Luisa Carvajal y Mendoza

Luisa Carvajal y Mendoza (1566–1614) was a Spanish noblewoman born in Extremadura. Orphaned young, she was raised by her uncle the Marquis of Almazán, studied literature and theology, and in 1598 took a vow of martyrdom.

In late 1605 she reached London to join the Catholic underground, teaching and visiting imprisoned priests. She was jailed in 1608 after preaching in Cheapside, and again in October 1613, when the archbishop charged her with founding a convent. Ordered expelled, she died of fever at the embassy on 2 January 1614.