Between 1539 and 1543, he lived with family members in Barcelona, coinciding with his father's stint as Viceroy of Catalonia. He later moved to Gandía when his father was named the duke.
After the death of his mother in 1546, from 1550-51, he accompanied his father to Rome, where he was going to join the Jesuits. The pair returned to Oñati, from where Juan then proceeded to attend the prestigious University of Alcalá.
In 1576, he went to Prague as the Spanish ambassador to Emperor Rudolph II of the Holy Roman Empire. He maintained this position until 1581, the same year in which he published his only known literary work, "Empresas Morales".[1]
At the Spanish court
After returning to Spain, he was named head majordomo of María de Austria, a charge he would maintain until 1603. As recognition for his services to the state, Phillip II granted him the title of Count of Mayalde. During the reign of Philip III of Spain, he developed a relationship with the Duke of Lerma, who was his nephew. He was there named Count of Ficalho and president of the Council of Portugal, and he was added to the Spanish Council of State.[2][3]
Juan died at the age of 73 in September 1606, the victim of an accident which occurred when the litter basket in which he was carried, due to his suffering from gout, fell down a staircase at El Escorial. His body was initially buried at the Colegio Imperial de Madrid until 1613, when it was transferred to the Church of Saint Roch in Lisbon, Portugal.[4]
Marriage and Descendants
In 1552, Juan returned to Gandia and married Lorenza de Oñaz y Loyola, the niece of Ignatius of Loyola. The pair would have the following children:[2]
