Ruler Military Castilian conquest & the Moriscos1492–1610

Aben Humeya

Lived c. 1546–1569 (about 23 years)

Also known as: Fernando de Válor, Fernando de Valor

Aben Humeya was born Fernando de Válor around 1546, from a Morisco family of Válor in the Alpujarras. Before the revolt he sat on the town council of Granada, and he claimed descent from the Umayyad dynasty. In December 1568 Morisco representatives acclaimed him king and he took the name Aben Humeya. His rebel forces grew from about 4,000 men to about 25,000. He was killed on 20 October 1569, and his cousin Aben Aboo succeeded him.

In Granada his name survives in the Albaicín, where the Carmen de Aben Humeya takes its name from the councillor who changed his name. It is one of hundreds of carmens in the district.

For wider context, read Moriscos of Granada and the Morisco villages of the Alpujarras. Read the full story.

The full story

Aben Humeya morisco rebellion alpujarras 1568 depicted as a Morisco rebel leader in period dress on a mountain ridge above the Alpujarras, dramatic evening light over the Sierra Nevada foothills, historical illustration mood

Aben Humeya: The Morisco King Who Led Andalusia's Last Rebellion

Fernando de Válor became Aben Humeya, rebel king of Granada, on Christmas Eve 1568. His guerrilla war lasted less than a year before his own men killed him.

Read the full story

In their time

Castilian conquest & the Moriscos

1492–1610
Boabdil handed Granada to Ferdinand and Isabella on 2 January 1492, after a siege whose camp became the town of Santa Fe. Enrique Egas drew a Gothic plan for the cathedral in 1518 and building began in 1523. Diego de Siloé, master builder from 1529, changed it into Spain's first fully Renaissance cathedral, with a circular capilla mayor.
1. Monastery of San Jerónimo
  
  1504 Monument
  
  San Jerónimo holds the tomb of the Great Captain in a Renaissance church completed in 1522, with a carved altarpiece and gilded ceilings of exceptional quality.
2. Royal Chapel of Granada
  
  1504 Monument
  
  Isabelline Gothic chapel with the tombs of Isabella I and Ferdinand II. The sacristy holds royal regalia and paintings by Memling, Botticelli, and Bouts.
3. Monasterio de la Cartuja
  
  1516 Monument
  
  Founded in 1516 by El Gran Capitán, La Cartuja's sacristy is one of Spain's most ornate Baroque spaces — marble inlay, gilded altars, and near-total silence.
4. Granada Cathedral
  
  1523 Monument
  
  Granada Cathedral in Spain took 181 years to build from 1523, blending Gothic foundations with a Renaissance interior of five naves and a gilded dome chapel.
5. Mirador de San Nicolás
  
  1525 Monument
  
  Free 24-hour viewpoint in the Albaicín with unobstructed Alhambra views and the Sierra Nevada as backdrop. Crowds peak at sunset; early morning is far quieter.
6. Hernando de Talavera
  
  c. 1430–1507 Historical figure
  
  Hernando de Talavera, Isabella's confessor, became Granada's first archbishop in 1493. He learned Arabic himself and encouraged his clergy to do the same.
7. Count of Tendilla
  
  c. 1440–1515 Historical figure
  
  Íñigo López de Mendoza, Count of Tendilla, governed the Alhambra from 1492 and died in 1515. Find his trace on the Alhambra hill and what to read next.
8. Isabella I
  
  1451–1504 Historical figure
  
  Isabella I of Castile, queen 1474–1504, chose Granada for her tomb in 1504. Her life in brief and where her trace survives in the Royal Chapel and the city.
9. Ferdinand II of Aragon
  
  1452–1516 Historical figure
  
  Ferdinand II of Aragon co-ruled with Queen Isabella through the Granada War, which ended on 2 January 1492, and is buried in the Royal Chapel of Granada.
10. Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba
  
  1453–1515 Historical figure
  
  Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, the Gran Capitán, helped arrange Granada's surrender in 1492 and died near the city in 1515. Where his trace remains in Granada.
Go deeper
- Conquest and Moriscos