Fadrique Álvarez de Toledo, 1st Marquis of Villanueva de Valdueza

' Fadrique Álvarez de Toledo y Mendoza, 1st Marquis of Villanueva de Valdueza (* May 30, 1580 in Naples, † December 11, 1634 in Madrid ) was a Spanish nobleman and admiral. He was a Knight of the Order of Santiago, a Spanish admiral and captain-general of the Spanish Navy at the age of 37 years. He was born in Naples, the son of Pedro Álvarez de Toledo, 5th Marquis of Villafranca, commander of the Spanish army in the Kingdom of Naples and Doña Elvira de Mendoza. He served in the Spanish fleet under the command of his father and quickly rose in the career ladder. Just like his older brother García Álvarez de Toledo, 6th Marquis of Villafranca. In 1617 he was Capitán General de la Armada del Mar Océano Armada de Barlovento about. He won several victories against the Dutch Republic in 1621 near Gibraltar and in 1623 in the English Channel during the blockade of the Dutch coast. In the same year he prevented a Moorish invasion near Gibraltar.

In 1625 he was the Director General of the Iberian Union ( the union of Spain and Portugal ) and was then appointed to a Capitán General of the Army of Brazil.

He sailed in the direction of Brazil at the head of a fleet that consisted of 34 Spanish ships, 22 Portuguese ships and 12,566 men. Three quarters of these men were Spanish and the rest of the Portuguese. He captured the strategically important city of Salvador da Bahia from the Dutch at April 30, 1625 back.

This victory was crucial in the Dutch - Portuguese War and ousted the Dutch in the next two decades from Brazil.

In 1629 he commanded a Spanish expedition and won the Battle of St. Kitts. He drove out the British and French colonial settlers of the islands of St. Kitts and Nevis.

For all his victories, he received the title of Marques de Villanueva y Valdueza awarded on January 17, 1634.

Marriage and children

Don Fadrique married in Madrid on August 12, 1627 his cousin Doña Elvira Ponce de León, daughter of Don Luis Ponce de León, VI. Marqués de Zahara and Doña Victoria Álvarez de Toledo.

They had three children:

• Doña Elvira de Toledo, who later Don Juan Gaspar Enríquez de Cabrera, 6th Duke of Medina de Rioseco married.
• Doña Victoria de Toledo, married her cousin Don Francisco Ponce de León, 5th Duke of Arcos.
• Don Fadrique Álvarez de Toledo y Ponce de León, 7th Marquis de Villafranca and Grandee of Spain

Don Fadrique also had two illegitimate children:

• Pedro Álvarez de Toledo, abbot of the Royal Monastery of lcalá la Real, Jaén
• Íñigo de Toledo, the Leonor de Velasco married, XI Countess of Siruela