Diego de Benavides, 8th Count of Santisteban

Who was Diego de Benavides, 8th Count of Santisteban?

Don Diego de Benavides de La Cueva y Bazán, 1st Marquis of Solera and 8th Count of Santisteban del Puerto, was a Spanish military officer, diplomat, writer and colonial administrator. From December 31, 1661 to March 16, 1666 he was viceroy of Peru.

Benavides received a Humanistic education with the Jesuits of the Colegio Imperial de Madrid.

He was a Knight of the Order of Santiago and a gentleman of the king's bedchamber. He fought in Aragon and Portugal. After the 1643 war with Portugal, he was Captain General of the Borders. Later he was Governor of Galicia. In 1653 he was named Viceroy and Captain General of Navarre. For his valuable diplomatic services in the negotiation of the 1659 Peace of the Pyrenees and the subsequent marriage of Princess Maria Teresa of Austria with Louis XIV of France, King Philip IV made him Marquis de Solera.

His writings included Epigramas latinos del humanista giennense D. Diego de Benavides y de la Cueva and Horae succisiuae siue Elucubrationes. The latter work was a poetic anthology compiled by his sons Francisco and Manuel de Benavides and published in 1660.