Jeanne Pimentel. The Sad Countess

Jeanne Pimentel and Enriquez (1404 - 1488) better known as "the Countess sad", it was a Spanish nobleman, belonging to the House of Benavente. Countess of Montalban own right and Lady of the castle of the town of Arenas de San Pedro.

She was married to Alvaro de Luna, constable of the kingdom of Castile, Grand Master of the Order of Santiago and favorite of King Juan II of Castile.

She was born about 1404, being the daughter of Rodrigo Alonso Pimentel, Count of Benavente, and Eleanor Enriquez de Mendoza.

She married on January 27, 1430 in the city of Palencia with the Constable Alvaro de Luna, nephew of Pedro de Luna, Archbishop of Toledo, who introduced him to the Castilian court as a bodyguard of Prince John, who later became King John II of Castile, who earned the trust and was appointed Constable of Castile and Grand Master of the Order of Santiago.

The wife brought a dowry the town and castle of Arenas de San Pedro (province of Ávila), and the link was attended by King John II of Castile and Mary of Aragon. Once married, had an itinerant life, residing in Escalona Castle, residence of the Constable and elsewhere, according to court life of her husband and, thus, their second child was born in the city of Madrid, and its sponsors kings of Castile.

On June 2, 1453 at de Luna Àlvaro head cut off in the city of Valladolid and its enemies assail their possessions.

Days later, the royal troops were besieging the castle of Escalona, where Jeanne had taken refuge with their children and their treasures.

So strong was made in the castle, the king, seeing that he could seize the treasures were accumulated the countess proposed a capitulation where Jeanne proved able to defend their rights and those of his son and managed to keep what he had brought as dowry in her wedding.

Jeanne began a struggle to recover property of her late husband, signing all documents since the nickname of the "sad", with which it is known.

After the death of King John II, Jeanne had to continue to defend the King Henry "the Impotent" going so far as to oppose royal purposes even with weapons, because she refused to receive the King that he wanted to meet her at the Castle Montalban, and she trembled with shots of "thunder and Lombard", so that the new king tried to confiscate certain property as Mombentrán villa and Adrada. The Countess Jeanne gave these properties to Beltran de la Cueva (a close friend of the king). The king's anger was so great that condemned her and her child to the death penalty, but then, thanks to the intercession of the Castilian aristocrats, Arenas donated forgave him and for her and her children.

Jeanne lived long periods in Arenas de San Pedro and in her old age she moved to the city of Guadalajara where she signed in 1487, donations of meadows and farms to the municipality as appreciation for the contribution of the villagers in the recovery of her states.

children:

- Mary. Lady of La Torre de Esteban Hambrán, Villa del Prado, Alhamín and Castle Bayuela. Infantado Duchess, by marriage.

- John. Count of San Esteban.

Her husband had acquired in 1435 a chapel in the ambulatory of the Cathedral of Toledo to use it to family tomb, the chapel of Santiago. The construction was executed by the Brussels Hanequin team, and after the death of the constable, was his widow who continued the work, finally completed in 1498 by his daughter Mary, who sent sarcophagi sculpt their parents.

The Countess Jeanne Pimentel testament granted May 30, 1485, and died in the city of Guadalajara on November 6, 1488 at the age of 84. She was buried beside her husband in the chapel, in the tombs located in the center of it. Recumbent Packages were made by Pablo Ortiz and Sebastian de Almonacid, and praying figures in the corner of the Countess represent Franciscan friars.