Alonso (or Alfonso) de Burgos (before 1477 – 1499) was the royal confessor of

Ferdinand and Isabella The Catholic Monarchs were Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon, whose marriage and joint rule marked the ''de facto'' unification of Spain. They were both from the House of Trastámara and were second cousins, being bot ...

. He was born of a noble family in

Burgos Burgos () is a city in Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the province of Burgos. Burgos is situated in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, on the confluence o ...

and died at

Valladolid Valladolid () is a municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and de facto capital of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. It has a population around 300,000 peo ...

in 1499. He was conspicuous for learning before his entrance into the

Dominican order The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of C ...

, early in life. His preaching attracted the notice of Ferdinand and Isabella, who selected him as royal confessor. On the recommendation of the latter, Alfonso was appointed to the see of

Córdoba Córdoba most commonly refers to: * Córdoba, Spain, a major city in southern Spain and formerly the imperial capital of Islamic Spain * Córdoba, Argentina, 2nd largest city in the country and capital of Córdoba Province Córdoba or Cordoba may ...

Sixtus IV Pope Sixtus IV ( it, Sisto IV: 21 July 1414 – 12 August 1484), born Francesco della Rovere, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 August 1471 to his death in August 1484. His accomplishments as pope include ...

, 30 April 1477. Remaining there only four years, he was transferred to the Bishopric of Cuenca, and in 1484, or according to

P. B. Gams Pius Bonifacius Gams (23 January 1816, Mittelbuch, Kingdom of Württemberg – 11 May 1892, Munich) was a German Benedictine ecclesiastical historian. Life His classical studies made at Biberach an der Riss and Rottweil (1826–1834), he studied ...

(''Series Episcoporum'', P. 64) in 1486, to

Palencia Palencia () is a city of Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the province of Palencia. Located in the Northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, in the northern half ...

. At the same time he held successively the office of Grand Chaplain of the Court, Counsellor of the Catholic King, and President of the

Council of Castile The Council of Castile ( es, Real y Supremo Consejo de Castilla), known earlier as the Royal Council ( es, Consejo Real), was a ruling body and key part of the domestic government of the Crown of Castile, second only to the monarch himself. I ...

. In the latter capacity he was instrumental in getting pecuniary grants from the crown for Columbus. During the years 1487 and 1488 he obtained eight thousand pounds at various times for the fitting out of a fleet. In the absence of the king he exercised his right as President of the Council in giving orders for a payment of three thousand pounds to the discoverer. These duties did not hinder him from repairing many dilapidated churches of his diocese. He built, out of his own revenues, the Dominican convent of St. Vincent Ferrer at Palencia, in 1486. He takes a high rank in the history of Spanish education for completing the Colegio de San Gregorio at

, begun by King

Alfonso the Wise Alfonso X (also known as the Wise, es, el Sabio; 23 November 1221 – 4 April 1284) was King of Castile, León and Galicia from 30 May 1252 until his death in 1284. During the election of 1257, a dissident faction chose him to be king of Germa ...

(1252–1284). Posterity justly calls him the founder of this famous college of his order.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alonso de Burgos Spanish untitled nobility Spanish Dominicans Year of birth unknown 1499 deaths Year of birth uncertain