Héctor de Pignatelli y Colonna, Duque de Monteleón

Who was Héctor de Pignatelli y Colonna, Duque de Monteleón?

Héctor de Pignatelli y Colonna, 3rd Duke of Monteleone was viceroy of Catalonia from 1603 to 1611, taking the administrative direction of exiling the Spanish Moriscos in 1610 not willing to relinquish the Islamic faith while living, an being born, in Spain.

He was the son of Girolama Colonna y d'Aragona, daughter of Ascanio Colonna, 1st Count of Tagliacozzo, and Giovanna d'Aragona; his father was Camilo Pignatelli y Folch de Cardona, 2nd Duke of Monteleon, son of Ettore Pignatelli e Caraffa, 1st Duke of Monteleone, by his first wife, Diana Folch de Cardona y Gonzaga.

His paternal grandfather, who had been viceroy of Sicily from 1517 to 1534, was elevated to the title of "Duca di Monteleone" by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, on 29 March 1527. Héctor de Pignatelli y Colonna married Caterina Caracciolo y Mendoza and their daughter Girolama Pignatelli y Caracciolo succeeded him as the 4th Duchess of Monteleone, herself passing the ducal title to her male issue: Ettore, 5th Duke of Monteleone and 4th Prince of Noia.