Gerry's Collection
of Antique Wax Seal Stamps
The Vera de Aragón Family and its Noble Lineage
A Composite Armorial Achievement of Vera, Vargas, Zúñiga y Guzmán, Figueroa, and Guevara families
Five Families United in a Coat of Arms. A Convergence of Iberian Lineages in One Armorial Seal.
The "Vera de Aragón seal" which is part of the collection presents a remarkable heraldic synthesis, combining the arms of five noble families: Vera (de Aragón), Vargas, Zúñiga y Guzmán, Figueroa, and Guevara, all five within a single composition. Within the arms appear the royal and territorial emblems of Sicily, Navarre, and León, together with the devotional symbol of the Marian Monogram and the Eagle of Saint John, emblem of the Catholic Monarchs. This assemblage is not decorative but reflects the genuine convergence of lineages across medieval and early modern Spain.
Each quarter embodies an authentic ancestral connection formed through marriages, lordships, and political alliances. What emerges is the heraldic portrait of a noble house whose identity was shaped by centuries of service under various crowns of the Peninsula and the Aragonese dominions abroad.
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Juan Torres de Vera y Aragón (1527 - 1613)
María Dolores Vera y Aragón
Analysis of the seal. The Structure and Meaning of the Composite Shield.
The composite shield engraved on the seal follows the structure known in French heraldry as “parti d’un trait et coupé de deux,” producing a shield of six compartments arranged in two vertical columns, each divided horizontally into three fields. This layout, frequently used by Spanish noble lineages, allows several houses of equal rank to be represented simultaneously, particularly when successive marriages or inheritances brought together multiple high-born families.
Four of the six compartments correspond to major noble lineages:
• Upper left: Figueroa
• Upper right: Guevara
• Lower left: Zúñiga y Guzmán
• Lower right: Vargas
The two central compartments display territorial arms:
• Middle left: Kingdom of Navarre
• Middle right: Kingdom of León
At the center is an oval escutcheon divided between the Vera de Aragón arms on the right and the Kingdom of Sicily on the left. Above it appears a smaller circular escutcheon containing the crowned Marian monogram “A-M,” bordered by the invocation Immacul Concepcio, signalling both piety and genealogical distinction.
This six-part structure embodies the full breadth of the family’s alliances: bloodline quarterings, territorial loyalties, and religious devotion combined into a single heraldic composition. It is characteristic of the most elaborate Spanish armorial assemblies, where lineage, service to the Crown, and faith converge into a unified noble identity.
How do the families interconnect?
The Vera de Aragón and Vargas families are connected through direct marital tie. María de Vera y Vargas, Señora de Vera y Villar de Saz, was daughter of a Vera father and a Vargas mother.
The Vera de Aragón and Guevara families have a direct blood tie through compound lineage. A branch of the Vera family adopted the name Vera Ladrón de Guevara, indicating descent and inheritance through the Ladrón de Guevara line (a major Basque noble family). For example, Fernando Francisco Ladrón de Guevara y Vera, III Conde del Sacro Romano Imperio. This shows a fusion of the Vera and Guevara lineages.
The Vera de Aragón and Guzmán families are also connected through direct marital tie. A member of the Vera/Guevara branch (VI Conde del Sacro Romano Imperio) married María del Carmen de Guzmán y Caballero. The Guzmán are one of the great Castilian houses (Medina Sidonia, Olivares, etc.).
The Guevara and Guzmán families intermarried at least twice, especially in Basque and Castilian court circles. Documented cases include alliances between the Condes de Oñate (Guevara) and cadet branches of Guzmán related to Medina Sidonia.
The Vargas and Guzmán families intermarried in Castile. Several marriages occurred between the Vargas and Guzmán families in the 16th - 17th centuries, especially in Madrid and La Mancha, where both families held offices. The most notable is a Vargas heiress who married a Guzmán oidor (judge) of the royal chancery.
The Figueroa family (counts and dukes of Feria, also related to the Zúñiga) intermarried with the Guzmán, especially the line of the dukes of Medina Sidonia. This is one of the best-known aristocratic alliances of early modern Spain.
The Figueroa and Guevara families are connected through indirect court marriages. One marriage is recorded between a cadet Figueroa line and a member of the Guevara-Oñate family in the 17th century.
The Figueroa and Vargas families' records show at least one marriage between a Vargas lady and a Figueroa gentleman, documented in Madrid notarial records.
In summary, all five families are interconnected through bloodline or marriages, and connects genealogically.
The Vera de Aragón Family.
The Vera or de Vera family traces its origins to Aragon, with early settlements around Vera de Moncayo. As retainers and administrators serving the Aragonese kings, they accompanied their sovereigns during the expansion into Mediterranean territories, particularly Sicily and Naples. Through such service, the Veras gained positions of authority in the Italian possessions of the Crown of Aragon, serving as governors, military officers, and royal representatives.
A pivotal episode, preserved by Francisco Piferrer in his Nobiliario de los Reinos y Señoríos de España, explains the adoption of the motto “Veritas Vincit.” According to this account, King Sancho III “el Mayor” of Navarre first married Doña Caya, lady of Aibar and the Castle of Vera, who bore him a son, Ramiro. After the king married Queen Elvira of Castile, her sons - García, Fernando, and Gonzalo - jointly accused her of adultery. The king imprisoned the queen and ordered the accusation tested by a judicial duel. When no knight dared defend her, the infante Ramiro, then still young, stepped forward. Moved by his courage, the brothers confessed their lie before a monk, and the queen was vindicated. In gratitude, King Sancho granted Ramiro the right to bear the motto “Veritas Vincit” in his arms and restored him to honor. This story became foundational to the heraldic identity of the Vera lineage.
In later centuries, the family intermarried with elite houses of Castile and Navarre, and branches obtained recognition as Counts of the Holy Roman Empire, a title reflecting their political significance in early modern Spain. Their identity as a house of Aragonese and Mediterranean service remains visible in the Sicilian augmentation of the composite seal.
Gómez Suárez de Figueroa, 3rd Duke of Feria
Íñigo Vélez de Guevara, Count consort of Oñate.
Alvaro Manrique de Zúñiga
Arms of the Guevara family
Arms of the Kingdom of Sicily
Aguila de San Juan
Virgin Mary, Marian monogram
The Figueroa Family.
The Figueroa family is among the most prestigious houses of Castile, rising to prominence in the late medieval period. Branches of the family held various titles, most notably the Counts and later Dukes of Feria. Their service to the Crown was continuous, producing soldiers, diplomats, governors, and ecclesiastical dignitaries. The family’s prominence began with Gómez Suárez de Figueroa Mesía Carrillo I (1388–1429), who was granted the lordship of Feria, Zafra, and La Parra by King Henry III of Castile in 1394.
This marked the foundation of the House of Feria, the nucleus of their power. The Feria dukes were frequently involved in European conflicts, including the Thirty Years’ War, and in the administration of Spanish territories. The family also produced ecclesiastical dignitaries, reinforcing their influence within the Church. They were patrons of religious institutions, notably the Convent of Santa Clara in Zafra, where several family members were buried. Today, the Dukes of Feria remain part of Spain’s historic aristocracy, with their lineage tied to centuries of Castilian and Habsburg history.
The Guevara Family.
The Guevara family, especially the line known as Ladrón de Guevara, has strong roots in the Basque Country and Navarre. They were among the earliest Christian lords of Álava, holding positions of territorial authority in the pre-Castilian period. Later, they rose to prominence in Castile as the Counts of Oñate, one of the most powerful noble houses of the Habsburg court.
The union of the Vera and Guevara houses produced the compound surname Vera Ladrón de Guevara, preserved due to the prestige attached to the maternal line. This combination forms the genealogical core of the seal.
The Zúñiga y Guzmán Family.
The Zúñiga lineage traces its beginnings to the medieval Kingdom of Navarre, from which it expanded into Castile. Their early history connects them with the borderlands between Navarre and Álava, where they held important military responsibilities. In the fifteenth century, the family entered Castilian politics at the highest level. Members of the house obtained titles such as Dukes of Béjar, Marquises of Gibraleón, and Counts of Monterrey.
Their influence was enormous. The Dukes of Béjar and Plasencia were significant figures in the Habsburg administration, serving as viceroys, commanders, ambassadors, and major landholders. The Zúñiga y Guzmán branch added the Guzmán surname after alliances with the ancient House of Guzmán, thus blending two great lineages.
The Vargas Family.
The Vargas family belongs to the high nobility of Castile, especially associated with the regions of Madrid and Toledo. Their presence in historical documents dates back to medieval times, where they held local lordships and served the Crown in military and administrative functions. A notable cultural figure connected indirectly to the Vargas lineage is Inca Garcilaso de la Vega. Though better known through the “de la Vega” branch, his father was connected to the Vargas through kinship ties.
His writings, combining Inca heritage and Castilian intellectual tradition, contributed to early colonial literature and symbolize the broad influence of the Iberian aristocracy. Within the genealogical framework of the composite seal, the Vargas appear as the maternal ancestors of the Vera line, particularly through individuals such as María de Vera y Vargas, demonstrating how the name and arms entered the lineage.
Important Figures Shaping the Combined Genealogy.
Several notable individuals contributed to the composite lineage represented in the seal, including Ramiro, son of Sancho “el Mayor”, originator of the “Veritas Vincit” motto, Íñigo Vélez de Guevara, Count of Oñate, prominent Habsburg minister, Gómez Suárez de Figueroa, founder of the Feria line, Pedro Fernández de Vargas, influential Castilian knight, and several members of the Zúñiga ducal line, including viceroys and grandees.
The Links with Sicily, Navarre, and León.
The seal that joined the collection incorporates three royal arms. These arms do not claim sovereignty but acknowledge the geographical and political identity of the lineage. Why these royal arms appear?
Navarre is present because several families in the shield are connected through dynastic origin or historical service. The Ladrón de Guevara line (which merged with Vera) has confirmed Navarrese origins, with early lords holding lands in Álava and Navarre. On their side, both Guevara and Guzmán families served Navarrese monarchs or were involved in political administration along the Navarre-Castile frontier. Thus, the arms of Navarre are used to express a Navarrese ancestral root.
León appears because the house of Guzmán has deep Leonese origins. The founder, Rodrigo Muñoz de Guzmán, was a Leonese magnate, and their earliest seats - Guzmán, Roa, Gumiel, Curiel - were all in the old Kingdom of León. Besides this, the Vargas lineage also traces ties to the Crown of León through Madrid and Toledo territories which were Leonese before Castile absorbed them. Thus, León symbolizes the territorial and noble roots of the Guzmán-Vargas group.
Sicily is central to the composition of the arms, because the Vera de Aragón and the Guevara families had long-standing service in the Kingdom of Sicily under the Crown of Aragon, going back to the 14th-15th centuries. An ancestor, Alfonso Martín de Vera, served Martin I of Sicily. Several other members of the Vera line followed the Aragonese kings into southern Italy (Calabria, Naples, Sicily). The Guevara were also prominent in Sicily, especially the Condes de Oñate, who served as Viceroys. Therefore, the arms of Sicily appear not as a personal title but as a marker of allegiance and royal service.
The Eagle of Saint John.
The Eagle of Saint John (Águila de San Juan) is one of the most emblematic symbols of late medieval and early modern Spain. Its origins lie in the Christian tradition that associates the eagle with Saint John the Evangelist, whose Gospel was considered the most spiritually elevated and theologically profound. From the thirteenth century onward, the eagle became a symbol of divine inspiration and royal legitimacy. Its most significant heraldic adoption occurred under Queen Isabella I of Castile, who chose the Eagle of Saint John as her personal emblem. When Isabella married Ferdinand II of Aragon, the eagle became part of the composite heraldry of the Catholic Monarchs, representing the unity of their crowns, their defense of the faith, and their political authority. Within their monumental heraldic program - the great seals, banners, and royal armorial achievements - the eagle served as a dignified heraldic supporter, emphasizing the Christian mission of the monarchy. This symbolism persisted throughout the Habsburg and early Bourbon periods, and noble families who had served the dynasty or who traced their rise to the time of the Catholic Monarchs frequently incorporated the eagle into seals, signet rings, or architectural heraldry.
The eagle on the seal bears a radiant crown, a device that indicates sanctified majesty rather than sovereign power. The radiant crown marks the eagle as a sacred emblem, not a claim to royal dignity. Its presence behind the central escutcheon signifies that the bearer belonged to a lineage closely associated with the ideological and political order shaped by the Catholic Monarchs. It expresses loyalty to the unified Spanish monarchy and affirms the noble house’s fidelity to both the Crown and the Catholic faith.
Placing the Águila de San Juan behind the entire composition has a precise meaning in Spanish heraldry:
The bearer belongs to a lineage whose honor, nobility, and titles derive from the service rendered under the Catholic Monarchs and their successors.
This is entirely consistent with the composition of the coat of arms. The families represented in the seal - Guevara, Vera de Aragón, Vargas, Figueroa, Guzmán - all have documented service or royal connections going back to the late 15th and early 16th centuries. Most importantly, the Ladrón de Guevara line served Ferdinand II of Aragon during the Italian campaigns, and their status rose under the Catholic Monarchs. The Vera de Aragón family followed also the Aragonese monarchs to Sicily and Naples; their advancement is closely tied to the rise of the unified monarchy. Therefore, the eagle symbolizes a mark of royal favor, a symbol of legitimacy within the Catholic Monarchs’ political order, and a prestige augmentation, inherited by descendants. It is not a claim to royal blood, but to service and loyalty to the Crown of Spain.
The Marian Monogram and the Devotion to the Immaculate Conception.
A distinctive feature of the composite seal is the small circular escutcheon placed above the oval shield of the Vera lineage, containing a crowned A-M monogram surrounded by the words “Immacul Concepcio.” This emblem belongs to the long tradition of Marian monograms widely used in Spain from the seventeenth century onward, especially among noble families expressing their devotion to the Virgin Mary. The A-M monogram, usually read as Ave Maria or Auspice Maria, is one of the most recognizable symbols of Marian veneration in Iberian iconography. Its composition - an intertwined A and M set beneath a crown - evokes the Virgin as Regina Caeli, the Queen of Heaven, and was commonly stamped on signet rings, devotional medals, family seals, and ecclesiastical vestments.
The inscription “Immacul Concepcio” is not primarily a descriptive label but rather an invocation affirming devotion to Mary under the title of her Immaculate Conception, a doctrine fervently defended by the Spanish Church and monarchy long before its dogmatic definition in 1854. Spanish nobles, in particular, were known for adopting Marian symbols in their private heraldry as a mark of orthodoxy, loyalty to the Crown, and participation in a shared national religious identity.
In heraldic terms, the placement of this monogram above the core family arms functions as a pious augmentation, signalling both personal devotion and dynastic identity. It does not alter the lineage’s blazon but enhances it with a spiritual dimension, linking the family to the emblematic piety characteristic of early modern Spain. The crowned A-M monogram, therefore, stands as a visual testament to the family’s Catholic commitment and to a devotional culture that deeply shaped Spanish nobiliary self-representation.
The Origin of the Motto “Veritas Vincit”.
The motto “Veritas Vincit” (“Truth prevails”) entered the heraldic and genealogical tradition of the Vera lineage through an episode recorded by Francisco Piferrer in his Nobiliario de los Reinos y Señoríos de España. According to this account, the story takes place in the court of Sancho III “el Mayor”, King of Navarre. Before his marriage to Queen Elvira of Castile, the king had taken as wife Doña Caya, lady of Val de Aibar and the Castle of Vera, by whom he had a son, Ramiro. Afterward, through Queen Elvira, he fathered three more sons: García, Fernando, and Gonzalo.
A domestic dispute became the catalyst for a grave injustice. When Queen Elvira refused to grant Prince García one of the finest royal horses during the king’s absence, the young infante reacted with resentment. He persuaded his brothers to accuse their own mother of adultery with a knight named Pedro de Sese. Upon hearing the accusation, King Sancho imprisoned the queen in Nájera and summoned his council, which decided that the matter should be resolved through a judicial duel - a common medieval appeal to divine judgment. Yet no knight dared to take up the queen’s defense.
On the appointed day, Infante Ramiro, son of the king’s first wife, stepped forth as her champion. Confronted with Ramiro’s courage and integrity, the three princes confessed their fabrication to a monk, who relayed the truth to the king. Queen Elvira was immediately released and declared innocent. In recognition of Ramiro’s steadfast commitment to truth, the king granted him the privilege of bearing the motto “Veritas Vincit” and restored him to favour. This legend became foundational to the Vera family’s heraldic identity, symbolizing justice, loyalty, and moral rectitude.
Hypothesis: The Possible Owner of the Seal.
Based on the heraldic evidence - the combination of Vera, Vargas, Zúñiga y Guzmán, Figueroa, Guevara, the Sicilian augmentation, the Navarre and León arms, the Eagle of Saint John, and the Immaculate Conception badge - the most probable owner is a member of the Vera Ladrón de Guevara y Zúñiga branch, specifically:
Don Fernando Francisco Ladrón de Guevara y Vera, III Conde del Sacro Romano Imperio, or his direct descendants, including:
Don Pedro Juan Nepomuceno Ladrón de Guevara y Zúñiga, VI Conde del Sacro Romano Imperio.
These individuals possessed the precise ancestral combinations represented in the seal, and their rank aligns with the coronet engraved above the arms.
Gerry's Collection of Antique Seal Stamps.