Guillén Peraza de Ayala


Guillén Peraza de Ayala y Rojas was a Spanish nobleman and ruler of La Gomera and El Hierro in the Canary Islands.

Biography

Guillén Peraza was born in 1488 in Seville as a member of the Peraza family that was influential in the early history and conquest of the Canary Islands.
His father was Hernán Peraza the Younger, Lord of La Homera, El Hierro, Fuerteventura, and Lanzarote. His mother was Beatriz de Bobadilla y Ulloa of the prominent Bobadilla family.
Through his high-level family contacts, he was elevated from the title of territorial lord to the first Count of La Gomera in 1515 by Queen Joanna and Emperor Carlos V. He also retained the title of Lord of El Hierro.

Personal life

Peraza married Beatriz Fernández de Saavedra in 1514 and the couple had one child, a daughter, Catalina Peraza de Ayala y Saavedra the same year.
Through his ancestry, Peraza was distantly related to his contemporary Queen Catherine of Aragon.
He died in June 1565 in Madrid at the age of 77.