Fernando Alvarez de Toledo y Pimentel, Duque de Alba.
(1507-1582), Spain. General and Statesman

The duque de Alba was a leading Spanish general and statesman under King Philip II. After serving Philip's father, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, in many campaigns, he was named chief of household for Philip and became the leader of a major political faction at his court. From 1555 to 1557 Alba served in Italy, where he distinguished himself for his subtlety and generalship in the war against Pope Paul IV. Alba helped negotiate the Treaty of Cateau-Cambresis in 1559, ending the long war with France, and in 1567 he was dispatched to the Low Countries to quell the Dutch Revolt. There, his persecution of the Protestants and his exalted conception of royal authority turned a rebellion into a war of independence. He was recalled in 1573, and in 1579 Alba was imprisoned, ostensibly for permitting the marriage of his son without royal consent. He was released in 1580 to lead the Spanish armies in the annexation of Portugal. He died in Portugal on December 6, 1582.

Source: The 1995 Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia Submitted by Charles de Córdova

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