Jerónimo Zurita y Castro facts for kids
Jerónimo de Zurita y Castro (born in 1512 – died November 3, 1580) was an important Spanish historian from the 1500s. He is known for starting the modern way of studying history in Spain.
Jerónimo was born in Zaragoza, which was part of the Kingdom of Aragon back then. He went to school in Alcalá de Henares and studied with a famous teacher named Hernán Nuñez. His father, Miguel de Zurita, was a doctor for Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. Because of his father's connections, Jerónimo started working for the government.
In 1537, he became an assistant secretary for the Inquisition. This was a powerful group that dealt with religious matters. Later, in 1548, he was chosen to be the official historian for the Kingdom of Aragon. This meant it was his job to write down the history of the kingdom.
In 1566, Philip II of Spain made him a secretary for the Inquisition council. Jerónimo helped with important matters that needed the king's approval.
Focusing on History
On January 21, 1571, Jerónimo left his government jobs. He moved back to Zaragoza and spent all his time writing his most famous book. This book was called Anales de la Corona de Aragón (Annals of the Crown of Aragon). The first part of this book came out in 1562. He worked on it for many years.
The last part of his big book was printed on April 22, 1580. Jerónimo passed away just a few months later, on November 3, 1580.
Why His Work Was Important
Jerónimo Zurita's writing style was very detailed. It wasn't always easy to read, but his facts were always correct. He had a new idea about what a historian should do. He didn't just use the information found in the Archives of Aragon (which were like big historical libraries). He also traveled to places like Rome, Naples, and Sicily to find more information in their libraries. This made his historical work very thorough and reliable.
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See also
In Spanish: Jerónimo Zurita para niños
