Pero López De Ayala
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Don Pero (or Pedro) López de Ayala (1332–1407) was a Castilian
statesman A statesman or stateswoman is a politician or a leader in an organization who has had a long and respected career at the national or international level, or in a given field. Statesman or statesmen may also refer to: Newspapers United States ...
,
historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...
,
poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...
,
chronicler A chronicle (, from Greek ''chroniká'', from , ''chrónos'' – "time") is a historical account of events arranged in chronological order, as in a timeline. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and local events, ...
,
chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...
, and
courtier A courtier () is a person who attends the royal court of a monarch or other royalty. The earliest historical examples of courtiers were part of the retinues of rulers. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the officia ...
.


Life

Pero López de Ayala was born in 1332 at
Vitoria Vitoria or Vitória may refer to: People * Francisco de Vitoria (c. 1483–1546), a Spanish Renaissance theologian * Alberto Vitoria (1956–2010), Spanish footballer * Rui Vitória (born 1970), Portuguese retired footballer * Sofia Vitória ( ...
, County of Alava,
Kingdom of Castile The Kingdom of Castile (; : ) was a polity in the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages. It traces its origins to the 9th-century County of Castile (, ), as an eastern frontier lordship of the Kingdom of León. During the 10th century, the Ca ...
, as the son of Fernán Pérez de Ayala and Elvira Álvarez de Cevallos. He was grandnephew to Cardinal Pedro Gómez Barroso, and was educated under this cleric. López de Ayala was a supporter of
Pedro of Castile Peter (; 30 August 133423 March 1369), called Peter the Cruel () or the Just (), was King of Castile and List of Leonese monarchs, León from 1350 to 1369. Peter was the last ruler of the main branch of the House of Ivrea. He was excommunicated ...
before switching sides in order to support the pretender to the Castilian throne, Henry of Trastamara. The Ayala were one of the major aristocratic families of Castile. The earliest known record of their family was an account written by Pero's own father, which claims they descended from
Pyrenees The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...
Christian royalty and linked them to the Lords of Biscay. Later, Catholic bishop
Lope de Barrientos Lope de Barrientos (1382–1469), sometimes called Obispo Barrientos ("Bishop Barrientos"), was a powerful clergyman and statesman of the Crown of Castile during the 15th century, although his prominence and the influence he wielded during his ...
, trying to dampen anti-semitic persecution, would claim that most of the nobility of Castile themselves had Jewish origins and that the Mendozas and Ayalas descended from a certain Rabbi Solomon and his son Isaque de Valladolid. As ''Alférez mayor del Pendón de la Banda'' (second lieutenant), he fought with Henry at the
Battle of Nájera The Battle of Nájera, also known as the Battle of Navarrete, was fought on 3 April 1367 to the northeast of Nájera, in the province of La Rioja, Castile. It was an episode of the first Castilian Civil War which confronted King Peter of Ca ...
(1367) and was made a prisoner of the
Black Prince Edward of Woodstock (15 June 1330 – 8 June 1376), known as the Black Prince, was the eldest son and heir apparent of King Edward III of England. He died before his father and so his son, Richard II, succeeded to the throne instead. Edward n ...
but was later released. In 1378, he traveled to
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
in order to negotiate an alliance against the English and Portuguese. He subsequently served as a supporter of
John I of Castile John I (; 24 August 1358 – 9 October 1390) was King of Castile and List of Leonese monarchs, León from 1379 until 1390. He was the son of Henry II of Castile, Henry II and of his wife Juana Manuel of Castile. John ascended to the throne in 137 ...
. He was captured by the Portuguese at the
Battle of Aljubarrota The Battle of Aljubarrota was fought between the Kingdom of Portugal and the Crown of Castile on 14 August 1385. Forces commanded by King John I of Portugal and his general Nuno Álvares Pereira, with the support of English allies, opposed the a ...
(1385), and was jailed in a prison of iron. While in prison, he wrote his ''Libro de la caza de las aves'' ("Book on hunting with
birds of prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as (although not the same as) raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively predation, hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and smaller birds). In addition to speed ...
") and parts of his ''Rimado de Palacio''. He was ransomed for 30,000
doubloon The doubloon (from Spanish language, Spanish ''doblón'', or "double", i.e. ''double escudo'') was a two-''Spanish escudo, escudo'' gold coin worth approximately four Spanish dollars or 32 ''Spanish real, reales'', and weighing 6.766 grams (0.218 ...
s after many had interceded on his behalf, including his wife, Doña Leonor de Guzmán, the Master of Calatrava, and the kings of both Castile and France. Upon his release in 1388 or 1389, he continued his diplomatic activities in France. He later returned to Castile, where he was named ''Canciller mayor'' ("grand chancellor of the realm") by Henry III. He died at
Calahorra Calahorra (; ; ) is a municipality in the Spanish autonomous community and province of La Rioja. During Ancient Roman times, Calahorra was a municipium known as ''Calagurris Nassica Iulia''. Location The city is located on a hill at an altitude ...
at the age of 75.


Literary career

López de Ayala is best remembered for his
satirical Satire is a genre of the visual arts, visual, literature, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently Nonfiction, non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ...
and didactic ''Libro Rimado de Palacio'' ("Palace Verse" or "Rhymes of the Court"), in which he acidly describes his contemporaries and their social, religious, and political values. His rhymed confession concerns the
Ten Commandments The Ten Commandments (), or the Decalogue (from Latin , from Ancient Greek , ), are religious and ethical directives, structured as a covenant document, that, according to the Hebrew Bible, were given by YHWH to Moses. The text of the Ten ...
,
mortal sin A mortal sin (), in Christian theology, is a gravely sinful act which can lead to damnation if a person does not repent of the sin before death. It is alternatively called deadly, grave, and serious; the concept of mortal sin is found in both ...
s, spiritual works, and the sins associated with the
five senses A sense is a biological system used by an organism for sensation, the process of gathering information about the surroundings through the detection of stimuli. Although, in some cultures, five human senses were traditionally identified as su ...
, followed by an account of the evils afflicting the Church. The most famous couplets (424–719) concern "los fechos de Palaçio" ("palace deeds"), which detail the troubles of a courtier who is attempting to collect money that the king owes to him. In one of the first known literary references to chivalresque tales, López de Ayala, in his ''Rimado de Palacio'', would regret a misspent youth: In his ''Libro de la caza de las aves'', López de Ayala attempted to compile all of the correct and available knowledge concerning
falconry Falconry is the hunting of wild animals in their natural state and habitat by means of a trained bird of prey. Small animals are hunted; squirrels and rabbits often fall prey to these birds. Two traditional terms are used to describe a person ...
. In the
prologue A prologue or prolog (from Ancient Greek πρόλογος ''prólogos'', from πρό ''pró'', "before" and λόγος ''lógos'', "speech") is an opening to a story that establishes the context and gives background details, often some earlier st ...
, López de Ayala explains that concerning "this art and science of the hunting with birds I heard and saw many uncertainties; such as on the
plumage Plumage () is a layer of feathers that covers a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage differ between species and subspecies and may vary with age classes. Within species, there can b ...
and characteristics and nature of the birds; such as in domesticating them and ordering them to hunt their prey; and also how to cure them when they suffer and are hurt. Of this I saw some writings that reasoned on it, but did not agree with others." He also wrote the chronicles for the reigns of Pedro I, Henry of Trastamara (Henry II of Castile), and John I, and a partial chronicle of the reign of
Henry III of Castile Henry III of Castile (4 October 1379 – 25 December 1406), called the Suffering due to his ill health (, ), was the son of John I and Eleanor of Aragon. He succeeded his father as King of Castile in 1390. Birth and education Henry was bor ...
, collected as ''History of the Kings of Castile''. As a source, López de Ayala is considered to be generally reliable, as he was a witness to the events he describes. The first part of his chronicle, which covers only the reign of Pedro I, was printed at
Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...
in 1495. The first complete edition was printed in 1779–1780 in the collection of ''Crónicas Españolas'', under the auspices of the Spanish Royal Academy of History. López de Ayala also translated the works of ancient authors, such as
Titus Livy Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Roman historian. He wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people, titled , covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome before the traditional founding i ...
and
Boethius Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius, commonly known simply as Boethius (; Latin: ''Boetius''; 480–524 AD), was a Roman Roman Senate, senator, Roman consul, consul, ''magister officiorum'', polymath, historian, and philosopher of the Early Middl ...
. Around 1400, for example, he translated Livy's ''Decades'' (only books 1, 2 and 4) for Henry III of Castile, working from a French version by Pierre Bersuire.Translation and Intercultural Studies
/ref> He also translated the works of contemporary authors, such as
Boccaccio Giovanni Boccaccio ( , ; ; 16 June 1313 – 21 December 1375) was an Italian writer, poet, correspondent of Petrarch, and an important Renaissance humanist. Born in the town of Certaldo, he became so well known as a writer that he was s ...
, and continued his father's ''Linaje de Ayala'' ("Lineage of Ayala"), a
genealogy Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kin ...
. The Castilian poet
Pero Ferrús Pero Ferrús (also written as Pedro Ferrús, Pero Ferruz, Pero Ferrus) (fl. 1380) was a Castilian poet. He lived in Alcalá de Henares. Ferrús was a Marrano, having converted to Christianity from Judaism. The reasons for conversion by Marranos ...
(
fl. ''Floruit'' ( ; usually abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for 'flourished') denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indic ...
1380) dedicated one of his cantigas to López de Ayala. Among his direct descendants are major Spanish poets and writers Inigo Lopez de Mendoza,
Jorge Manrique Jorge Manrique (c. 1440 – 24 April 1479) was a major Castilian poet, whose main work, the ''Coplas por la muerte de su padre (Verses on the death of Don Rodrigo Manrique, his Father)'', is still read today. He was a supporter of the queen ...
and Diego Hurtado de Mendoza.


Notes


References

* * * * *


Sources


Artehistoria.com: Personajes
*



{{DEFAULTSORT:Lopez De Ayala, Pero 1332 births 1407 deaths People from Vitoria-Gasteiz Spanish chroniclers 14th-century Spanish historians 14th-century Spanish poets Diplomats of former countries Spanish politicians Falconry 14th-century Castilian nobility Spanish prisoners and detainees Prisoners and detainees of Portugal Spanish male poets Spanish politicians convicted of crimes People from the Crown of Castile 14th-century Castilian writers de:Pedro de Ayala