Dukedom of Medinaceli
Creation date	1479
Created by	Ferdinand II andIsabella I
Peerage	Peerage of Spain
First holder	Luis de la Cerda y de la Vega, 5th Count of Medinaceli
Present holder	Princess Victoria of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, 20th Duchess of Medinaceli[1]

Duke of Medinaceli (pronounced[meðinaˈθeli]) is an hereditary title in thepeerage of Spain, accompanied by the dignity ofGrandee. TheCatholic Monarchs,Ferdinand II of Aragon andIsabella I of Castile, created the title and awarded it on 31 October 1479 toLuis de la Cerda y de la Vega. He also held the title of 5th Count ofMedinaceli, which was first awarded in 1368 to his ancestor,Bernal de Foix.

In 1368, the King of theCrown of Castile bestowed the title of Count of Medinaceli onBernal de Foix, the second husband ofIsabel de la Cerda. Their grandson Luis, 3rd Count of Medinaceli, eventually inherited the title and changed his family name to "de la Cerda". Later on, QueenIsabella I of Castile raised the title from Count to Duke in 1479 for Luis de la Cerda y de la Vega, 5th Count of Medinaceli.

• Bernal de Foix, 1st Count of Medinaceli (d. 1381). He took the side of the royal bastardHenry of Trastámara in 1368 against Henry's legitimate half-brother, KingPeter of Castile. A bastard ofGaston III, Count of Foix, Bernal de Foix chose to stay in Castile when Henry had King Peter executed in March 1369 at the Castle of Montiel. He was the second husband of the wealthyIsabel de la Cerda, who was of legitimate royal descent from KingAlfonso X of Castile through her grandfather.
• Gastón de Béarn y de la Cerda, 2nd Count of Medinaceli (c. 1371–1404). He was a courtier under KingJohn I of Castile andHenry III of Castile.
• Luis de la Cerda y Mendoza, 3rd Count of Medinaceli (bef. 1404 – after 1447). He was a courtier under KingJohn II of Castile.
• Gastón I de la Cerda, 4th Count of Medinaceli (1414–1454). He was a courtier of KingJohn II of Castile.
• Luis de la Cerda y de la Vega, 5th Count of Medinaceli (c. 1442–1501). On 31 October 1479, he became the 1st Duke of Medinaceli.

Luis de la Cerda y de la Vega, 1st Duke of Medinaceli (c. 1442–1501), Count in 1454 and Duke in 1479, was the first person awarded the title of "Duke of Medinaceli". He fought in battles against Portugal and the MoorishKingdom of Granada.

Duke Juan I de la Cerda y Vique, the 2nd Duke of Medinaceli, was a bastard who was legitimated withGrandee by the Spanish Crown in 1520. He was a courtier under QueenIsabella I of Castile, her daughter QueenJoanna of Castile, and her son KingCharles I of Spain. He took part in the battles for the "incorporation" of theKingdom of Navarre on behalf of Ferdinand II of Aragon, the grandfather of King Charles I of Spain.

DukeGastón de la Cerda y Portugal, died without issue. He married María Gómez Sarmiento, daughter of the 3rd Count of Salinas and Count of Ribadeo.

Juan de la Cerda, 4th Duke of Medinaceli, wasViceroy of Sicily (1556–1564), and Captain General of Sicily. He was laterViceroy of Navarra (1567–1572). He married Juana Manuel de Portugal (ca. 1520–1568), daughter of Sancho I de Noronha Portugal, 2ndCount of Faro on 7 April 1541, atOcaña.

DukeJuan III Luis de la Cerda y Manuel de Portugal, 5th Duke of Medinaceli, was an Ambassador in Portugal and aKnight of the Order of the Golden Fleece. He was married four times. His first wife,Isabella d'Aragona (bef. 1543 - August 1578) was the daughter of Antonio d'Aragona, (1506–1543). His second wife was Duca di Montalto and after 1578, he married Juana de la Lama. His 4th wife was Marquesa de la Adrada, daughter of Gonzalo Fernández de la Lama.

DukeJuan Luis de la Cerda y Aragón, 6th Duke of Medinaceli (20 May 1569 - 24 November 1607) was aKnight of the Order of the Golden Fleece. He was an Ambassador to Germanic countries. He married twice, the first time in 1564, to Ana de la Cueva, daughter of the5th Duque de Albuquerque,Gabriel de la Cueva, Governor of the Duchy of Milano (Italy). He got married for a second time in 1606, to Antonia Dávila y Colonna (d. 29 October 1625), daughter of Gómez Dávila y de Toledo, the 2nd Marqués de Velada (d. 30 January 1599), tutor of KingPhilip III of Spain.

DukeAntonio Juan de la Cerda y Toledo (25 October 1607 – 7 March 1671), 7th Duque de Medinaceli,Grandee of Spain, and Captain General of Valencia in 1641. He was married at the age of seventeen to Ana Francisca Luisa Enriquez de Ribera y Portocarrero, who was thirteen years of age. The marriage took place on November 28, 1625, inDos Hermanas,province of Sevilla. Ana Francisca Luisa Enríquez de Ribera y Portocarrero (bef. 19 September 1613 - 21 May 1645) was later granted the title of hereditary 5thDuquesa de Alcalá de los Gazules, as daughter of Pedro Enríquez Girón de Ribera, aKnight of the Military Order of Santiago.

Juan Francisco de la Cerda y Portocarrero, 8th Duke of Medinaceli, (4 November 1637– 20 February 1691) was a Knight of theOrder of the Golden Fleece. He was the Prime Minister of KingCharles II of Spain. Medinaceli's strategies "produced fierce antipathy" betweenMarie-Louise of Orleans, the new Queen of Spain. He firmly believed in the rivalry of France and Spain and considered France the enemy. Therefore, he tried to isolate the young Queen from any French influence. In 1681, Medinaceli managed to have theMarquis of Villars, the French ambassador, removed from the Spanish court.^[2]

In 1685 he fell from power and was replaced byManual Joaquín Álvarez de Toledo, 8th Count of Oropesa.^[2]

He was married at the age of sixteen to eighteen-year-old Catalina Antonia de Aragón y Folch de Cardona, 9thDuchess of Cardona, 5thDuchess of Lerma, 8th Duchess of Segorbe, on 1 May 1653 inLucena,Province of Córdoba.

DukeLuis Francisco Tomás de la Cerda y de Aragón - Folch de Cardona, (1654 - in prison, in Pamplona fortress, 1711), was the 9thDuque de Medinaceli, 10thDuque de Cardona, 6th Duque de Lerma, 7th Duque de Alcalá de los Gazules, and 9th Duque de Segorbe.

• Dukes of Medinaceli
• Dukedoms of Spain
• Noble titles created in 1479

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