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Scienze della comunicazione Università degli Studi di TeramoPhD Program in Historical studies
Scienze della comunicazione Università degli Studi di TeramoPhD Program in Historical studies

Dukes of Béjar

The title of the Dukes of Béjar belonged to a family of Navarre, the Zúñiga, until 1777. The founder of the house of Béjar was Don Diego López de Estúñiga – a surname which later became Zúñiga in Castilian – (1350-1417), justicia mayor of the kingdom, who, during the reign of the Trastámaras, made ??his fortune in the kingdom of Castile. Don Diego exchanged the town of Frías for the fief of Béjar in 1396, with the consent of King Enrique III. Since then, the Zúñigas began to reside in Béjar, using the medieval castle as a residence and governing over the territories of Béjar and its inhabitants. However, it was not until the time of the Catholic Monarchs that the Zúñiga family could flaunt the title of Duke of Béjar. The first duke was Álvaro de Zúñiga (1453-1488).