Introduction

In 1367 Leonor de la Vega inherited a vast legacy made up of land, patronage, and political power-all of it under her mother’s control. To ensure that both Leonor and her property were cared for after his death, Leonor’s father had appointed his wife, Mencía de Cisneros, as Leonor’s guardian. Mencía de Cisneros was a wealthy woman in her own right. Her father had died in prison in the late 1350s, and her three elder siblings had died without heirs, leaving her all of the Cisneros family property.1 This series of family tragedies gave Mencía direct control over the Cisneros estates and the de la Vega inheritance as well as the power to make all decisions about her daughter’s future.