Gaspar de Ávalos de la Cueva

Gaspar de Ávalos de la Cueva (1485–1545), also named Gaspar Dávalos de la Cueva, was a Spanish Roman Catholic bishop and cardinal.

Biography

Gaspar Dávalos de la Cueva was born in Guadix, Spain, in 1485, the son of Rodrigo Dávalos and Leonor de la Cueva.^[1]

In Italy, another clergyman member of this family was cardinal Innico d'Avalos d'Aragona.

He studied under his uncle, Hernando de Talavera, Archbishop of Granada.^[1] He then attended the University of Paris, receiving a licentiate in theology, and then studied theology at the University of Salamanca.^[1]

He lived in Baeza, Alcaraz, and Guadix.^[1] On 4 August 1509 he became a fellow of the Colegio de Santa Cruz at the University of Valladolid, later becoming a professor there.^[1] In 1517, he became lector in theology at Santa María de Guadalupe.^[1] He was also a canon of the cathedral chapter of the Cathedral of Murcia and of Cartagena Cathedral.^[1]

On 14 November 1524 he was elected Bishop of Guadix y Baza.^[1] Charles I of Spain and Alonso Manrique de Lara, the Grand Inquisitor of Spain, named him commissary general of the Spanish Inquisition in Valencia in 1525.^[1] He was promoted to the metropolitan see of Granada on 22 January 1529.^[1] In that capacity, he played a role in founding the University of Granada.^[1] On 29 March 1542 he was transferred to the metropolitan see of Compostela.^[1]

Pope Paul III made him a cardinal priest in the consistory of 19 December 1544.^[1] He died before receiving the red hat or a titular church.^[1] King Charles I nominated him to be Archbishop of Toledo but he died before he was preconized by the pope.^[1]

He died in Santiago de Compostela on 2 November 1545.^[1] He is buried in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.^[1]

References