Medieval Room: Doña Juana de Pimentel

Born in 1404 in Castile, she belonged to two of the most powerful Castilian lineages: the Pimentel and the Enríquez. She was the daughter of Rodrigo Alonso Pimentel, the 2nd Count of Benavente, and Leonor Enríquez, the daughter of the lords of Medina de Rioseco.
She would inherit the lordship of Arenas de San Pedro from her father as part of her dowry upon marrying Don Álvaro de Luna, Condestable of Castile, Grand Master of the Order of Santiago, and the favorite of King Juan II of Castile.
From her marriage to Álvaro de Luna, two children were born: Juan de Luna Pimentel, the 2nd Count of San Esteban de Gormaz, and María de Luna Pimentel, who married Iñigo Hurtado de Mendoza, the 2nd Duke of the Infantado.
After becoming a widow due to the execution of the Condestable in 1453, she dedicated her activities and efforts to reclaim the patrimony of her children and to preserve the memory and legacy of her husband.

Upon being widowed, she did not show restraint or submission; on the contrary, she was a resilient, rebellious, and courageous woman who signed her documents as "The Sad Countess." She even led her troops in confrontations against the Castilian monarch, Enrique IV, and his favorite, Juan Pacheco, the Marquis of Villena. Doña Juana accused Pacheco of being responsible for her husband's death, and she had multiple conflicts with him throughout her life, with her daughter María de Luna and her granddaughter Juana de Luna often playing central roles.
María de Luna was one of the wealthiest women of her time and, therefore, highly sought after for politically advantageous marriages among the Castilian nobility. Two of the most powerful families sought her hand in marriage: the Pachecos and the Mendozas. After a series of events that could easily have been part of a medieval movie, it was ultimately the Mendozas who secured the desired marriage with Doña María. Her alliance with this powerful family, through her marriage to the heir of the House of Infantado, helped her defend her lordships and her lineage's interests.
Finally, after a full and eventful life, she passed away in Guadalajara and was buried in the Cathedral of Toledo alongside her husband Don Álvaro.