The House of Silva () is an ancient and influential aristocratic family of Spanish and Portuguese origin.
History Juan de Mena's Memorias de algunos linages antiguos e nobles de Castilla, a work of the first half of the 15th century of noble family ancestries, make the Silva "a very old and noble family and noblemen of high rank," while some writings claimed for them descent from the Latin kings of Alba Longa (and hence from Aeneas of Troy). Mena also claims that a member of the family fought with Pelagius of Asturias.Robert Folger, «Generations y Semblanzas»: Memory and Genealogy in Medieval Iberian Historiography, Gunter Narr Varlag Tübingen, 2003, pp. 221-222. Luis de Salazar y Castro repeated these and other similar traditions of ancient Italian origin in his Historia genealógica de la Casa de Silva, published in 1685, as well as other derivations from the royal house of Asturias.Luis de Salazar y Castro, Historia genealogica de la Casa de Silva, Malchor Alvarez y Mateo, Madrid, 1685, vol. 1, chapters 7,8.
What can be said for sure, based on documents, is that the first historical figure to use the surname Silva was Dom Paio da Silva, Lord of the Torre de Silva near Valença (in present-day Northern Portugal) and representative ("vicar") of King Alfonso VI of León and Castile, who signed several grants of lands between the years 1085 and 1129. All the many branches of the Silva family are descended from him.
In Portugal, one branch of the family came to hold Vagos, Tentúgal and Buarcos. One of this line was Diogo Gomes da Silva (brother of João Gomes da Silva, Lord of Vagos, who was appointed alféres-mor of Portugal in 1416).James M. Boyden, The Courtier and the King: Ruy Gómez de Silva, Philip II, and the Court of Spain, University of California Press, 1995, p. 8-9 Of his line came Ruy Gómez de Silva, one of the nobles of the court of Philip II of Spain, making Ruy Silva the Prince of Éboli, Duke of Pastrana, Duke of Estremera, and Count of Melito.
A branch of the family became established in the Crown of Castile, after Arias Gomes de Silva was named Prince of Córdoba. His son Alfonso Tenorio Silva intermarried with the city's gentry to establish his family as one of the most powerful in the city, as well as serving in the courts of successive Trastámara monarchs. His son Juan Silva was made Count of Cifuentes, while younger branches of the Silva family were lords of Montemayor and Corral.
Although the House of Silva branches out into several title-held families, the reigning Silva family resides in Córdoba, Spain, entitled to the royal peerage.
Silva Fernandez de Hijar
To properly understand the history of the house, it is important to keep in mind that the inheritance takes place by matrilineal descent thanks to the royal concession granted by Ferdinand the Catholic in 1483, to natural children, legally recognized, of Kings.
The origins of the House de Silva, are, like all the origins of the ancient aristocratic families of the High Middle Ages, uncertain as far as documentation is concerned.
Gutierre Peláez de Silva, Lord of Lugares, Alderete de Insam y Sufam y de la Quinta and Torre de Silva, was a knight who became ”Ricohombre”, who probably, took part in the conquest of Cordoba, too, in 1064.
But whatever his historical origins were, one of the renown descendants of Don Gutierre Peláez de Silva was Don Ruy Gomez II de Silva y Meneses (1517-1573) Grande of Spain, Prince of Eboli, first Duke of Pastrana, V Lord of Ulme and Chamusca; statesman and counsellor of Philip II of Asburgo, King of Spain.
From his marriage with Doña Ana de Mendoza de la Creda y de Silva Cifuentes (1540-1592), one of the most beautiful women of Spain, there were born ten children. One of them, Don Rodrigo de Silva y Mendoza (1562-1596) II Duke of Pastrana, marrying Doña Ana de Portugal y Borja (1570-1629), descendant from the King Ferdinand I of Portugal, gave origin to the lineage De Silva Portugal. Whereas another son, Don Diego de Silva y Mendoza (1564-1630), I Marquess of Alenquer and III Duke of Francavilla, gave origin to the lineage De Silva Alenquer. Lineage that from the marriage between his son Don Rodrigo de Silva Mendoza y Sarmiento (1600-1664) and Doña Isabel Fernández de Ixar [(1603-1642) V Duchess of Ixar, who by her own decree created her husband Duke of Ixar (or "Híjar"), became De Silva Fernández de Ixar.
The reunion of the two lineages, which brought to the birth of the House de Silva Fernández de Híjar Portugal, took place when don Fabrique III de Silva (1672-1700) IV Marquess of Orani, in the second half of the 17th century, married his 4th degree cousin Doña Juana Petronilla de Silva Fernández de Ixar (1669-1710) VII Duchess de Ixar or Híjar.
The following division of the House De Silva Fernández de Híjar Portugal into three lineages (two Spanish and one Italian), was due to three children born from the two marriages of Don Andres Avelino de Silva Fernández de Híjar Portugal y Fernández de Cordoba (1806-1885)Don Andrés Avelino de Silva Fernández de Ixar Portugal y Fernández de Cordoba XIV Count-Duke of Aliaga and Count of Palma del Rio. From the first wedding with Doña Josefina de Ferrari y Bonet (1819-1876)Doña Josefina de Ferrari y Bonet (daughter of Don Jeronimo de Ferrari of Parma, “Kapellmeister” of King Ferdinando VII of Borbone) was born Doña Josefa Maria del Carmen de Silva Fernández de Híjar Portugal (1837-1906);Archivo Historico Provincial de Zaragoza - Archivo Ducal de Hijar who, with her daughter -doña María Dolores (1861-1923) - and with Doña María Dolores's son Don Vittorio Umberto de Silva Fernández de Híjar Portugal (1881/1954) [illegitimate son whom Doña Maria Dolores de Silva Fernández de Híjar Portugal had with Don Carlos Maria Fitz James Stuart y Portocarrero Palafox (1849-1901) XVI duke of Alba] by matrilineal descent gave origin to the Italian lineage still in existence.Municipal Historical Archive of Milan. Complete Family status 11.09.1869 (family coming from Paris) From his second wedding with Doña Mary Caroline Elisabeth Campbell y Vincent (1820-1894)doña Mary Caroline Elisabeth Campbell y Vincent were born ten children of whom two, [Alfonso I (1848-1930)Alfonso I de Silva y Campbell and Jaime (1852-1925)Jaime de Silva y Campbell], gave origin to the two Spanish lineages still in existence, too. The Spanish lineage of Alfonso I, like it had already happened to the House De Silva Fernández de Ixar Portugal with two unions between the De Silva and the Fitz James Stuart, rejoined the descendants of James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick (1670-1734) [illegitimate son, who James II Stuart (1633-1701) King of England had with Arabella Churchill y Drake (1648-1730) sister of John Churchill I Duke of Marlborough] when Doña Maria del Rosario de Silva Fernández de Híjar Portugal y Guterbey (1900-1934) married Don Jacob Fitz James Stuart (1878-1953) IX Duke of Berwick and XVII Duke of Alba. In this way, by matrilineal descent, the Spanish lineage of the De Silva joined the dukedom of Híjar and its titles with the House Fitz James Stuart y de Silva Fernández de Híjar Portugal. Whereas the descendants of Don Jaime have just the titles of Dukes of Lecera and Dukes of Bournonville, the Fitz James Stuart y de Silva hold, actually, the majority of the titles of the House De Silva.
Heraldry
De Salazar, in his “Historia Genealogica de la Casa de Silva ” writes that ”the Casa de Silva, like many in Spain, uses a heraldic device very different from the name by which it is known. Don Melchor de Teves refers (in the book de la Casa de Lerma) that on an ancient tomb of the de Silva family there is a rampant Crowned Lion. It seems that the first to use on his shield the symbol of the Lion was the Count Don Gomez Paéz de Silva, who lived in the 12th century. He did it to remind his origin from the Royal House (Casa de Leon); to wear in their honour the same device as the House Princes and to hand down to posterity the memory of his evident descendance from it… Drawing and painting the weapon (a rampant Lion of crimson colour, golden crowned on a silver background) exactly in the same way as the kings de Leon, Ovjedo and Galizia”.
Other primary Heraldries which characterize the House de Silva Fernández de Híjar Portugal are the ones of both the Fernández de Híjar house and of the Portugal family.
The first, of the Fernández de Híjar , shows the fusion of the lineages of Aragon and Navarra. In the shield of Pedro Fernández de Híjar (the bastard son who King Jaime I of Aragon had from Doña Isabel Berenguela Fernández, granddaughter of the King of Navarra) we can see the five golden vertical bands alternated by four red vertical bands (de cuatro palos gules) symbol of Aragon and the golden chains, symbol of Navarra, framed and cross-shaped with, in the middle, an emerald on a red background.
The second, of the Portugal-Noronhas , in the I and IV quarters, shows five blue shields cross-shaped, each with five silver bezants, placed to quincunx of the House De Portugal and, in the II and III quarters, the castle with the three golden towers surmounted by two crimson lions of the House of Castiglia and of Leon. The quarter is framed by nine golden squares alternated by nine blue towers. Doña Isabel de Portugal, bastard daughter of King Ferdinand I, married Don Alfonso Dount of Gíjon Noronha, bastard son of the King Enrico II di Castiglia. Heraldry joins the symbols by matrilineal descent: Portugal-antigo (only because of the matrilineal line of the descendants of Doña Isabel, daughter recognized by the King Ferdinando I) with that of the Noronhas.Armando de Mattos "A heráldica dos bastardos reais portugueses" 1940
The three ancient heraldries, in different periods, belonging to different lineages of the House de Silva, were joined to make the emblems of the: De Silva Portugal, De Silva Cifuentes, De Silva Alénquer, De Silva Alvarez de Toledo, De Silva Infantado, De Silva Fernández de Hijar, De Silva Fernández de Híjar Portugal, De Silva Pastrana and so on. Still, always in the shape where the crowned Lion of the ancient kings of Leon dominates.
Royal branches
Juan de Silva y de Meneses, (1399 - 27 de septiembre de 1464), I Count of Cifuentes in April 1456. Alfonso de Silva y Acuña (o Vasques da Cunha), II Count of Cifuentes, h. 1430. Juan de Silva y (Rodríguez) de Castañeda, III Count of Cifuentes, born h. 1450. Fernando de Silva y Álvarez de Toledo, IV Count of Cifuentes, h. 1480 - 1546. Juan de Silva y Andrade, (h. 1510 - 27 of April in 1556), V Count of Cifuentes. Fernando de Silva y de Monroy (154_ - 21 of May inb 1590), VI Count of Cifuentes. Juan Baltasar de Silva y de la Cerda, of a second marriage, (6 of January 1581 - 21 of January 1602) VII Count of Cifuentes. Married twice, without succession. Succession via female branch: Ana de Silva y de La Cerda, VIII Countess of Cifuentes, sister of Juan Baltasar, VII Count of Cifuentes, born in Milan, (Italy), in 1587, married in 1603 with Juan de Padilla y Acuña, II conde de Santa Gadea but died 29 of March 1606. Without succession. Pedro de Silva, called under the name of Pedro Ruiz-Girón y Pacheco de Silva, died in 1625, IX Count of Cifuentes, married twice, had children: Alonso José de Silva y Girón, died in November 1644, considered the X Count of Cifuentes.
Silva Descendants
Beatrice of Silva (1424 – 1492), foundress of the Order of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady in Spain. Fernando Jacinto de Silva Padilla y Meneses, XI Count of Cifuentes, (1606 - 1644), I Marquis of Alconchel in 1632 and in 1644, XI Count of Cifuentes, V Sir of Villarejo de Fuentes, Sir of Almonacid, Villalgordo, Albadejo, Piqueras, Trillo, ValdeRebollo, Huetos, y Rugulilla. Pedro José de Silva, Prince of Castilla, General Captain of the Kingdom of Granada, governor and general of Orán y Mazalquivir, Virrey de Valencia, 1683 - 1698, + abril 1697; XII Count of Cifuentes.