Pedro González de Mendoza

Pedro González de Mendoza (1428–1495), fifth son of Castile's powerful Mendoza house, was a cardinal, statesman and soldier. He studied civil and canon law at Salamanca and became bishop of Calahorra in 1453 and of Sigüenza in 1468.

In 1473 he became cardinal and chancellor of Castile. Backing Isabella, he fought at Toro in 1476 and became archbishop of Toledo and Primate of Spain in 1482. For twenty years he led the royal council and funded the Granada war, entering Granada in 1492; his sway over the Catholic Monarchs earned him the name the Third King. He died at Guadalajara in 1495.