Íñigo López, lord of Vizcaya
Íñigo López, nicknamed "Ezquerra" ("el Zurdo") (d. 1076), was the first lord of Biscay. Except for some intervals, he governed the Biscayan county until his death when he was succeeded by his son Lope Íñiguez, he was also a tenant until 1075 in Nájera and Durango (Vizcaya).
Family origins
Although his affiliation has not been confirmed, his origins were most likely from Navarre. and Somorrostro, and who signed several deeds of King García Sánchez III of Pamplona, the first of which was the earnest money letter granted by the king to his wife Estefanía in 1040, where he appears testifying as senior Lope Velascoz de Colindres together with his brother senior Galindo Velazcoz in Mena, the latter also testifying in 1051 as dominator Lanteno.
Lope and Galindo also had another brother named García de Botaya, who had been a monk in the Monastery of San Juan de la Peña and had died around 1057, the year in which his brother Lope made a donation to that monastery for the soul of his brother who had gone without permission to foreign lands where he had died. Lope Velázquez appears on several occasions confirming documents with what would be his son, Íñigo López, and he must have died around 1057, the last time he appears in the documentation. Íñigo López had several brothers:
- Sancho López, who appears exercising possession of Poza in 1047 and 1049;
- Fortun López, who confirms several diplomas of King Garcia of Nájera since 1040, where he already appears as a tenant in Tedeja, up to 1053
- García López
- Galindo López
- Mencía López
Life
The first mention of Íñigo López as head of the Biscayan county government dates from the year 1040, when he appears confirming a document in the Monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla titled Enneco Lupiz Viscayensis, and He exercised this possession during various periods until 1076. He also appears as a tenant in Álava in 1030, as well as in Durango in 1051. King Sancho Garcés IV of Pamplona, to reward and encourage his fidelity, in 1063 entrusted him with the important La Rioja possession of Nájera, which he exercised until 1075. After the death of the Pamplona king, when the La Rioja lands were already under the rule of King Alfonso VI of León, the government of Nájera and other places was entrusted to Count García Ordóñez, husband of Urraca, Sister of the late King Sancho "el de Peñalén".
He made several donations to monasteries, including one in 1053 from the church of San Juan de Gaztelugatxe to the monastery of San Juan de la Peña.
The last time that Íñigo López appears in the documentation was in 1076 when he donated to the Monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla, for his soul and that of his wife, the town of Camprovín that he had bought from King Sancho. In this document, he refers to himself as senior Enneco Lopez, gratia Dei tocius Vizcahie comes.
Marriage and offspring
In January 1051, he is already married to Toda Fortúnez (Ortiz) who could have been the daughter of Fortún Sánchez "Bono Patre" and his wife Toda Garcés, daughter of García Ramírez, son of Ramiro Garcés de Viguera, although also, according to Ubieto Arteta, his father could have been Fortún Ochoa since, according to this historian, Fortún Sánchez and Toda Garcés did not leave any descendants.
The documented children of Íñigo and Toda were:
- Lope Íñiguez, who succeeded his father as lord of Vizcaya in 1076.
- Sancho Íñiguez, who died around or before 1070 according to the letter of donation of the collazos and heredades they had in Gorritiz, the palaces in Madariaga and other goods in Urrequeña, Bertandona, Gatica and Carrongodo made by their parents in that year to the monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla Senior Enneco Lopez et uxor mea Totadomna, pro anima de filio nostro Sancio Enneconesconfirming that donation filios nostros Lope Ennecones et Garcia Ennecones et Galindo Ennecones [...].
- Garcia Íñiguez.
- Galindo Iñiguez appears several times in the documentation, the last in 1087 in San Millán de la Cogolla, declaring himself son of the Count Íñigo López, giving his possessions in Vizcaya, Álava and Nájera.
- Fortun Íñíguez, who, like his brother García, held charges in the court of Pamplona when King Alfonso VI and King Sancho Ramírez of Aragón distributed the territories after the death of Sancho IV of Peñalén.