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Catalina de Medrano

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In this Basque name, the surname is Medrano.
This article is about the businesswoman and wife of Sebastian Cabot. For the lady-in-waiting to Isabella I of Castile, see Catalina de Medrano y Bravo de Lagunas.
Catalina de Medrano
Born
Catalina de Medrano

15th century
Kingdom of Castile
DiedSeptember 2, 1547
Kingdom of Castile
NationalityCastilian-Basque
Occupation(s)Businesswoman, landowner
EraAge of Exploration
EmployerSpanish Monarchs
Known forMarriage to Pedro Barba and Sebastian Cabot; managing family and business affairs
Spouse(s)Pedro Barba (d. 1521); Sebastian Cabot (m. 1523)
ChildrenCatalina Barba y Medrano (d. 1533)
FatherMartine de Medrano
Relatives
FamilyHouse of Medrano
Notes
She should not be confused with Catalina de Medrano y Bravo de Lagunas, a Lady-in-waiting for Queen Isabella I of Castile who was also active at the royal court during her time.

Catalina de Medrano (15th century – 2 September 1547) was a wealthy noblewoman from the House of Medrano, a supplier of fine cloth for the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, a businesswoman, the widow of the Lieutenant Governor of Havana, Pedro Barba, and the wife of the famous maritime explorer Sebastian Cabot.

Early life

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Catalina de Medrano was born at the transition between the medieval and early modern era in the Kingdom of Castile into the distinguished Medrano family, renowned for its influence in commerce, exploration, and nobility. She was born during the reign of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain and later became an active businesswoman under the rule of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. While little is known about her exact birth date or early childhood, she was likely raised in Seville, a major hub of maritime trade during the Age of Exploration.[1]

San Juan and bay, Puerto Rico, 1766

The Medrano family played a vital role in Spain's economic and political networks, and contributed to the expansion of Spain's Atlantic colonies. In the absence of her male relatives, Catalina de Medrano managed both the household and business affairs. Her father, Martine de Medrano, along with his son of the same name, oversaw the family's lucrative rope trading business from the island of San Juan (modern-day Puerto Rico), further cementing their importance in transatlantic commerce.[1]

Family

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Catalina de Medrano’s father, Martine de Medrano, played a significant role in supplying goods to the Spanish royal court during the late 15th century. He was primarily involved in the trade of luxury items, including specialized goods like fine Moorish spurs. One notable transaction occurred in 1495 when Martine de Medrano supplied Moorish spurs to Queen Isabella I, which were purchased as a gift for King Ferdinand II. The spurs, valued at 53 ducats, were highly decorative, reflecting the craftsmanship and luxury expected by the royal court.[2][3]

In addition to luxury items, Martine also dealt in horses and weapons, essential supplies for the monarchy’s military efforts and ceremonial purposes. Martine’s trade extended beyond individual transactions. As a prominent merchant, he likely facilitated the acquisition and transport of goods through Seville, which was a major port and commercial center. This involvement positioned the Medrano family as key suppliers of the royal court, contributing to their economic prominence and allowing Catalina de Medrano to later inherit and manage significant family resources. The Medrano family's reputation for delivering goods of exceptional quality would have helped establish trust and ongoing contracts with the monarchy, a crucial factor in their continued success.[1]

Siblings

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Catalina de Medrano had several siblings who were also well-connected in Seville's influential trade, exploration, and political circles during the Age of Exploration. The following siblings are notable:

  • Elvira de Rojas: Elvira was married to Hernán Gutiérrez, a resident of Santo Domingo in the Caribbean. Catalina's sister Elvira may have used her mother’s surname, suggesting that their mother belonged to the noble House of Rojas.
  • Unnamed sister, married into the Peraza Family: Her sister lived in the parish of Santa María Magdalena, where Cabot lived. The influential Peraza family played a key role in the colonization of the Canary Islands. It is unclear whether her brother-in-law was Alonso Peraza, who perished during Cabot's exploration of the Rio de la Plata, or Guillén Peraza de Ayala y Rojas.[4]
  • Martine de Medrano: Catalina’s brother, Martine, managed the family’s rope trading business from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Rope was a critical commodity for maritime trade and increased the Medrano family's prominence in the Atlantic trade network.[5]

Supplying the royal court of Castile

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Catalina de Medrano supplied fine cloth to the Spanish royal wardrobe during the late 15th and early 16th centuries. Her activities as a cloth supplier occurred in a period when the textile industry in Seville was expanding rapidly. While local looms produced much of the fabric, demand often exceeded supply, requiring merchants to import wool from northern Europe and fine fabrics from Italy.[6]

Catalina, operating in a key trade hub, coordinated with suppliers to fulfill royal household obligations. She received 72 ducats annually (1497–1501), totaling at least 360 ducats for her work.[1] Her ability to navigate trade networks was crucial for the Spanish monarchy. While records do not always specify fabric types, they were likely silk and wool, commonly used by the monarchy and nobility. In 1502 and 1503, she supplied 12.5 rods of fine cloth multiple times.[7]

Silk was a preferred textile for its association with wealth and status, and it featured prominently in royal attire. Catalina’s role would have required her to source, manage, and deliver these materials according to the royal household’s standards. Payments for the cloth came through the royal treasurer, Gonzalo de Baeza.[8]

There are records in 1496 which details Catalina de Medrano providing Juan Laherremendi with four she-mules, receiving 1.5 ducats as payment from the court.[9]

Marriages

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Pedro Barba

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In the first decade of the 16th century, Catalina de Medrano married Pedro Barba, the nephew of Amerigo Vespucci. Barba’s mother, Catalina Cerezo, was the sister of María Cerezo, the widow of Vespucci and daughter of Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, who is regarded as one of the greatest generals in history.[10] The conquistador Pedro Barba died in combat during the conquest of Tenochtitlán, leaving Catalina de Medrano as a widow.[11]

Children

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Together, Catalina and Pedro had a daughter named Catalina Barba y Medrano, born in 1508 and deceased in 1533.[1]

Conquest of Tenochtitlán

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Pedro Barba (Seville – Mexico, 1521) was a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Tenochtitlán. He initially settled in Cuba, where he gained wealth and social standing, serving as Diego Velázquez’s lieutenant in Havana. Despite Velázquez’s trust, he maintained a strong friendship with Hernán Cortés, hosting him in 1518 and supplying his army with 500 rations of bread. In 1520, Velázquez sent Barba to Veracruz with orders to arrest Cortés and return him to Castile, unaware that Pánfilo de Narváez had already been defeated.[11]

Upon arrival, Cortés’ forces tricked and captured him, but soon persuaded him to join their ranks. Cortés, pleased by their friendship and Barba’s 13 soldiers and two horses, entrusted him with commanding one of the 13 brigantines used in Tenochtitlán’s siege. According to Cervantes de Salazar, Barba died in combat, likely in June 1521.[11]

Catalina de Medrano remained unaware of her husband's death for months. While reports of Tenochtitlan’s fall reached Spain in 1521, it wasn’t until 1523 that Seville printer Jacob Cromberger published Cortés’s letters fully detailing the events.[12][13]

Sebastian Cabot

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Sebastian Cabot

Catalina de Medrano, a widow, remarried in Spain to Sebastian Cabot, son of John Cabot, in 1523. Various official documents dated 25 August 1525, confirm their marriage.[14][15] Cabot had been acquainted with Medrano since at least October 1519, when he issued a dowry letter (carta de dote) for her sister, Elvira de Rojas, and brother-in-law, Hernán Gutiérrez.[16] Witnesses in the lawsuits following Cabot's return to Spain in 1530 testified that his wife was a 'domineering' woman who handled his affairs. The reference to "sons" of Catalina de Medrano, found in one document only, of 1525, may be merely an official formalism.[14]

Cabot and Medrano’s marriage likely facilitated an exchange of information. While details of Vespucci’s voyages had become outdated and Cabot had access to essential knowledge through his role at the Casa de Barba, he may have acquired Vespucci’s maps and notes—previously given to Pedro Barba—through his connection with Medrano. Catalina de Medrano managed family and business affairs but lacked rights to assets after her husband's death. Medrano's understanding of commerce and her trusted marriage to Cabot provided stability. While her contributions remain uncertain, Spanish exploration relied on knowledge from previous voyages.[1]

Children

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It is not known if the marriage between Sebastian and Catalina produced offspring. But since the Spanish wills of both Catalina (1547) and Sebastian (1548) name nieces of Catalina as their heirs, it is unlikely that by the time of Catalina's death in 1533, the pair had children surviving from their marriage.[14]

Income

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As pilot major, Cabot had many responsibilities but was often absent and mismanaged finances, owing money to merchants despite his wealth. King Ferdinand granted him 50,000 maravedís upon arrival in Seville, another 50,000 as pilot major, and in March 1523, his salary increased by 50,000, plus a 25,000 maravedís life annuity, totaling 175,000 maravedís (466 ducats).[17][18]

Dowry

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He also gained from Catalina de Medrano's dowry, which included property and assets valued at 267 ducats.[19]

Power of Attorney

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After marrying Cabot, Catalina de Medrano took charge of his finances—settling debts, recovering money owed to him, and bringing order to his affairs. Cabot clearly trusted her business skills, granting her power of attorney on June 10, 1524, an uncommon decision for the time. She quickly acted en nombre de su marido ("in the name of her husband"), and in September 1524, she paid 94 ducats on a public contract related to Henry Patmer.[20] In March 1525, Medrano paid another 94 ducats for the same public contract. She also mediated her husband’s debts, working to resolve financial disputes. In October 1524, she attempted to pay 32 ducats to stockbroker Pedro Ruiz but was unable to locate him, and his wife refused the payment—possibly due to reluctance to deal with a woman. The issue was resolved only after Mayor Luis Fernández appointed Dr. Luis Suárez to accept the money.[21]

Barba estate

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Catalina Barba y Medrano

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It is likely that Pedro Barba appointed Sebastian Cabot as guardian of his daughter Catalina Barba y Medrano before leaving for Havana.[1] On June 3, 1523, a royal decree ordered the governor and officials of Cuba, then called Isla Fernandina, to facilitate the transfer of Barba’s property to his heirs.[22] In response, a notarial document dated 22 June 1523, designates Sebastian Cabot as the guardian of Catalina Barba y Medrano, the underage daughter of Pedro Barba and Catalina de Medrano. While the document refers to Cabot as a tutor, a term typically used for the guardian of a girl younger than twelve, Catalina Barba y Medrano was actually fifteen, having been born in 1508.[23] On 22 June 1523 Cabot arranged for a notary to document her property and appointed Cristóbal Maldonado from the parish of San Miguel to handle her affairs.[24]

Inheritance dispute

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In 1522 Cabot was heavily in debt to Barba's aunt, Maria Cerezo. He failed to meet the payment.[25] After Pedro Barba’s death, tensions over unpaid debt grew. When Cabot pursued Catalina Barba y Medrano’s inheritance, her grandmother, Catalina Cerezo, petitioned to have her declared illegitimate and denied her father’s estate.[26][27] She argued that Catalina de Medrano was not legally married to Pedro Barba at their daughter's birth, aiming to block the inheritance.[28]

In response to Catalina Cerezo’s effort to prevent his ward’s inheritance, Sebastian Cabot appealed to the court, which later dismissed Cerezo’s claim. On November 16, 1523 the Crown issued two official documents. The first document, a Real Cédula from the Count of Osorno, a minister in Seville, was issued following a ruling by the Council of the Indies in Pamplona.[29] It affirmed the marriage of Medrano and Barba and recognized their daughter as legitimate.[30]

The second document addressed Cabot’s unpaid pension to Maria Cerezo, which had been overdue for over five years. After Emperor Charles V’s intervention, the Casa ordered annual deductions of 26.5 ducats from Cabot’s salary. Following Maria’s death, her heir, Catalina Cerezo, recovered 38 ducats on September 26, 1525. A later document from December 26, 1534, granted her the remaining pension, confirming Cabot’s incomplete payments over the decade.[31] Catalina Barba y Medrano likely never received her full inheritance, as the Crown began seizing all precious metals from "the Indies" in early 1523 to raise funds. A 1527 corruption inquiry into the Casa found severe mismanagement of assets belonging to those who died in "the Indies."[32]

Death

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Catalina died on 2 September 1547, however it is unknown where she was buried.[14]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g Dalton, Heather (2016-06-01). Merchants and Explorers: Roger Barlow, Sebastian Cabot, and Networks of Atlantic Exchange 1500–1560. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199672059.003.0005. ISBN 978-0-19-967205-9.
  2. ^ Antonio ad E. A. de la Torre, eds, Cuentas de Gonzalo de Baeza, tesorero, de Isabel la Catolica (Madrid, 1956), 1495, Vol. 2, 263 (f 169v)
  3. ^ Ruth Lundelius, Brief Review, Hispanic Review 26/4 (1958): 361-2.
  4. ^ Medina, El Veneciano, vol. 1, 277.
  5. ^ Medina, El Veneciano, vol. 1, 394; Record of Berthal Gonzalez Vallesillo, 18 March 1513, file 15, book 1, f. 212, APS.
  6. ^ Thomas, Rivers of Gold, 470; Dalton, ‘Negotiating Fortune’, 57–73.
  7. ^ Cuentas de Gonzalo de Baeza, vol 2: 1497 (f. 319) and 574 (f. 333-2v); 1503, 615 (f. 355-2v).
  8. ^ Proyectos, HI Iberia Ingeniería y. "Historia Hispánica". historia-hispanica.rah.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-01-29.
  9. ^ Cuentas de Gonzalo de Baeza, 1496, vol. 2, 335 (f. 207v). ‘A Juan Laherremendi, para quatro azemilas, que llevaron lo de Ribadeneyra e doña Catalina de Medrano, 560.’
  10. ^ Eric G. L., Pinzelli (2022). Masters of Warfare: Fifty Underrated Military Commanders from Classical Antiquity to the Cold War. Pen and Sword. p. 110-113. ISBN 9781399070157
  11. ^ a b c Proyectos, HI Iberia Ingeniería y. "Historia Hispánica". historia-hispanica.rah.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-01-29.
  12. ^ José López Portillo, They are Coming: The Conquest of Mexico (Denton, 1992), 48; Thomas, Rivers of Gold, 426–32; Parry, The Discovery, 152–66.
  13. ^ H. Thomas, Quién es quién de los conquistadores (Madrid, 2001) and La conquista de México (Barcelona, 2000)
  14. ^ a b c d "CABOT, SEBASTIAN". Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Retrieved 2025-01-29.
  15. ^ Heather Dalton, Merchants and Explorers. pp. 63-71, 127-8.
  16. ^ Record of Bernal G. Vallesillo, 19 October 1519, file 15, book 2, f. 363, APS.
  17. ^ Pago de salario a Sebastián Caboto, 17 March 1523, Contrat. 5784, book 1, f. 41, AGI; Medina, El Veneciano, vol. 2, 87–8
  18. ^ Record of Mateo de la Cuadra, 7 April 1524, file 1, book 1, f. 384v, APS; Gasparo Contarini to the Council of Ten in Williamson, The Cabot Voyages and Bristol Discovery under Henry VII, 282–5.
  19. ^ Medina, El Veneciano, vol. 1, 393–7.
  20. ^ Record of Alonso de la Barrera, 10 June 1524, power of attorney inserted between the leaves of the notary’s book in relation to the agreement re Patmer: 7, 14, 20 September 1524, file 1, ff. unmarked, APS.
  21. ^ 9 Record of Alonso de la Barrera, 6 October 1524, f. unmarked, APS.
  22. ^ ‘Cobro de los bienes de Pero Barba, difunto en Nueva España’, 3 June 1523, Ind. 420, L. 9, f. 95r, AGI.
  23. ^ Record of Alonso de Barrero, 22 June 1523, file 1, book 1, f. 610v, APS; Coolidge, Guardianship, Gender, and the Nobility in Early Modern Spain, 21–2, 34.
  24. ^ Records of Alonso de Barrera, 22 June and 23 July 1523, file 1, book 1, ff. 610v, 644v, APS.
  25. ^ Record of Mateo de la Cuadra, 23 May 1516, file 1, book 1, f. 585v, APS.
  26. ^ Justicia a Sebastian Caboto, 16 November 1523, Ind. 420, L.9, f. 233v–234r, AGI
  27. ^ Medina, El Veneciano, vol. 2, 88
  28. ^ Coolidge, Guardianship, Gender, and the Nobility in Early Modern Spain, 38.
  29. ^ Pedro Barba & Catalina de Medrano: Catalina Barba y Medrano. https://pares.mcu.es/ParesBusquedas20/catalogo/description/248862
  30. ^ Justicia a Sebastian Caboto, 16 November 1523, Ind. 420, L.9, f. 233v–234r, AGI.
  31. ^ Record of Antón Ruiz de Porras, 26 September 1525, file 3, book 2, f. 19 (11) and Record of Pedro de Castellanos, 4 February 1534, file 5, book 1, f. 416 vto, APS.
  32. ^ Real Provisión a García Manrique, asistente de Sevilla, a los oficiales de la Casa de la Contratación y a Juan de Aranda and related documents, 10, 24, 25 September 1523, Ind. 420, L.9, f. 185v–192r, AGI; Thomas, The Golden Age, 109, 110, 113.
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