Lucas de Tuy facts for kids

Lucas de Tui (also known as Lucas of Tuy) was an important Spanish church leader and thinker who lived a long time ago. He is mostly remembered today as a historian. He served as the Bishop of Tuy, a city in Spain, from 1239 until he passed away in 1249.

Lucas was born in León, another city in Spain. For many years, from 1221 to 1239, he was a canon (a type of priest) at the church of San Isidoro there. During this time, he wrote a book called De Miraculis Sancti Isidori. This book was written to defend the ideas of a famous saint named Isidore of Seville.

Amazing Travels and Writings

Lucas de Tui was a great traveler! He visited many places, including Rome, Constantinople (which is now Istanbul, Turkey), Cyprus, Jerusalem, Armenia, and France. He even saw four of the special "Holy Nails" that are believed to have been used in the crucifixion of Jesus. He saw them in France, Constantinople, Nazareth, and Tarsus.

Around 1233 or 1234, he spent Easter in Rome. While there, he finished another important book. It was called De altera vita fideique controversiis adversus Albigensium errores. This long title means "On the other life and controversies of faith against the errors of the Albigensians." This book was written against a group called the Cathars, who had different religious beliefs. Lucas got many of his ideas for this book from the writings of Isidore of Seville and another famous scholar named Jerome.

His Masterpiece: The Chronicon Mundi

In 1236, a queen named Berenguela of Castile asked Lucas to write a special book. This book became his most famous work, called the Chronicon mundi. It means "Chronicle of the World."

The Chronicon mundi was a huge history book, divided into four parts. It started from the very beginning of the world, according to the Bible's story of Creation, and went all the way up to the year 1236. Lucas wanted to cover the history of the entire world and especially the history of the different kingdoms in Spain.

To write his chronicle, Lucas used information from many older historians. Some of his main sources included Isidore of Seville, John of Biclar, Hydatius, Orosius, the Chronicle of Alfonso III, the Crónica Silense, and Sampiro. While Lucas's book does include a few unique historical facts not found anywhere else, historians today don't always consider everything he wrote to be perfectly accurate.

Later Life and Legacy

In 1239, Lucas de Tui was made the Bishop of Tuy. He continued to serve in this important role for ten more years until his death in 1249. His writings, especially the Chronicon mundi, helped preserve historical knowledge and influenced later historians in Spain.

See also

• In Spanish: Lucas de Tuy para niños