Since inheriting the title in 2019, Almudena de Arteaga y Alcázar, Duchess of Infantado, has shown her determination to recover and preserve the valuable real estate and cultural legacy of the Casa del Infantado, whose origin dates back to 1475 under the auspices of the Catholic Kings. The trail of his dynasty does not pale be compared with the Alba, the Medina Sidonia or the Medinaceli. Íñigo de Arteaga y Martín, 19th Duke of Infantado, died at the age of 76, but since his natural heir, his son Íñigo, had lost his life in a plane accident at the age of 43, it was his daughter Almudena who received the important mission. that he left in his will: “The responsibility is not only not to squander what you receive but to maintain it and even, if possible, increase it.” And she is fulfilling it to the letter, step by step, without giving up despite political and bureaucratic conflicts those you are facing.
Proof of this have been his latest movements in Manzanares El Real, where he has been recovering the assets that for years were transferred to the municipality: last September, after nine years of failed negotiations with the City Council, he took over the plot in the that a children’s playground had been installed after the pertinent eviction order was executed. It is non-developable wooded land that the duchess wanted to sell for 2.5 million to a council whose technicians had valued it at just 140,000 euros. But the ‘crown jewel’ remained, the Mendoza Castle, declared an Asset of Cultural Interestwhich since last January 5 has returned to the Ducal House when the end of the lease contract for public management became effective. Known as the Manzanares El Real Castle, it is one of the most symbolic and visited monuments in the Community of Madrid, a focus of attraction for thousands of tourists and the engine of the local economy thanks to tourism.
It was built in the 15th century by order of Don Diego Hurtado de Mendoza, I Duke of Infantado, who hired the architect of Isabel La Católica’s court, Juan Guas. Since it passed into public hands in 1965, it underwent a spectacular reconstruction process: from almost being in ruins to becoming one of the best preserved castles in the country. Now it remains closed pending the pertinent licenses, which is why, advised by her lawyers, the Duchess prefers not to make statements while awaiting the final resolution of the administrative situation of the monument.
Almudena de Arteaga’s dream is to create a foundation that rewards the talent of great creators. After all, in addition to being one of the aristocrats with the most titles and Grandee of Spainis a successful writer who has found a niche in historical novels, especially thanks to her commitment to strong-willed female characters who have left their mark on our past: «I have been trying to free many women from ostracism for 25 years, but they remain There are many in the pipeline and I don’t know if I will have enough life to rescue them,” he admitted to ABC. The interest in this genre came to him naturally, as he told this newspaper: «For more than five centuries, my ancestors have been linked to the history of Spain. Many of them are mentioned in the treatises and perhaps that is why, since I was a child, I have been interested in this particular material. “The idea of transmitting it in the form of a novel in a pleasant way came when I was almost thirty.”
He had graduated in Law and practiced for six years, but he made a decision that changed his life: «I hung up my robe and dedicated myself to writing and other things less fun to talk about. It was risky and I am aware. I never asked anyone’s permission to do it. My daughters knew that when I started writing I was entering another world. I was very lucky with the success of ‘The Princess of Éboli’. And although it would be difficult to repeat it, I try every day,” he confessed to ABC. These attempts have resulted in more than 20 novels and the Azorín Prize.
In addition to history, she is a passionate defender of love: «It is important. But all kinds of love: I adore my grandchildren, my daughters, my mother, my husband. I have been married twice and I have been in love with my husband for 23 years. Family is a fundamental pillar and I cannot conceive of not having them. There I include forgiveness, discussions, everything,” he explained to ABC.
When he is not writing, he focuses on managing the family assets, a task that demands a lot from him: “I have the obligation to inherit to my daughters what I have received and enhance it. It is the parable of the talents, that is how I see life,” he has explained on some occasion.
She is married to the sailor José Ramón Fernández de Mesa y Temboury. Her first husband was the lawyer José Luis Anchústegui, father of her two daughters who have given her five grandchildren. Almudena, his eldest daughter, is the Marchioness of Santillana and María Teresa, the youngest, is the Marchioness of Cea: «I had them very young. They are two girls in whom I have tried to instill all kinds of values and austerity. They are great». She enthusiastically acts as a grandmother: “I don’t usually talk about my grandchildren, but I enjoy them a lot. They call me Grandma Cuchufleta who comes by bicycle because I come and go with an electric one,” she confessed to ‘Vanitatis’: “I have planted 6,000 trees in a really beautiful forest that we have and I am a miner because we have a small quarry. If I am a fascinating woman? It’s not what it is, it’s that I have had to be how life comes to me.
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