Gualberto Fabricio de Vagad
Encyclopedia
Gualberto Fabricio de Vagad was an Aragon
ese Cistercian Benedictine monk and the first historian of the Kingdom of Aragon
. He was born in Zaragoza
in the first third of the fifteenth century and straddles the line between the Late Middle Ages
and the Renaissance
. He lived most of his life at the monastery of Santa María de Santa Fe, though he also spent some time at San Juan de la Peña
. According to Félix de Latassa y Ortín, besides history he wrote various treatises on poetry
and a compendium of verse.
Vagad's magnum opus, the Crónica de Aragón, an vernacular Romance
history of Aragon from the mythical Kingdom of Sobrarbe
(founded 724) up to the death of Alfonso V
(1458), was published in Zaragoza in 1499; its incunabula survive. It was commissioned by the deputies of Ferdinand II of Aragon
, who named Vagad cronista mayor (senior chronicler), though the office of cronista was not formally instituted until the Cortes
of Monzón
in 1547.
For the work Vagad consulted the archives of San Juan de la Peña, San Victorián, Poblet, Montearagón
, and Barcelona among other archives of the Crown of Aragon
. In international matters he was a Spanish partisan and this bias enters into his history: he considered the Emperor Maximilian I a Spaniard and made the legendary Count Julian an Italian. In peninsular matters his Aragonese bias is evident, as when he devalues the conquest of Valencia by the Castilian folk hero El Cid
(1094) relative to the conquest of the same city by James I of Aragon
(1236). The work contains three prologues. In the first Vagad heaps praise on Spain in the tradition of Isidore's
Laus Spaniae; in the second he argues from history for the preeminence of Aragon amongst the kingdoms of the Iberian peninsula; and in the third he defends the importance of Zaragoza as the chief city of Spain. Preoccupied with style, his narrative is frequently interrupted by lengthy and banal arguments. Eduard Fueter, the Swiss historian of universal historiography
, writes that Vagad's Crónica contains the "timid critical germs of the medieval tradition" (tímidos gérmenes de crítica de la tradición medieval).
Aragon
Aragon is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces : Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza...
ese Cistercian Benedictine monk and the first historian of the Kingdom of Aragon
Kingdom of Aragon
The Kingdom of Aragon was a medieval and early modern kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula, corresponding to the modern-day autonomous community of Aragon, in Spain...
. He was born in Zaragoza
Zaragoza
Zaragoza , also called Saragossa in English, is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain...
in the first third of the fifteenth century and straddles the line between the Late Middle Ages
Late Middle Ages
The Late Middle Ages was the period of European history generally comprising the 14th to the 16th century . The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern era ....
and the Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
. He lived most of his life at the monastery of Santa María de Santa Fe, though he also spent some time at San Juan de la Peña
San Juan de la Peña
The monastery of San Juan de la Peña is a religious complex in the town of Santa Cruz de la Serós, at the south-west of Jaca, in the province of Huesca, Spain. It was one of the most important monasteries in Aragon in the Middle Ages. Its two-level church is partially carved in the stone of the...
. According to Félix de Latassa y Ortín, besides history he wrote various treatises on poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
and a compendium of verse.
Vagad's magnum opus, the Crónica de Aragón, an vernacular Romance
Aragonese language
Aragonese is a Romance language now spoken in a number of local varieties by between 10,000 and 30,000 people over the valleys of the Aragón River, Sobrarbe and Ribagorza in Aragon, Spain...
history of Aragon from the mythical Kingdom of Sobrarbe
Kingdom of Sobrarbe
The Kingdom of Sobrarbe was the legendary predecessor to the Kingdom of Aragon and the modern region of Sobrarbe . According to the late medieval legend, the kingdom, with its capital at L'Aïnsa, was a product of the Reconquista...
(founded 724) up to the death of Alfonso V
Alfonso V of Aragon
Alfonso the Magnanimous KG was the King of Aragon , Valencia , Majorca, Sardinia and Corsica , and Sicily and Count of Barcelona from 1416 and King of Naples from 1442 until his death...
(1458), was published in Zaragoza in 1499; its incunabula survive. It was commissioned by the deputies of Ferdinand II of Aragon
Ferdinand II of Aragon
Ferdinand the Catholic was King of Aragon , Sicily , Naples , Valencia, Sardinia, and Navarre, Count of Barcelona, jure uxoris King of Castile and then regent of that country also from 1508 to his death, in the name of...
, who named Vagad cronista mayor (senior chronicler), though the office of cronista was not formally instituted until the Cortes
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
of Monzón
Monzón
Monzón is a small town in the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It has a population of 17,050. It is located in the northeast and adjoins the rivers Cinca and Sosa.-Historical overview:...
in 1547.
For the work Vagad consulted the archives of San Juan de la Peña, San Victorián, Poblet, Montearagón
Montearagón
Montearagón or Mount of Aragón can refer to the following sites:* Montearagón, Toledo* Castle of Montearagón near Huesca, Aragón...
, and Barcelona among other archives of the Crown of Aragon
Crown of Aragon
The Crown of Aragon Corona d'Aragón Corona d'Aragó Corona Aragonum controlling a large portion of the present-day eastern Spain and southeastern France, as well as some of the major islands and mainland possessions stretching across the Mediterranean as far as Greece...
. In international matters he was a Spanish partisan and this bias enters into his history: he considered the Emperor Maximilian I a Spaniard and made the legendary Count Julian an Italian. In peninsular matters his Aragonese bias is evident, as when he devalues the conquest of Valencia by the Castilian folk hero El Cid
El Cid
Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar , known as El Cid Campeador , was a Castilian nobleman, military leader, and diplomat...
(1094) relative to the conquest of the same city by James I of Aragon
James I of Aragon
James I the Conqueror was the King of Aragon, Count of Barcelona, and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1276...
(1236). The work contains three prologues. In the first Vagad heaps praise on Spain in the tradition of Isidore's
Isidore of Seville
Saint Isidore of Seville served as Archbishop of Seville for more than three decades and is considered, as the historian Montalembert put it in an oft-quoted phrase, "le dernier savant du monde ancien"...
Laus Spaniae; in the second he argues from history for the preeminence of Aragon amongst the kingdoms of the Iberian peninsula; and in the third he defends the importance of Zaragoza as the chief city of Spain. Preoccupied with style, his narrative is frequently interrupted by lengthy and banal arguments. Eduard Fueter, the Swiss historian of universal historiography
Universal history
Universal history is basic to the Western tradition of historiography, especially the Abrahamic wellspring of that tradition. Simply stated, universal history is the presentation of the history of humankind as a whole, as a coherent unit.-Ancient authors:...
, writes that Vagad's Crónica contains the "timid critical germs of the medieval tradition" (tímidos gérmenes de crítica de la tradición medieval).
Sources
- Gualberto Fabricio de Vagad at the Gran Enciclopedia Aragonesa