Tello Pérez de Meneses

Tello Pérez de Meneses (died c. 1200) was a Castilian magnate and military leader under the reign of King Alfonso VIII of Castile, and the ancestor of the Téllez de Meneses, a prominent noble lineage, whose descendants include several royal members such as Queen María de Molina, Tello's great-granddaughter, and Leonor Telles de Meneses, queen consort of Portugal. Tello participated in several military campaigns during the Reconquista and subsequent Repoblación, and was also a generous founder and patron of monasteries and hospitals for captives and lepers. Together with the Girón, the Téllez de Meneses were among the most influential and powerful aristocratic groups in Tierra de Campos.

Tello's name in contemporary Latin charters is Tellus Petri or Petriz. His mother's name is not known. His father was Pedro Martínez, son of Martín Pérez, lord of Tordesillas and merino mayor of Queen Urraca. Although the filiation of Martín Pérez remains unknown, he must have been a member of the highest ranks of the nobility having married, as her second husband, Mayor Pérez, the widow of Álvar Fáñez, and daughter of count Pedro Ansúrez and his wife countess Eylo Alfonso.

Tello Pérez de Meneses was a distinguished member of the curia regis of King Alfonso VIII of Castile whom he served as a loyal vassal and from whom he received many royal favors.

He owned vast estates in the eastern part of Tierra de Campos, some of which were adjacent to Torozos including Meneses and Montealegre. He also owned land in the valley of the Sequillo River and other properties along the Way of St. James, where he founded hospitals for pilgrims and lepers.

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