Alfonso de Palencia facts for kids

Alfonso Fernández de Palencia (born 1423, died 1492) was an important writer, historian, and scholar from Castile. He worked as a secretary for the king. He also played a big part in the political events that led to Queen Isabella I and King Ferdinand II taking the throne. His main historical writings, called the Décadas, help us understand this time in history.

Alfonso de Palencia's Early Life and Career

Alfonso de Palencia was born in Palencia in 1423. His father was also a secretary. When he was seventeen, in 1440, he joined the household of Alfonso de Cartagena, who was the Bishop of Burgos. In 1441, he took part in a special trip for King Juan II of Castile. This trip was to meet with Álvaro de Luna, a very powerful noble in Castile.

Time in Italy and Return to Castile

Later, Palencia traveled to Florence, Italy. There, he worked for Cardinal Bessarion until 1453. He also met Vespasiano da Bisticci and studied humanities with George of Trebizond in Rome. After almost ten years in Italy, Palencia came back to Castile. He then joined the household of the Archbishop of Seville, Alonso I de Fonseca.

Working for the King and Political Changes

On December 6, 1456, Palencia became the royal historian and secretary for Enrique IV of Castile. He took over from Juan de Mena. In the 1460s, he openly supported the nobles who were against King Enrique. Palencia even went to Rome to tell Pope Paul II about the king's actions.

He supported Prince Alfonso, who was Isabel's brother. Prince Alfonso declared himself king in June 1465. When Prince Alfonso died in 1468, Palencia changed his support to Fernando and Isabel. He helped secretly bring Fernando into Castile so he could marry Isabel in 1469.

Later Years and Influence

During the War of the Castilian Succession, Palencia worked as a diplomat for Castile. He helped set up the Santa Hermandad in 1476. This group helped keep peace and order. He also helped organize ships to defend Gran Canaria, which was a Castilian territory, in 1479.

Palencia remained a strong supporter of Fernando. However, Isabel's advisors, especially Pedro González de Mendoza, did not fully trust Palencia. In the 1480s, Isabel chose Fernando del Pulgar as her royal historian. This meant Palencia lost much of his political power. He died in 1492.

Alfonso de Palencia's Writings

Alfonso de Palencia was a very important writer. His works help us understand the history of Castile.

The Décadas

His most important work is called Gesta Hispaniensia ex annalibus suorum diebus colligentis. It is usually called the Décadas for short. It was named this because it was divided into ten-year periods, like the work of the Roman historian Livy. This history book was written in Latin. It covers the time from the end of King John II of Castile's rule up to 1481. This includes the rule of King Henry IV, the war between Henry IV and Prince Alfonso, and the War of the Castilian Succession. It also covers the time when Castile and Aragon became united under Ferdinand and Isabella. Finally, it includes the signing of the Treaty of Alcáçovas.

The Décadas has four main parts, called decades. Each part has ten books, except for the fourth. The fourth part was not finished when Palencia died, and it only has six books. The first three decades were translated into Spanish by Paz y Meliá. They were published as Crónica de Enrique IV between 1904 and 1908. Most historians did not know about the fourth decade until it was published in 1971 by José López del Toro.

Other Historical Works

Another important work by Palencia is his Anales de la Guerra de Granada. This book is about the Granada War. It covers the war from its start until the city of Baza was captured in 1489. This work was also translated into Spanish by Paz y Meliá in 1909.

Allegories and Other Writings

Alfonso Fernández de Palencia also wrote Batalla campal entre los perros y los lobos (Pitched Battle Between the Dogs and the Wolves). This was written in 1457. It was a Castilian translation of his own Latin poem. It might be a story with a hidden meaning (an allegory) about King Henry IV's government. In the story, a wolf named Harpaleo is killed by dogs because he did not keep his army disciplined.

Palencia also translated his Latin work, the allegory Tratado de la perfección del triunfo militar (1459), into Castilian. In this story, a character called “Exercise” (el Ejercicio) and the wise Discretion (Discreción) try to find the character named Triumph (el Triunfo). Triumph sends Exercise to a Roman captain named Gloridoneo. Gloridoneo might represent Alfonso V of Aragon. Gloridoneo wins battles, and Triumph gives victory to Order, Exercise, and Obedience. These are qualities that help a king win. This advice might have been for King Henry IV.

The work Coplas del provincial (The Provincial’s Couplets) is also thought to be written by him.

Language and Translation Works

Palencia also wrote books about words and language:

• Opus Synonymorum, also known as De sinonymis elegantibus, which is about synonyms (words with similar meanings).
• Uniuersale Compendium Vocabulorum (Vocabulario universal en latín y en romance) (Seville, 1490). This was a dictionary in both Latin and Castilian. Later, a dictionary by Antonio de Nebrija became more popular.
• Compendiolum, a book about geography and place names (toponymic).
• Latin letters (epistles).

His work as a translator was also very important. He translated Plutarch's Parallel Lives (Seville, 1491) into Spanish. He also translated Flavius Josephus' The Wars of the Jews (1492).

Sanchez Alonso, another historian, wrote that "few match Palencia's ability to give life to a character, in presenting the antecedents to an event briefly and efficiently, in sagaciously explaining it and in putting interest in the narration". This means Palencia was very good at making his stories interesting and clear.

See also

In Spanish: Alfonso de Palencia para niños