Thread by @MedranoArchives

The Medrano family, the Palace of Medrano and the Moorish Prince, progenitor of the surname:

(1) The progenitor of the Medrano family has been described by Don Francisco Mosquera de Barnuevo, Peter Pineda, General Julio Altadill, Don Pedro Emiliano Zorilla, the Hispania Nostra Scientific Committee, the official Basque encyclopedia, and many other prestigious sources.

(2) “(Medrano! What to say about Medrano? In times that destroy everything, man responds with images…Michel Tournier) Medrano is a name that comes with a coat of arms. They are all descendants of a common ancestor who was called Medrano...

(3) The origin of the surname Medrano is not a personification of chance. In truth, the Medranos have also written history, in the shadow of great characters; and the Medrano coat of arms are not enough to explain the reasons for your curiosity...

(4) All "Medrano" images, in the passage of time, symbolize the permanence of the Medrano in History.” - The Armorial General

Here then, is the curious and fascinating progenitor of the Medrano family:

(5) "The Palace of the Vélaz de Medrano in Igúzquiza, damaged by time and men, a large part of this noble and ancient estate of the Vélaz de Medrano remains standing. This illustrious surname is legendary derived from a Moorish Prince...

(6) This Moorish Prince, leading a
powerful army, entered Navarra around the year 979 AD, and who is supposed to have secretly been devoted to the Blessed Virgin, and as such persecuted by the devil...

(7) This devil, taking human form, was in the position of a steward in his service, to assassinate him at an opportune moment; and they say that this great lord, being in Igúzquiza accompanied by his diabolical servant, was reciting the Ave Maria, when suddenly a goshawk came...

(8) carrying a ribbon written
with the angelic salutation in its beak, and alighting on the hand of this prince, the Apostle St. Andrew suddenly appeared in the enclosure, exhorting and baptizing him, and the pretended steward fled with great noise and terrifying earthquakes...

(9)The knight took the name of Andres, after the Apostle who regenerated him into grace, and a second name, Vélaz or Belaz, which in the Basque language means goshawk, because of the one that alighted on his hand, and for coat of arms...

(9) a goshawk in the hand and the Ave Maria in the beak, with the Saint Andrew's crosses adorning the shield. As a Christian, he became the leader of them, which the Caliph of Cordoba deeply regretted, and since Andres was very powerful among the Moors, having great riches...

(10) Riches which he lost at that
time, without the king of Navarra, whom he served, giving him much, he asked: does he prosper or not?, to which he replied: "he does not prosper," giving him the surname of Medrano. Later, they won the golden fleur-de-lis cross, on a red field.

(11) This is what remains today of that lordly mansion of the distinguished Vélaz de Medrano, rich men of Navarra, who were the governors of the famous Monjardin Castle, they were also lords of Learza, Valdeosera, and later Marquises of Espinal and Tabuérniga... https://t.co/fFhVULhDottwitter.com/i/web/status/1…

(12) "Medrano, An ancient family. Their stately home was in Iguzquiza, and according to tradition it comes from a
Moorish Prince, who when he converted to Christianity took the name of Andrés Velaz, and faithfully served the Christian king..." - Auñamendi Eusko Entziklopedia

(13) Don Mosquera de Barnuevo's "La Numantina" Page 210 states that: "There came in the army of King Abderraman (III) a great prince, lord of vassals, a person of great valor in arms, who was fond of the Christian religion, and in particular very devoted to the Virgin Mary...

(14) whose Rosary he prayed every
day, even before being baptized.
This good exercise and devotion brought him to the knowledge of the Faith, and having been sent by King Abderraman with part of the army to raid the region of Iguzquita (a town in the Valley of Santisteban)..

(15) he finally decided, and abandoning his people, he went over to King Don Garcia, who received him as he deserved, and had him baptized, giving him the name Don Andrés Velez, and they say that King Abderraman, amazed at his change, and that he had thus left his lands...

(16) and Lordships, asked about him many times afterwards, and said to his people, "Does he prosper or not?" Meaning with this question if he was in great favor with the King; and that those of his Court replied to him, "No." Don Andrés, having knowledge of this...

(17) took the King's question and his people's answer as his surname, and called himself Medrano. The truth of this etymology, neither of the name nor of the history, is not from this place, because I am
more certain that they descend from a most noble family of the Goths."

(18) Two things become clear. Prince Medrano is connected to the Umayyad Caliphate and to the 'most noble family' of Goths. Indeed, Abd Al Rahman III's paternal grandmother was a Christian, the royal infanta Onneca Fortúnez, daughter of the captive king Fortún Garcés of Pamplona,

(19) grandson of Íñigo Arista, the first king of Pamplona. Inigo Arista and his family are well known Gothic nobility. If Don Andres Velaz de Medrano is a Prince of the Umayyad Caliphate, he would indeed check all three boxes: Moorish, Gothic and Navarresse.

(20) The parish church of Igúzquiza, which bears the name of the apostle Saint Andrew and
boasts valuable Romanesque lineage and the chi-rho or labarum of Constantine, housed in
its presbytery several military trophies, flags, weapons, gauntlets, helmet, and spurs...

(21) probably donated by one of the Medranos upon returning from an unspecified warlike enterprise, trophies that can only be attributed to that origin, as there is no memory of another character in the locality who has held such a high or martial position as the Belaz de Medrano

(22) Medrano: Since the inclusion of the lion element, which is the noblest of the figures together with the falcon, hawk or eagle, means that, the family origin is very old; generally, we could think that the holders of such a symbol were related in some way to royalty.

@UnrollHelper