Hernando del Pulgar (1436 – c. 1492), also spelled as Fernando de Pulgar, was a Castilian royal secretary, historian, and writer. He first served in the administration of Enrique IV of Castile and later was appointed by Isabel I 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. 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 From that point on, he spent his time on the preparation of historical documents.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, ...

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 calendar dates from 1 January 1401 (represented by the Roman numerals MCDI) to 31 December 1500 (MD). In Europe, the 15th century includes parts of the Late Middle Ages, the Early Re ...

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, whom it considers the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humanism" ha ...

prose of the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

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

Biography

Works

References

Further reading

External links