Crosscurrents between Italy and Spain: Bishop Álvaro de Mendoza, and the Role Played by Status and Piety in his Political, Ecclesiastical and Family Networks

Abstract

In terms of the dissemination of the Italian Renaissance, on the Iberian Peninsula, the little-considered figure of Álvaro de Mendoza, Bishop of Ávila and then of Palencia, is crucial. This article will explore how Mendoza established his multiple ecclesiastical identities in Spain through his links to Rome, benefitting in the first instance from being brother-in-law to the powerful imperial secretary, Francisco de los Cobos y Molina. Mendoza played a fundamental role not only in the artistic dissemination, however, but also in the spiritual renewal of the post-Tridentine Spanish monarchy, where he was the key figure in first promoting the career of Saint Teresa of Ávila.