1518. María Pacheco supported and perhaps encouraged her peaceful husband to take an active share in the rising of the Communautés of Castille to Tolède in April 1520. Thereafter, Juan de Padilla runs using Segovia with the militia tolédanes to fight the royalist forces of Rodrigo Ronquillo, at the side of the militia ordered by Juan Bravo, regidor of Segovia. June 29th 1520, the Holy Junta is formed with Ávila; Juan de Padilla is named general captain of the troops will comuneras. However, the competitions between comuneros involve its replacement by Pedro Girón; Padilla turns over then to Tolède. When Girón deserted for the royalist camp in December, Padilla returns to Valladolid with a new army tolédane (December 31st 1520). Its troops take Ampudia and Torrelobatón. However new dissensions emerge within the army will comunera and cause a weakening of the insurrectionists, who are overcome during a battles unequal on April 23rd 1521 with Villalar. Padilla is captured. Led to the village of Villalar, it is decapitated there the following day. With him were also taken Juan Bravo, Pedro and Francisco Maldonado, and other partisans of the cause will comunera.

Resistance to Tolède

In the absence of Padilla, María controls Tolède until the arrival of the bishop of Zamora, Antonio de Acuña, on March 29th, where she sees herself obliged to share the capacity with this last. To the reception of the bad news of the battle of Villalar, María falls ill and carries mourning. However, rather than to give up, María Pacheco will lead the ultimate resistance of the Communautés to Tolède. It directs, since at it initially and then since the alcazar, resistance to the royalist troops, while placing defenders with the doors of the city, while making come the artillery since Yepes, by putting in place contributions and naming captains of the troops will comuneras tolédanes. After the rendering of Madrid on May 7th, Tolède alone still resists. In front of this irrefutable fact, the remainder of the leaders comuneros of the city lean for the capitulation, but she manages to avoid it. Even the bishop Acuña flees on May 25th for France. Part of the competition with this last was due to the fact that he aspired to the Miter tolédane (more ecclesiastical high ranking of Spain), that María wished for his/her brother Francisco de Mendoza.

María Pacheco will manage to maintain resistance nine months after the Bataille of Villalar, although it is more due to the fact that the royal army had to go in Navarre to fight a French invasion rather than with its keen resistance. To maintain the order in Tolède, María went until turning the guns of the alcazar against the tolédans. October 6th it requisitions the money contained in the sanctuary of the cathedral, where it penetrates with knees, to be able to pay the troops.

However the royalist troops, by delivering various combat between April and August, encircle finally Tolède. September 1st, 1521 begins the bombardment. October 25th, 1521 is signed a trève favorable to besieged (called armisticio of Sisla ), so that the comuneros evacuate the alcazar, while keeping the weapons and the control of the city. This unstable situation culminates on February 3rd 1522 with a new rising of the city during which María Pacheco and its faithful take the alcazar and release the captive comuneros. However, rising is choked by the royalist troops the following day. Thanks to the complicity of certain members of its family, who militated in the royalist camp, María Pacheco, disguised, manages to flee with its young person wire and is exiled with the Portugal.

Exile

Exclude from the general forgiveness of October 1st 1522 and condemned to died by contumance in 1524, María remains with difficulties with the Portugal. Although Jean III of Portugal does not make follow the requests for expulsion which reach him since the court Castilian, María has of another recourse to only remain thanks to charity, of the bishop of Brega first of all, then of the bishop of Oporto then.

In spite of the attempts at his/her brothers, Shine Hurtado de Mendoza, marquis of Mondéjar, and Diego Hurtado de Mendoza (ambassador of Charles Quint), María Pacheco did not obtain the forgiveness of the king and lived with Oporto (Portugal) until its death in March 1531. It was buried in the Cathédrale of Oporto, vis-a-vis the refusal of Charles Ier to transport his skin to Villalar, so that it rests close to that of Juan de Padilla, her husband.

In the Popular culture

The life of María Pacheco, its tough resistance and its firm belief in the cause of her husband and its ideals inspired a drama in three acts with Francisco Villaespesa. From this drama, Juan de Orduña carried out in 1951 films in which Amparo Rivelles interpreted the heroin of Tolède.

Source

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