Inés Peraza

Inés Peraza de las Casas (Seville, c. 1424 - Seville, 1503) was the territorial lady of the Lordship of the Canary Islands, which she inherited from her father Hernán Peraza the Elder and her late brother Guillén Peraza.

As the first monarch since the islands were unified by her father, Inés titled herself “Queen of the Canary Islands,” which she continued to do until the assignment to the Catholic Monarchs to the islands of La Palma, Gran Canaria and Tenerife in 1477.

Early life She was born approximately 1424 in Seville to Hernán Peraza the Elder and his wife, Inés de las Casas (for whom she was named), lords of the Canary Islands. Her father's family was influential in Seville as lords and mayors while her mother's ancestry is of French origin.

While her father and brother built a consolidated lordship in the islands, Inés remained in Seville for her early life. She was under the tutelage of the Duke of Medina Sidonia, Don Juan de Guzmán, through 1447. This was added to the territory Hernán Peraza had already acquired from the Count of Niebla Enrique de Guzmán in 1430 — El Hierro and Lanzarote.

The year 1454 was significant as the Peraza-Herrera's received from King Enrique IV of Castile the return of the island of Lanzarote to their lordship by way of a court order confirming their ownership.

Participation in the conquest of Tenerife

Inés Peraza participated directly in the conquest of the island of Tenerife, assisting the royal order to the conquering captain Alonso Fernández de Lugo in 1495 with extensive supplies. This aid had been requested by Alonso de Lugo for his second entry into Tenerife, after his army had been defeated by the Guanches in the "Acentejo massacre" the previous year.

Further Lordship Division

With the sale to the Catholic Monarchs, the lordship of the Peraza-Herrera was reduced to the islands of Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, La Gomera and El Hierro. However, increased division begins in 1474 as a result of the distribution between their children as they came of age. Pedro, the eldest son, received the island of El Hierro on the occasion of his marriage, and in 1478 Hernán Peraza the Younger (named after her father) received La Gomera. Pedro García de Herrera (c. 1449-1532), first Lord of El Hierro, later disinherited by his parents. Hernán Peraza the Younger (c. 1450-1488), first lord of La Gomera and El Hierro. Married to Beatriz de Bobadilla and Ulloa. Sancho de Herrera the Elder (c. 1452-1534), first lord of Lanzarote. Married to Violante de Cervantes. Constanza Sarmiento, first lady of Fuerteventura. Married to Pedro Fernández de Saavedra. María de Ayala, who married Diego de Silva y Meneses, first count of Portalegre since 1496.