Francisco de Berganza facts for kids

Fray Francisco de Berganza y Arce (born April 10, 1663 – died April 29, 1738) was a Spanish Benedictine monk and a historian who studied the Middle Ages. He was often called Padre Berganza. A famous scholar named Marcelino Menéndez Pelayo once said he was "the brightest intellect of his age". This means Padre Berganza was considered one of the smartest people of his time.

Early Life and Education

Francisco de Berganza was born in a town called Santibáñez de Zarzaguda. His family, however, was originally from Gumiel de Izán.

When he was 18 years old, on February 5, 1682, he joined the Benedictine monks at the San Pedro de Cardeña monastery. He officially became a monk a short time later, on March 21. After this, he was sent to study at San Vicente de Salamanca. He spent twelve years learning there before returning to the Cardeña monastery.

A Monk and an Abbot

Back at Cardeña, Padre Berganza became the chief preacher. This meant he was the main person who gave sermons and taught the monks. Later, from 1721 to 1725, he became the abbot of the monastery. An abbot is like the leader or head of a monastery.

Padre Berganza passed away suddenly during supper at the San Martín de Madrid convent on April 29, 1738.

A Modern Historian

Padre Berganza was a very forward-thinking historian for his time. Instead of just relying on old stories or what others had written, he decided to look directly at original documents. This was a new and modern way to study history.

His most famous work was called Antigüedades de España (Antiquities of Spain). In this book, he shared many old documents that had never been seen by the public before. Many of these documents came from the archives of the Cardeña monastery. The book was published in two parts, with the second part coming out in Madrid between 1719 and 1721.

Through his research, Padre Berganza discovered many fake documents. These forgeries had been used to create false stories about the beginnings of Castile and the idea of a united Spain. His work helped to correct these historical mistakes. After he died, another one of his books, Ferreras convencido, was published in Madrid in 1729. This book was a review and correction of the history written by another historian named Ferreras.