Mary I (Senior Biscay)

Maria was the daughter of Lope Dias III de Aro (? -1288), the lord of Biscay (1254-1288), and Juan Alfonso de Molina. On her paternal side, she was the granddaughter of Diego Lopez II de Aro (? -1254) and Constance de Bearn . Maria's brother was Diego Lopez IV de Aro (? -1289), senor of Biscay in 1288-1899. Mary was the great-granddaughter of King Leon Alfonso IX .

In 1287, Maria Diaz de Aro married the Infant Juan of Castile (1262–1319), Senor de Valencia de Campos, son of the King of Castile Alfonso X the Wise and Violanta of Aragon. On June 8, 1288, her father was assassinated in Alfaro on the orders of King Castile Sancho IV . Maria’s husband, Juan of Castile , who was also the younger brother of Sancho IV and one of the infants of the Kingdom of Castile, was also present during this episode and was imprisoned for his role in this matter.

In 1288, the title of Senior Biscay passed to Diego Lopez IV de Aro, the first-born of Lope Diaz III, who was involved in his struggle with supporters of the new King of Castile Ferdinand IV. These disputes were caused by his support of the infantry Alfonso de la Cerda (second son of Sancho IV) as king of Castile, while others still supported the infante of Sancho.

In 1289, after the death of Diego Lopez IV de Aro, who did not leave any heirs, his sister Maria Diaz de Aro first inherited the title of Senor Biscay.

On April 25, 1295, the king of Castile Sancho IV passed away; his eldest son Ferdinand IV , who at that time was only nine years old, entered the royal throne. This led to a long period of instability in the kingdom and at the Castilian court. During this period, Maria de Molina , mother and regent of young Ferdinand IV, de facto ruled the kingdom. This situation was exploited by the uncle of Maria Diaz de Aro, Diego Lopez V de Aro (c. 1250–1310), who, with the support of King Aragon Jaime II, occupied Biscay seigneur and appropriated the title of seigneur, kidnapping him from Maria and her husband, infante Juan of Castile.

Diego Lopez V de Aro was able to capture the seigneur, largely because Mary's husband, infante Juan of Castile , was imprisoned for crimes related to her father's grandfather against Castile King Sancho IV. Freed from imprisonment, Juan of Castile tried to regain control of Bizkaia. At first he failed and, together with other disgruntled nobles in the kingdom, joined the battle against the regent queen Maria de Molina and her supporter, Diego Lopez V de Aro.

In the end, Juan and Mary were able to obtain from the pope the legal right to the titles of lords and lords of Biscay. In 1307, Diego Lopez V de Aro was forced to recognize his niece Maria as the legitimate heiress of the lord, and asked her to accept the title of lord Biscay after her death.

In January 1310, Diego Lopez V de Aro , while under King Ferdinand IV during a military campaign against the Kingdom of Granada, died during the siege of Algeciras. After the death of uncle, Maria Diaz de Aro again began to bear the title of Senor Biscay. But now Maria was forced to start a fight with her cousin, Lope Dias IV de Aro (? -1322), Senor de Ordunya and Valmaceda , the son of the late Diego Lopez V de Aro. Lope Diaz IV counted on the support of the king of Castile Ferdinand IV, who was faithfully served by his father, and on the fact that the uncle of the king and the husband of Mary, infante Juan of Castile, constantly quarreled with the crown.

Lope Diaz IV de Aro ultimately failed in his attempts to strip her cousin of Mary of her possessions and title due to interference at the Castilian court of Queen Mother of Maria de Molina . As a result, Maria Diaz I remained as the lord of Biscay and the head of the house of Aro.

In September 1312, the king of Castile Ferdinand IV died, leaving the regents of the kingdom Infant Juan , husband of Mary, and his younger brother, Infant Pedro of Castile. Juan tried to take Granada, but failed. Castilian forces were forced to retreat about 15 kilometers from the city of Cerro de los Infantes. During the battle with the Moors, the infantry Pedro of Castile was killed along with Juan of Castile (June 26, 1319).

Under María Diaz de Aro, the cities of Portugalale (1322), Lekeitio (1325) and Ondarroa (1327) were founded in Bizkaia.

In 1322, she founded the Dominican monastery of Valencia de Don Juan . Maria settled in Perales , where in the same year she renounced power in the lord of Biscay in favor of her son Juan de Aro One-Eyed.

Juan de Aro sought to expand the influence of the lord of Biscay by marrying the niece of King Aragon. Don Juan Manuel , fearing the actions of Juan de Aro, complained to the King of Castile Alfonso XI, who in 1326 ordered the assassination of Juan. After the death of her son, Maria de Aro was forced to lead Biscay for the third time.

Immediately after the assassination of Juan, the son of Maria, the king of Castile Alfonso XI tried to buy the rights to the Biscay seigneur, but to no avail, as the angry Maria de Aro refused to do this. In 1334, Maria de Aro renounced the title for the second time, this time in favor of her granddaughter, Maria Diaz II de Aro , the daughter of her son Juan de Aro and his wife Isabella of Portugal. Young Maria Diaz II in 1331 married Juan Nunez IV de Lara, and the two will rule Biscay on behalf of Maria Diaz II.

Maria I Diaz de Aro died on October 3, 1342 from old age.

From the marriage with the infant, Juan of Castile, Maria had the following children:

• Juan de Aro (? - 1326) - inherited all the possessions of his mother and father, married Isabelle de Portugal and Manuel (1292-1324 / 1325), daughter of the Infanta Alfonso of Portugal and granddaughter of the King of Portugal Afonso III . Killed in Toro in 1326 by order of the King of Castile Alfonso XI.
• Lope Diaz de Aro (? - 1295), died in childhood.
• Maria Diaz de Aro (? - 1299), husband - Juan Nunez II de Lara el Menor (c. 1275-1315), head of the house of Lara. She died without leaving offspring.

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• María Díaz I de Haro