Power and Memory in the Testament of Don Íñigo López de Mendoza

Abstract

Don Íñigo López de Mendonza y Quiñones (1442-1515), Count of Tendilla II and Marquis of Mondejar I, was one of the most influential figures of the period of the Catholic Kings (1474-1504). Since the nineteenth century, his life and achievements have been analyzed from various perspectives, such as the relations with royalty, international relations, the art of war or the influence on the art of his time. Within the various possibilities that the the theme offers us, this text proposes an approach to the figure of Don Íñigo López de Mendonza y Quiñones, within the Spanish aristocracy, through a study of his will and codicils. The most important aims of the wills were to guarantee the salvation of the soul, to preseve indi vidual and family memory, to reward those faithful servants and to organize transmission of heritage. Thus, despite reflecting a concrete moment of an individual's life, wills allow the confluence of three stages: the present, the past and the future. From this perspective, the study of the will and condicils, granted by the Count of Tendilla II, aims to analyze, beyond the idea of death, power relations, conflicts and consensus within the lineage and the family.