Gonzalo García Gudiel
Encyclopedia
Gonzalo García Gudiel was a Castilian
prelate and statesman in the service of kings Alfonso X
and Sancho IV
and Pope Boniface VIII
. He was Bishop of Cuenca (1272) and Burgos (1275) and Archbishop of Toledo (1280), the first official Primate of Spain (1285) and finally Cardinal-bishop of Albano (1298) at the curia Romana. His early career was that of an international scholar, before he settled into royal service.
Born at Toledo
in 1238 or 1239 to the mayor, Pedro Juanes, and his wife, Teresa Juanes Ponce, Gonzalo went to study at the University of Paris
. In 1260 he became the rector of the University of Padua
. After a sojourn in Rome
, he returned to Castile to become a first a canon
of the Cathedral of Burgos and then the dean of the chapter
at the Cathedral of Toledo
.
In 1272, Gonzalo was elected Bishop of Cuenca. During this period he served the king at times as a notary public
. In 1274 he received a gift from the king, and the charter was written up by Ferrand Martínez
. On 27 September 1275 he was translated to the see of Burgos (vacant since 1269), and in May 1280 to the archdiocese of Toledo, the most important bishopric in Castile. In 1285 he was recognised as the primate of Spain (primas Hispaniae).
Under Sancho IV, Gonzalo was "great chancellor in all our realms" (chanceller mayor en todos nuestros regnos) and Ferrand Martínez his scribe, but with the king's death in 1295 the archbishop's influence decreased. In the cortes
held at Valladolid
in the summer of that year, it was declared that ecclesiastical control of the chancery should cease. Chancery notaries should be laymen (legos). Gonzalo was one of those who opposed the assumption of the tutorship of the young king, Ferdinand IV
, by his uncle, Henry the Senator, regarding the latter as "a great disturber" (un gran bolliciador). In the consistory of 4 December 1298 Pope Boniface VIII appointed him to the cardinal-bishopric of Albano. He died not long after in Rome, where he was buried in a "very nobly worked" (muy noblemente obrada) sarcophagus in the church of Santa Maria Maggiore, “near the chapel of presepe domini, where Saint Jerome lies buried.”
In the year 1300, in keeping with a promise he had made to the cardinal some years earlier, Ferrand Martínez went to Rome to fetch his body for burial in the cathedral of Toledo, in the front of the chapel of Santa María la Blanca. The return trip with the cardinal's body was extremely leisurely, making its way through Logroño
to Burgos, where the corpse was received by King Ferdinand IV and his court, including Henry the Senator, Diego López V de Haro and Bishop Pedro Rodríguez of Burgos. This was probably between March and May 1301. At Peñafiel
outside of Toledo it was received by Gonzalo's nephew, Gonzalo Díaz Palomeque, the new archbishop and by the local lord, Juan Manuel. It was reportedly greeted in the streets of Toledo by a delighted crowd of Christians, Jews and Muslims. The story of Gonzalo's relics is told in the prologue of the near-contemporary chivalric novel
Libro del caballero Zifar, possibly written by Ferrand Martínez.
Crown of Castile
The Crown of Castile was a medieval and modern state in the Iberian Peninsula that formed in 1230 as a result of the third and definitive union of the crowns and parliaments of the kingdoms of Castile and León upon the accession of the then King Ferdinand III of Castile to the vacant Leonese throne...
prelate and statesman in the service of kings Alfonso X
Alfonso X of Castile
Alfonso X was a Castilian monarch who ruled as the King of Castile, León and Galicia from 1252 until his death...
and Sancho IV
Sancho IV of Castile
Sancho IV the Brave was the King of Castile, León and Galicia from 1284 to his death. He was the second son of Alfonso X and Yolanda, daughter of James I of Aragon.-Biography:...
and Pope Boniface VIII
Pope Boniface VIII
Pope Boniface VIII , born Benedetto Gaetani, was Pope of the Catholic Church from 1294 to 1303. Today, Boniface VIII is probably best remembered for his feuds with Dante, who placed him in the Eighth circle of Hell in his Divina Commedia, among the Simonists.- Biography :Gaetani was born in 1235 in...
. He was Bishop of Cuenca (1272) and Burgos (1275) and Archbishop of Toledo (1280), the first official Primate of Spain (1285) and finally Cardinal-bishop of Albano (1298) at the curia Romana. His early career was that of an international scholar, before he settled into royal service.
Born at Toledo
Toledo, Spain
Toledo's Alcázar became renowned in the 19th and 20th centuries as a military academy. At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 its garrison was famously besieged by Republican forces.-Economy:...
in 1238 or 1239 to the mayor, Pedro Juanes, and his wife, Teresa Juanes Ponce, Gonzalo went to study at the University of Paris
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
. In 1260 he became the rector of the University of Padua
University of Padua
The University of Padua is a premier Italian university located in the city of Padua, Italy. The University of Padua was founded in 1222 as a school of law and was one of the most prominent universities in early modern Europe. It is among the earliest universities of the world and the second...
. After a sojourn in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, he returned to Castile to become a first a canon
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
of the Cathedral of Burgos and then the dean of the chapter
Cathedral chapter
In accordance with canon law, a cathedral chapter is a college of clerics formed to advise a bishop and, in the case of a vacancy of the episcopal see in some countries, to govern the diocese in his stead. These councils are made up of canons and dignitaries; in the Roman Catholic church their...
at the Cathedral of Toledo
Cathedral of Toledo
The Primate Cathedral of Saint Mary of Toledo is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Toledo, Spain, seat of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Toledo....
.
In 1272, Gonzalo was elected Bishop of Cuenca. During this period he served the king at times as a notary public
Notary public
A notary public in the common law world is a public officer constituted by law to serve the public in non-contentious matters usually concerned with estates, deeds, powers-of-attorney, and foreign and international business...
. In 1274 he received a gift from the king, and the charter was written up by Ferrand Martínez
Ferrand Martinez
Ferrand Martinez Spanish cleric, Archdeacon of Écija. An antisemitic agitator whom historians cite a the prime mover behind the series of pogroms against the Spanish Jews in 1391 beginning in the city of Seville....
. On 27 September 1275 he was translated to the see of Burgos (vacant since 1269), and in May 1280 to the archdiocese of Toledo, the most important bishopric in Castile. In 1285 he was recognised as the primate of Spain (primas Hispaniae).
Under Sancho IV, Gonzalo was "great chancellor in all our realms" (chanceller mayor en todos nuestros regnos) and Ferrand Martínez his scribe, but with the king's death in 1295 the archbishop's influence decreased. In the cortes
Cortes
Cortes is surname of Spanish and Portuguese origin. Cortes or Cortés may also refer to:-Institutions:* The Cortes , the national legislative assembly of Spain...
held at Valladolid
Valladolid
Valladolid is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales...
in the summer of that year, it was declared that ecclesiastical control of the chancery should cease. Chancery notaries should be laymen (legos). Gonzalo was one of those who opposed the assumption of the tutorship of the young king, Ferdinand IV
Ferdinand IV of Castile
Ferdinand IV, El Emplazado or "the Summoned," was a king of Castile and León and Galicia...
, by his uncle, Henry the Senator, regarding the latter as "a great disturber" (un gran bolliciador). In the consistory of 4 December 1298 Pope Boniface VIII appointed him to the cardinal-bishopric of Albano. He died not long after in Rome, where he was buried in a "very nobly worked" (muy noblemente obrada) sarcophagus in the church of Santa Maria Maggiore, “near the chapel of presepe domini, where Saint Jerome lies buried.”
In the year 1300, in keeping with a promise he had made to the cardinal some years earlier, Ferrand Martínez went to Rome to fetch his body for burial in the cathedral of Toledo, in the front of the chapel of Santa María la Blanca. The return trip with the cardinal's body was extremely leisurely, making its way through Logroño
Logroño
Logroño is a city in northern Spain, on the Ebro River. It is the capital of the autonomous community of La Rioja, formerly known as La Rioja Province.The population of Logroño in 2008 was 153,736 and a metropolitan population of nearly 197,000 inhabitants...
to Burgos, where the corpse was received by King Ferdinand IV and his court, including Henry the Senator, Diego López V de Haro and Bishop Pedro Rodríguez of Burgos. This was probably between March and May 1301. At Peñafiel
Peñafiel
Peñafiel is a town in Valladolid Province, autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain, best known for the Peñafiel Castle and for its medieval square used for bullfights and named "Plaza del Coso"...
outside of Toledo it was received by Gonzalo's nephew, Gonzalo Díaz Palomeque, the new archbishop and by the local lord, Juan Manuel. It was reportedly greeted in the streets of Toledo by a delighted crowd of Christians, Jews and Muslims. The story of Gonzalo's relics is told in the prologue of the near-contemporary chivalric novel
Romance (genre)
As a literary genre of high culture, romance or chivalric romance is a style of heroic prose and verse narrative that was popular in the aristocratic circles of High Medieval and Early Modern Europe. They were fantastic stories about marvel-filled adventures, often of a knight errant portrayed as...
Libro del caballero Zifar, possibly written by Ferrand Martínez.