Alfonso de Palencia
Alfonso de Palencia was a Spanish scholar and writer, likely born to Luis González de Palencia, though details of his early life remain largely uncertain. He is believed to have studied at the cathedral school in Burgos under Bishop Alfonso de Cartagena, where he began to develop his intellectual pursuits. His notable involvement in significant historical events, such as a meeting in 1441 involving King Juan II of Castile, suggests an active engagement in the political landscape of his time. After traveling to Italy around 1442, he spent a decade there, during which he studied under Cardinal Joannes Bessarion and mingled with prominent thinkers in Florence and Rome.
Returning to Spain in 1453, Palencia dedicated himself to the dissemination of knowledge and the humanist ideals of the Renaissance. By 1456, he had become the royal chronicler and secretary of Latin letters for King Enrique IV of Castile, translating works into Castilian to broaden their accessibility. His literary contributions include the Gesta Hispaniensia and the Universal vocabulario en latin y en romance, completed in 1488. Palencia's commitment to education and his diverse body of work reflect an important chapter in the cultural and intellectual history of Spain during the late Middle Ages.
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Alfonso de Palencia
- Born: c. 1423
- Died: c. 1491
Biography
Although little is known about his life, Alfonso de Palencia was likely the son of Luis González de Palencia, but nothing is known about his childhood with certainty. He probably attended the Burgos cathedral school headed by Bishop Alfonso de Cartagena. As noted later in Palencia’s major work Gesta Hispaniensia, Palencia joined his mentor Cartagena, at a May 7, 1441, meeting at Maqueda between representatives of King Juan II of Castile and Álvaro de Luna. That Palencia provided a specific date for this event in his writings indicates that it was a significant occasion for him, since he usually did not document dates with such specificity elsewhere in the manuscript.
Around 1442, Palencia traveled to Italy, where he stayed for ten years. There he served and studied under Cardinal Joannes Bessarion and through the cardinal met numerous prominent writers. Living first in Florence, Palencia moved to Rome in 1443, having during that time established a friendship with the writer Trebizond. In 1453, Palencia returned to Spain after time spent in Bologna studying the liberal arts. Palencia had become passionate about the quest for knowledge and spreading that knowledge, and he had also by this time begun developing some humanist views. In the summer of 1456, Palencia entered the service of Alfonso de Fonseca I, the archbishop of Seville, who was accompanying King Enrique IV of Castile. In December of that year, Palencia became royal chronicler and secretary of Latin letters
In keeping with his commitment to spreading knowledge, Palencia translated his first two Latin treatises, composed as fables, into Castilian to make the works accessible to lay readers. He wrote the texts, Bellum luporum cum canibus (war of the wolves and the dogs) and De Perfectione Militaris Triumphi (perfection of military triumph) in the mid- 1450’s.
Palencia later served as secretary to García Alvarez de Toledo, Count of Alba, and was also somehow affiliated, whether officially or not, with Prince Alfonso, whom he accompanied to the second Battle of Olmedo in August 1467. In addition to his Gesta Hispaniensia, Palencia is remembered for several other works, including Universal vocabulario en latin y en romance, completed in 1488 and published in 1490.