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Juan Alonso de Sosa
(~1601–53)

Biographical

Field Marshal
Lieutenant General
Governor of the Arms

Juan served in the Netherlands under Archduke Albert and later became Captain of the Armoured Cavalry of the Prince's Guard, also serving in the Galician Army. He pursued recognition of his noble status before the Sala de Hijosdalgo of the Royal Chancery of Valladolid, which ruled in his favour after his death on 20 July 1654, confirming his noble lineage and recognising him as the great-grandson of Pedro de Toledo, Marquis of Villafranca, in the direct male line. He had an elegant Renaissance-style house built next to the convent of San José, home to the Augustinian Recollect nuns, featuring six impressive balconies on the main façade. At its centre was a finely sculpted family coat of arms, carved in marble, displaying the arms of the Toledo family with fifteen silver and blue squares. His epitaph reads:

HERE LIES THE MASTER OF THE FIELD, DON JUAN ALONSO ÁLVAREZ DE TOLEDO, GREAT-GRANDSON THROUGH HIS PATERNAL LINE OF HIS EXCELLENCY DON PEDRO DE TOLEDO, MARQUIS OF VILLAFRANCA, VICEROY WHO WAS OF NAPLES, SECOND SON OF THE EXCELLENT LORD DON FADRIQUE DE TOLEDO, DUKE OF ALVA. HE SERVED IN THE NETHERLANDS AS CAPTAIN OF THE SPANISH LANCER CAVALRY OF HIS MAJESTY’S GUARD, AND IN THE GALICIAN ARMY AS MASTER OF THE FIELD AND LIEUTENANT GENERAL AND GOVERNOR OF THE ARMS. HE DIED ON THE 19TH OF AUGUST IN THE YEAR 1603.


Place of birth: Villafranca
Place of burial: Convent of San José, Villafranca

Son of Juan Alonso de Toledo and Antonia de Sosa, he married María de Valcárcel Guzmán and had issue:
• Inés Benita, ~1641, married to Antonio de Toledo with issue