Hernando del Pulgar (1436 – c. 1492) was a Castilian royal secretary, historian, and writer. He first served in the administration of

Enrique IV of Castile Henry IV of Castile ( Castilian: ''Enrique IV''; 5 January 1425 – 11 December 1474), King of Castile and León, nicknamed the Impotent, was the last of the weak late-medieval kings of Castile and León. During Henry's reign, the nobles became ...

and later was appointed by

Isabel I Isabella I ( es, Isabel I; 22 April 1451 – 26 November 1504), also called Isabella the Catholic (Spanish: ''la Católica''), was Queen of Castile from 1474 until her death in 1504, as well as Queen consort of Aragon from 1479 until 1504 by ...

to serve as her royal chronicler. His best known work, ''Claros varones de Castilia'', presents a series of biographical sketches of some of the most important nobles and prelates of the era.

Biography

Hernando del Pulgar was born around 1420 at Pulgar in Castile. His father, Diego Rodriguez de Toledo, was a court scribe. Pulgar was educated in the chancery of

John II John II may refer to: People * John Cicero, Elector of Brandenburg (1455–1499) * John II Casimir Vasa of Poland (1609–1672) * John II Comyn, Lord of Badenoch (died 1302) * John II Doukas of Thessaly (1303–1318) * John II Komnenos (1087–1 ...

. Starting around 1457, he was a secretary in the chancery for Henry IV. After the accession of Isabel he became a councilor of state, was charged with a mission to France, and in 1480 was appointed the official chronicler for the queen. From that point on, he spent his time on the preparation of historical documents. He is said to have died of old age around 1490 in Villaverde, a village near Madrid.

Works

His ''Crónica de los Reyes Católicos'', was wrongly ascribed in the first printed edition (1545) to

Antonio de Nebrija Antonio de Nebrija (14445 July 1522) was the most influential Spanish humanist of his era. He wrote poetry, commented on literary works, and encouraged the study of classical languages and literature, but his most important contributions were i ...

, who had composed a Latin history based on Pulgar's manuscript. This work is commonly supposed to be propaganda for his patrons,

Catholic Monarchs of Spain The Catholic Monarchs were Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon, whose marriage and joint rule marked the ''de facto'' unification of Spain. They were both from the House of Trastámara and were second cousins, being both ...

Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand. Nevertheless, it is often critical of their policies and admonitory in its insistence that monarchs need to respect moral and spiritual ideals.David A. Boruchoff, "Historiography with License: Isabel, the Catholic Monarch and the Kingdom of God,” ''Isabel la Católica, Queen of Castile: critical essays'' (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003), 225–94. Pulgar's ''Claros varones de Castilla'' (1486), a series of portraits of eminent nobles, ecclesiastics, and men of learning, provides interesting insights into the court of Henry IV. These portraits were published together with Pulgar's ''Letras'' (Burgos, 1486), a body of epistolary work composed of 32 letters directed to both well-known and anonymous correspondents. This epistolary is one of few

15th century The 15th century was the century which spans the Julian dates from 1 January 1401 ( MCDI) to 31 December 1500 ( MD). In Europe, the 15th century includes parts of the Late Middle Ages, the Early Renaissance, and the early modern period. M ...

collections composed in a Romance language and are an example of

Humanistic Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humani ...

prose of the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

. Pulgar also composed a gloss (ca. 1485) on the ''Coplas de Mingo Revulgo'', a work attributed to either

Iñigo de Mendoza Inigo derives from the Castilian rendering (Íñigo) of the medieval Basque name Eneko. Ultimately, the name means "my little (love)". While mostly seen among the Iberian diaspora, it also gained a limited popularity in the United Kingdom. Ear ...

or Pulgar's brother.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pulgar, Hernando Del 1436 births 1490s deaths Spanish Roman Catholics Conversos 15th-century Spanish historians 15th-century Castilians

Biography

Works

References

Further reading

External links