[GENEALOGY]. Juan Alfonso de GUERRA ET SANDOVAL. Genealogical manuscript on vellum on the RIAZA family, Madrid, 1744. In-4° contemporary binding with laces, ornate smooth spine, boards decorated with frames and fleurons. 60 pp + heraldic composition and frontispiece title, fold-out plate at end showing a family tree. Wear and defects to binding. Juan Alfonso GUERRA y SANDOVAL, born in Madrid around 1672, died in this city on 28 October 1753. King of arms of Castile, courtier, knight of Santiago. The son of José Alfonso de Guerra y Villegas, chronicler and herald to Charles II, and María de Sandoval y Feijoo, he lived, grew up and spent his entire professional career at the Villa and Court of Madrid. He studied at the Royal College of Nobility in Madrid, where he quickly distinguished himself by his abilities. Following in his father's footsteps, his marriage to a wealthy Toledo heiress provided him with the professional foundation he needed to rise through the ranks of the Court. Thanks to this union, he was appointed councillor of Toledo and the city's representative in the first Cortes convened by the newly crowned monarch, Philip V. In recognition of his services, the monarch awarded him the Knighthood of Santiago in 1695. He inherited the office of Grand Clerk to the King, a position previously held by his father, and, like him, performed the duties of chronicler and King of Arms of Spain. During the War of the Spanish Succession, he fled Madrid when the city was taken by the Archduke's troops, which prevented him from swearing allegiance to the Archduke. He eventually returned to the capital for the proclamation of Philip V as King, given his status as King in Arms. He died in Madrid on 28 October 1753 and was buried in the vault of the Church of Our Lady of Almudena. The day before, he had drawn up his will, naming as universal heirs to his fortune two women who worked in his service, Josefa Martín Hernández and María Francisca Martín Arroyo. Evidence of his professional work can be seen in the large number of certificates of nobility, gentlemen's status and a large number of texts, most of which are kept in the National Library of Spain, and which bear witness to his great erudition, backed up by an excellent library, as shown by the countless ex-libris bearing his name that can be found in various Spanish libraries. A contemporary of Salazar y Castro, he was widely praised for his talent, becoming one of the most important figures in Spanish genealogy in the modern era.