Little is known about Manrique's early life. Facts about his father, Rodrigo Manrique, on the other hand, are plentiful. He was a prominent military leader who captured the attention of contemporary chroniclers and was included in their histories. Since Coplas a la muerte de su padre is about Don Rodrigo, these sources help the reader understand their setting.
Rodrigo was a son of Pero Manrique, Lord of Amusco and adelantado (military governor) of Castile during the reign of King Juan II. The commandery of Segura de la Sierra, which Don Rodrigo held for the Order of Santiago in the heavily fortified province of Jaén from about 1428, and Toledo, where he held the alcaidía (governorship) of the city castle later in life, were his principal places of residence. He was elected treze (one of the thirteen senior members that ruled the order) in 1440 and eventually became maestre (grand master) of the Order for Castile in 1474, a title he had held once before, when he contested the election of Alvaro de Luna, but which he then gave up in exchange for the title of count of Paredes.
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