House of Guzmán

A second legend indicated that among those from diverse nations taking part in the Reconquest was a brother of the Duke of Brittany, named Gudeman (meaning 'good man').

[2] All that is known about the authentic ancestry of founder Rodrigo Muñoz is found in his patronymic and toponymic, indicating his father was named Munio (or perhaps Nuño) and he was from Guzmán.

[1] Early historians would make Ramiro Muñoz the grandfather of Saint Dominic, but modern genealogical research finds no evidence for such a connection.

[1] One of Rodrigo's sons, Pedro Rodríguez de Guzmán was killed fighting for king Alfonso VIII of Castile at the Battle of Alarcos in 1195.

[2] The Guzmán lineage continued throughout the Middle Ages in the reconquest of the southern peninsula against the Arabs and was established as a noble house of first rank, achieving its climax with the conquest of Granada, playing a leading role in the Castilian politics.