Pedro Madruga

Pedro Álvarez de Soutomaior
Count of Caminha
Soutomaior Castle, the ancestral home of Pedro Madruga
Spouse(s)	Teresa de Távora
Full name Pedro Álvarez de Soutomaior
Father	Fernán Eanes de Sotomaior
Mother	Constança Gonçalves (?)
Born	c. 1430 Pontevedra, Castile
Died	1486 Alba de Tormes, Castile

Pedro Álvarez de Soutomaior (or Sotomayor), popularly known as Pedro Madruga (c. 1430 – 1486), was the Count of Caminha and an example of the typical European feudal knight. He gained his nickname, "Madruga" because he was an "early riser" (Spanish: madrugar). He was a major political player in the Kingdom of Galicia, as well as spending time in the courts of Castile and Portugal. He was one of the leading figures who suppressed the Irmandiño peasant revolt in Galicia in the 1460s, and he was also involved in the War of the Castilian Succession after the death of Henry IV in 1474.

Pedro was the illegitimate son of Fernán Eanes de Soutomaior; his mother has never been identified for certain. When Fernán died, his estates passed to his legitimate son, Alvaro. However, Alvaro died whilst still unmarried, and although the next legal heir was Alvaro's aunt, provision was made with her agreement to allow Pedro to inherit the estates instead. He was subsequently legitimized by the sovereigns of Castile and Portugal, and became Don Pedro Alvarez de Sotomayor. He married Teresa de Távora, who came from a noble Portuguese family. His children included Cristóbal de Sotomayor, who would sail with Diego Columbus (eldest son of Christopher Columbus) to the West Indies. Cristóbal would become governor of Puerto Rico.

Pedro's ancestral home was Soutomaior Castle, although he also resided for periods of his life in the courts of Castile and Portugal.

Pedro Álvarez de Sotomayor acquired the epithet "Madruga" because he would "rise early" (Spanish: madrugar) in the morning. According to legend he first gained the nickname as a result of a dispute with the Count of Ribadavia concerning the boundaries of their respective lands. To settle the dispute the two men agreed to rise at the first cockcrow, mount their horses, and ride toward each other's castle. Their meeting point would mark the new boundary. Instead of waiting until dawn Pedro Alvarez decided that first cockcrow was at midnight, and so rode through the night until he reached his rival's castle. When the Count emerged on hearing the dawn cockcrow, he found Don Pedro standing at his door, and exclaimed "Pedro Madruga!"