Peraza family
The Peraza family was a Castilian noble dynasty that became a major political and military power during the conquest and early colonial administration of the Canary Islands.
Last updated October 14, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
The Peraza family was a Castilian noble lineage whose political importance grew from modest origins in Seville into territorial lordship over much of the Canary Islands during the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. Its history is closely connected with the conquest of the islands, the expansion of Castilian authority into the Atlantic, and the difficult transition from privately held seigneurial territories to direct royal rule. The family’s documented rise began with Bartolomé Ruiz Peraza, who served as Seville’s senior collector in 1370 and was later knighted. His daughter, Leonor Ruiz de Peraza, married Gonzalo Pérez Martel y Mathe de Luna, Lord of Almonaster la Real. Through this marriage, the Peraza line acquired connections to the Martel and Mathe de Luna families and inherited an interest in the Canary Islands. Gonzalo Martel had received a royal authorization in 1390 to conquer the islands, and an expedition organized in 1393 returned to Castile with captives and valuable goods. The family’s central figure in the islands was Hernán, or Fernán, Peraza Martel, commonly known as Hernán Peraza the Elder. Through inheritance, marriage, purchase, and exchange, he assembled claims to a large part of the archipelago. He received Fuerteventura as part of his marriage settlement, acquired Lanzarote and El Hierro in 1430, and in 1445 exchanged property in mainland Castile for rights connected with Tenerife, La Gomera, La Palma, and Gran Canaria. These transactions created the legal basis for an unusually broad Peraza lordship, although effective control still required military conquest and political coercion. Hernán Peraza moved to the islands in 1447 with his son Guillén and an expeditionary force. The family used military campaigns, settlement, raids, and the capture of enslaved Indigenous people to finance and consolidate its position. Guillén Peraza was killed during an unsuccessful incursion into La Palma, probably between late 1447 and early 1448. His death became an important event in Canarian cultural memory and inspired the poem “Endechas a la muerte de Guillén Peraza,” regarded as the first original work of Spanish literature from the Canary Islands. Hernán the Elder continued his campaigns and established or developed settlements including Valverde and San Sebastián de La Gomera. He also built the fortified structure now known as the Torre del Conde. After Hernán’s death in 1452, his daughter Inés Peraza inherited the family’s position. With her husband, Diego de Herrera, she attempted to preserve the unified lordship while facing challenges from the Crown of Castile, Portugal, rival nobles, Indigenous resistance, and internal family disputes. Inés styled herself Queen of the Canary Islands, although the title was personal and seigneurial rather than a recognized sovereign monarchy. Royal judgments in the 1450s confirmed some claims, while later interventions weakened others. In 1477, La Palma, Gran Canaria, and Tenerife were sold to the Catholic Monarchs, ending the family’s claim to a unified lordship. The remaining holdings were divided among descendants. El Hierro and La Gomera passed to different branches, while Lanzarote and Fuerteventura were later partitioned among Inés’s children. Hernán Peraza the Younger governed La Gomera and El Hierro and was killed in 1488 after severe conflicts with Indigenous communities. His widow, Beatriz de Bobadilla y Ossorio, succeeded him in the administration of the territories. Their son, Guillén Peraza de Ayala, became the first Count of La Gomera in 1515. Other members of the wider family entered influential marriages and ecclesiastical careers, including Vicente de Peraza, who served as Bishop of Panamá from 1520 to 1526. The Peraza family is therefore best understood not as a commercial brand but as a historical noble house whose legacy lies in the formation of early colonial institutions, landholding patterns, settlements, and political traditions in the Canary Islands. Its power declined as the Castilian monarchy absorbed the islands into a more centralized imperial system.
History
The Peraza family originated in Seville, where Bartolomé Ruiz Peraza established the lineage’s early documented prominence. He worked as the city’s senior collector in 1370 and was later elevated to knighthood. His daughter Leonor Ruiz de Peraza married Gonzalo Pérez Martel y Mathe de Luna, Lord of Almonaster la Real. Gonzalo Martel’s family possessed royal rights connected with the conquest of the Canary Islands, giving the Peraza descendants an entry point into Atlantic expansion. Gonzalo Martel received authorization from King Enrique III of Castile in 1390 to conquer the Canary Islands. An expedition in 1393 reached the islands and returned with captives and wealth. The Martel-Peraza connection became more consequential through their son Hernán Peraza Martel, later called Hernán Peraza the Elder. He inherited rights from his father and obtained additional claims through his marriage to Inés de las Casas. Fuerteventura came to him through a dowry arrangement, while Lanzarote and El Hierro were acquired in 1430 from Enrique de Guzmán, Count of Niebla. In 1445, Hernán exchanged his estate at Huévar with Guillén de las Casas for claims to Tenerife, La Gomera, La Palma, and Gran Canaria. These arrangements effectively placed most of the archipelago under a single Peraza lordship on paper. Hernán then had to convert legal claims into actual control. He moved permanently to the islands in 1447 with his son Guillén and three ships. The family established a base on Fuerteventura and launched expeditions against other islands, seeking territory, captives, and resources. One expedition to La Palma was defeated, and Guillén Peraza was killed. His death produced both political consequences and a lasting literary memorial in the “Endechas a la muerte de Guillén Peraza.” Hernán the Elder continued military operations against Indigenous communities and faced Portuguese interference in 1450 and 1452. By the middle of the fifteenth century he had consolidated the Peraza lordship in law and practice. He is associated with the foundation or development of Valverde and San Sebastián de La Gomera and with construction of the Torre del Conde, which became one of the most recognizable surviving monuments of the period. Hernán died in 1452 and was succeeded by his daughter Inés Peraza. Inés and her husband Diego de Herrera defended the family’s rights against the Crown of Castile, Portugal, competing nobles, and local resistance. Inés used the title Queen of the Canary Islands for more than two decades. Royal decisions restored Lanzarote to the family in 1454 and removed Portuguese representatives from part of La Gomera. In 1468, King Enrique IV revoked a Portuguese concession covering several unconquered islands. The Catholic Monarchs later authorized a majorat for the family in 1476, confirmed for Hernán Peraza the Younger in 1486. The family’s unified position nevertheless ended soon afterward. A revolt in 1476 and negotiations with the Catholic Monarchs led to the sale of La Palma, Gran Canaria, and Tenerife in 1477. The surviving seigneurial territories were reduced to Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, La Gomera, and El Hierro. Inés’s children received portions of these lands, and disputes within the family further weakened centralized control. Pedro was disinherited after actions against his parents and disturbances in the family territories. Hernán Peraza the Younger received La Gomera and El Hierro, but his harsh rule led to continuing conflict and his assassination in 1488 by an Indigenous leader. Hernán’s widow, Beatriz de Bobadilla y Ossorio, inherited authority over La Gomera and El Hierro. Their son Guillén Peraza de Ayala was raised to the rank of first Count of La Gomera in 1515 by Queen Joanna and Emperor Charles V. Other family members formed alliances with prominent Castilian and Portuguese houses. María de Ayala married Diogo da Silva de Meneses, later Count of Portalegre, while Vicente de Peraza entered the Church and became the second Bishop of Panamá. By the sixteenth century, however, the family’s territorial power had been substantially overtaken by royal administration and the consolidation of the Spanish imperial system.
- 1515
Guillén Peraza de Ayala becomes Count of La Gomera
[1]Guillén Peraza de Ayala, son of Hernán Peraza the Younger and Beatriz de Bobadilla, was elevated to the title of first Count of La Gomera.
- 1488
Hernán Peraza the Younger is assassinated
[1]The ruler of La Gomera and El Hierro was killed during continuing conflict with Indigenous communities.
- 1477
Major islands sold to the Catholic Monarchs
[1]La Palma, Gran Canaria, and Tenerife were sold to the Catholic Monarchs, ending the Peraza family’s claim to a unified lordship over the islands.
- 1452
Inés Peraza inherits the lordship
[1]Following Hernán Peraza the Elder’s death, his daughter Inés assumed control of the family’s unified seigneurial claims.
- 1447
Permanent settlement in the Canary Islands
[1]Hernán Peraza the Elder relocated to the islands with his son Guillén and an expeditionary force, beginning a more direct phase of conquest and administration.
- 1445
Claims to most of the archipelago consolidated
[1]Hernán Peraza exchanged property in Huévar for rights associated with Tenerife, La Gomera, La Palma, and Gran Canaria.
- 1430
Lanzarote and El Hierro acquired
[1]Hernán Peraza the Elder purchased claims to Lanzarote and El Hierro from Enrique de Guzmán, Count of Niebla.
Bartolomé Ruiz Peraza becomes Seville’s senior collector
[1]Bartolomé Ruiz Peraza held the office of senior collector in Seville, marking the earliest documented rise of the family in the reference history.
Royal authorization for the Canary Islands conquest
[1]King Enrique III of Castile granted Gonzalo Pérez Martel authority to undertake the conquest of the Canary Islands.
Martel expedition reaches the islands
[1]An expedition led under Gonzalo Martel returned to the Castilian court with captives and valuables, reinforcing the family’s interest in the archipelago.
Products and positioning
A historical Castilian noble house associated with territorial lordship, conquest, governance, and colonial expansion in the Canary Islands.
Controversies
Brand decisions
1502
Partition of Lanzarote and FuerteventuraStrategyBackground
After the loss of the larger islands, Inés Peraza’s remaining territories were increasingly divided among her descendants.
Action taken
Lanzarote and Fuerteventura were divided into twelve portions among Sancho de Herrera, María de Ayala, and Constanza Sarmiento.
Aftermath
The division further fragmented Peraza family authority and weakened the prospect of a unified territorial domain.
1477
Sale of three islands to the Catholic MonarchsM&ABackground
The Peraza-Herrera lordship faced revolt, royal pressure, competing claims, and the expanding authority of the Castilian monarchy.
Action taken
La Palma, Gran Canaria, and Tenerife were transferred to the Catholic Monarchs, reducing the family’s territorial holdings to four islands.
Aftermath
The sale formally ended Inés Peraza’s claim to a unified Canary Islands lordship and accelerated direct royal consolidation of the archipelago.
Sources1 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/peraza-family · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled