The participation of female aristocrats in the design of nobility strategies. Constanza de Ayala, (†1472), Lady of Oñate, and her inheritance

Abstract

Constanza de Ayala, granddaughter of Canciller (chancelor) Ayala, became the administrator of the house of Oñate after the untimely death of her husband, Pedro Vélez de Guevara, who also appointed her as guardian and guardian of his young children. During her rule, she had to deal with a series of difficulties that ultimately enhanced her prestige and influence. In her old age, she decided to divide her property into equal shares for her three living children: Iñigo, Isabel and María. Their daughters were given political control over their estates. This decision displeased Iñigo, the heir of the family's mayorazgo, whose desire was to unify his parents’ property. As a result, he initiated several unsuccessful lawsuits to overrule his mother's will. This conflict is the result of two opposing kinship strategies: one that defended the interests of the male first born, and another one that preserved those of the old dowager and her will to look after her whole offspring.