'Incapable of Walking Without his Valido': the Privanza of the Pacheco Lineage (1435-1529)

Abstract

Starting off from a series of quotations taken from the Crónica de Enrique IV by fray Jerónimo de la Cruz (BNE, Mss. 1776), this article brings to light sources that justify why the first two Marquises of Villena – Juan Pacheco and Diego López Pacheco – were viewed as privados by their contemporaries and as validos by seventeenth-century authors. At the same time, this study will also analyse the Pachecos’ actions in an attempt to unveil the pragmatic and symbolic tactics they used to control the Castilian public arena. Particular attention will be paid to the teachings the past offered the Pachecos, through both the history of their lineage and the more recent events they had personally witnessed during their youth.