House of de la Cerda
“In iustitia fortitudo”
Origin: Kingdom of Castile
The House of de la Cerda descended from Fernando de la Cerda, eldest son of Alfonso X the Wise, whose premature death in 1275 triggered a devastating succession crisis. The family's claim to the Castilian throne was bypassed in favor of Sancho IV, creating a dynasty of dispossessed royals who became Dukes of Medinaceli — holders of the second-most-prestigious dukedom in Spain.