House of Mendoza - Prehistory

Prehistory

Álava was a mountainous region bounded by the kingdoms of Castile, Aragon, and Navarre in the 13th and 14th century. It had been loosely controlled by Navarre earlier, and retained its own distinctive customs and traditions. The town of Mendoza and the province of Álava itself was also a battlefield, where the clashing noble families of the area settled their disputes for generations. In 1332, the Mendozas had already been there at least a century, struggling with the rival clans such as Ayala, Orozco, and Velasco. They traced themselves as a stem of the House of Haro, another powerful clan of the Basque countries.

Once the region joined Castile, this interclan warfare generally ended, as they now jostled for position and privilege in Castile at large. By virtue of the Mendozas' status as knights and free men, they became Castilian nobility with the annexation (hidalgos). All members of the noble class were knights, administrators, or lawyers, and served in the administration of the realm. The largest family's responsibility was to form and maintain a local army that could make available if called by the king. The highest nobility became direct vassals of the king.