Juan Manuel María de la Aurora, 8th duke of Escalona

Who was Juan Manuel María de la Aurora, 8th duke of Escalona?

Juan Manuel María de la Aurora Fernández Pacheco Acuña Girón y Portocarrero, grandee of Spain, 8th Duke of Escalona, 8th Marquis of Villena, 12th Count of San Esteban de Gormaz and 8th Count of Xiquena, was a Spanish aristocrat, politician and academician.

He was the son of Diego López Pacheco, 7th Duke of Escalona.

He served as viceroy and captain-general of the Kingdoms of Navarre, Aragon, Catalonia, Sicily and Naples. He was awarded the title of Knight of Order of the Golden Fleece on 9 October 1687.

In 1694 he lost the Battle of Torroella against the invading French.

During the War of Spanish Succession, he was imprisoned in Gaeta, Naples, by the Austrian empire after losing the Siege of Gaeta. Upon his release and return to Spain, he founded the Royal Spanish Academy or Real Academia Española. He was elected its 1st lifetime Director in 1713. He was also Mayordomo mayor to the King.