Rodrigo Sánchez de Arévalo facts for kids

Rodrigo Sánchez de Arévalo (born in Santa María la Real de Nieva, Segovia, in 1404 – died 4 October 1470) was an important Spanish church leader, historian, and thinker about politics. He was also known by his Latin name, Rodericus Zamorensis.

Rodrigo was a very smart Spanish bishop. He studied law for ten years at the Salamanca university and became a Doctor. After that, he worked as a secretary for two kings of Castile, John II of Castile and Henry IV of Castile. These kings sent him on many important trips to other countries. One of his big jobs was to visit the Holy See (the Pope's office) about the Council of Basle. He did not agree with some of the ideas from that council. During a trip to the Holy Roman Empire, a famous thinker named Nicholas of Cusa wrote to him about his ideas on how the Church developed from Saint Peter.

In 1450, Rodrigo Sánchez de Arévalo gave a special speech to honor St. Thomas Aquinas. This speech was given at the Church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva in Rome. He spoke to the students and teachers of the College of St. Thomas. This college later became the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, also called the Angelicum.

Life and Career

After Calixtus III became Pope, Rodrigo stayed in Rome. He became a Bishop of Oviedo in Spain. Later, under Pope Paul II, he was put in charge of the Pope's strong fortress, the Castel Sant'Angelo. Pope Paul II then moved him to be a bishop in other Spanish cities. These cities were Zamora, Calahorra, and Palencia. Rodrigo was also in charge of some people who were suspected of planning against Pope Paul. These included Julius Pomponius Laetus and Bartolomeo Platina.

His Writings

Rodrigo Sánchez de Arévalo wrote many books and papers. Most of them have not been printed and are kept in the Vatican and in Padua, Italy. His writings are about church matters and politics. Some of his works that were printed include:

• "Speculum Vitae Humanae" (meaning "Mirror of Human Life"). This book was printed in Rome in 1468. It was very popular and was printed many times over the next two hundred years. It talked about the good and bad parts of different jobs and ways of life.
• "Historia Hispanica" (meaning "History of Spain"). This book covered the history of Spain from the very beginning up to 1469. It was printed in Rome in 1470. You can find it in a collection of Spanish history books called Hispania Illustrata.

Besides his books in Latin, Rodrigo also wrote in Spanish. One of his Spanish books was called Suma de la política. This book shows how new ideas from the Renaissance, like Humanism, started to influence political and literary works in Spain during the 1400s.

In another book, "De Monarchia Orbis," he wrote that only the Pope had the right to punish kings. Some people, like Matthias Flacius, thought he was an early supporter of Martin Luther because he criticized some church leaders. However, this was not true, as Nicolás Antonio showed in his book Bibliotheca Hispanica Vetus.

List of Key Works

• De arte, disciplina et modo aliendi et erudiendi filios, pueros et juvenes (1453) – This book is about how to raise and teach children and young people.
• Suma de la política (1454/5) – A book about politics.
• Vergel de príncipes (1456/7) – Meaning "Orchard of Princes."
• Speculum vitae humanae (1468) – Also published in Spanish as Espejo de la vida humana (Zaragoza, 1491).
• Compendiosa historia Hispanica (around 1470) – A short history of Spain.

See also

In Spanish: Rodrigo Sánchez de Arévalo para niños