Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

    

Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba

Spanish military leader and diplomat

Date of Birth: 29-Oct-1507

Place of Birth: Piedrahíta, Castile and León, Spain

Date of Death: 11-Dec-1582

Profession: military personnel, politician, military officer, diplomat

Nationality: Spain

Zodiac Sign: Scorpio


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About Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba

  • Fernando Álvarez de Toledo y Pimentel, 3rd Duke of Alba (29 October 1507 – 11 December 1582), known as the Grand Duke of Alba (Spanish: Gran Duque de Alba, Portuguese: Grão Duque de Alba) in Spain and Portugal and as the Iron Duke (Dutch: IJzeren Hertog) in the Netherlands, was a Spanish noble, general, and diplomat.
  • He was titled the 3rd Duke of Alba de Tormes, 4th Marquess of Coria, 3rd Count of Salvatierra de Tormes, 2nd Count of Piedrahita, 8th Lord of Valdecorneja, Grandee of Spain, and a Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece.
  • His motto in Latin was Deo patrum Nostrorum, which in English means "To the God of our fathers". He was an adviser of King Charles I of Spain (Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor), and his successor, Philip II of Spain, Mayordomo mayor of both, member of their Councils of State and War, governor of the Duchy of Milan (1555–1556), viceroy of the Kingdom of Naples (1556–1558), governor of the Netherlands (1567–1573) and viceroy and constable of the Kingdom of Portugal (1580–1582).
  • He represented Philip II in negotiating Philip's betrothal to Elisabeth of Valois and Anna of Austria, who were the third and fourth, and last, wives of the king. By some historians he is considered the most effective general of his generation as well as one of the greatest in military history.
  • Although a tough leader, he was respected by his troops.
  • He touched their sentiments e.g.
  • by addressing them in his speeches as "gentlemen soldiers" (señores soldados), but was also popular among them for daring statements such as: Kings use men like oranges, first they squeeze the juice and then throw away the peel. Alba especially distinguished himself in the conquest of Tunis (1535) during the Ottoman-Habsburg wars when Carlos I defeated Hayreddin Barbarossa and returned the Spanish Monarchy to predominance over the western Mediterranean Sea.
  • He also distinguished himself in the battle of Mühlberg (1547), where the army of Emperor Charles defeated the German Protestant princes. On December 26, 1566 he received the Golden Rose, the blessed sword and hat granted by Pope Pius V, through the papal brief Solent Romani Pontifices, in recognition of his singular efforts in favor of Catholicism and for being considered one of his championsHe is best known for his actions against the revolt of the Netherlands, where he instituted the Council of Troubles, and repeatedly defeated the troops of William of Orange and Louis of Nassau during the first stages of the Eighty Years' War.
  • He is also known for the brutalities during the capture of Mechelen, Zutphen, Naarden and Haarlem.
  • In spite of these military successes, the Dutch revolt was not broken and Alba was recalled to Spain.
  • His last military successes were in the Portuguese succession crisis of 1580, winning the Battle of Alcantara and conquering that kingdom for Philip II.
  • Spain unified all the kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula and consequently expanded its overseas territories.

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