Jerónimo Blancas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jerónimo Blancas
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Portrait of Jerónimo Blancas
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| Chief Chronicler of the Kingdom of Aragon | |
| In office 1581–1590 |
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| Preceded by | Jerónimo Zurita |
| Succeeded by | Juan Costa y Beltrán |
Jerónimo de Blancas y Tomás (born around 1530-1540 in Zaragoza, died there on December 11, 1590) was an important writer and historian. He was an expert in Latin and focused on the history of laws in the Crown of Aragon.
He studied at the University of Zaragoza. In 1576, he helped review a major history book called Annals of the Crown of Aragon. He took over as the official historian, or "Chief Chronicler," for the Kingdom of Aragon in 1580. This happened after the previous historian, Jerónimo Zurita, passed away. When Jerónimo Blancas died in 1590, he was buried in the Santa Engracia monastery in Zaragoza.
Contents
Aragon's Official Historian
Jerónimo Blancas had a very important job as the Chief Chronicler of Aragon. This meant he was responsible for recording the history of the kingdom. He made sure that important events and figures were remembered.
What Did He Write About?
Jerónimo Blancas wrote many books that helped preserve the history of Aragon. His works are still important today for understanding the past.
Kings and Justices of Aragon
One of his books, Ad regum Aragonum depictas efigies... (published in 1587), was about the kings of Aragon. It contained short biographies in Latin for portraits of the kings. These portraits were meant to decorate the royal hall of the Diputación del General del Reino, which was like Aragon's general assembly.
In the same year, he also published Fastos de los Justicias de Aragón. This book had Latin notes for portraits of the "Justicias." The Justicia de Aragón was a very important judge in Aragon. This judge protected the rights and freedoms of the people.
His Most Famous Book: Commentaries on Aragon
His most important work is Aragonensium rerum commentarii (Commentaries on Aragon). It was published in Zaragoza in 1588. In this book, he explained how the special role of the Justicia de Aragón began. He also told the stories of nearly fifty Justices, from the earliest ones to Juan IV de Lanuza.
Royal Coronations and Laws
Jerónimo Blancas also wrote Coronations of the kings and queens of Aragon. He finished it in 1583, but it was printed much later, in 1641. This book described the coronation ceremonies of Aragon's kings, starting with Pedro II.
Another book, Modos de proceder en Cortes de Aragón, was written in 1585 and also published in 1641. In this work, he looked closely at the Aragonese Corts. The Corts were like the parliament or assembly of Aragon. He also wrote a Summary of the Cortes. This summary was helpful for finding information from old Cortes meetings that might have been lost.
Other Writings
Blancas also wrote about the family histories of important noble families in Aragon. These included families like the Lanuza and Biota. His book Linajes del reino de Aragón (Lineages of the Kingdom of Aragon) was also about these family lines.
He also helped edit and comment on other important historical books. These included the Crónica by Ramón Muntaner and the Historia de las alteraciones de Cataluña.
Blancas also wrote about the Aragonese language. He created a list of Aragonese words, which was unusual for his time. This list was added to his book Coronations of the kings of Aragon. It included words related to government and court life, as well as some everyday expressions. In his Aragonensium rerum comentarii, he even included a speech by Martín I written in Aragonese. This speech was given to the Aragonese Parliament in 1398.
See also
In Spanish: Jerónimo Blancas para niños
