Hernando del Pulgar

Who was Hernando del Pulgar?

Hernando del Pulgar was a Spanish writer.

He was born at Pulgar and was educated at the court of John II. Henry IV made him one of his secretaries, and under Isabella he became councillor of state, was charged with a mission to France, and in 1482 was appointed historiographer-royal. He is said to have died in 1492.

His Crónica de los Reyes Católicos, wrongly ascribed in the first edition to Antonio de Nebrija, who had composed a Latin history based upon Pulgar's manuscript, is commonly supposed to be propaganda for his patrons, Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand; nevertheless, it is often critical of their policies and admonitory in its insistence that monarchs need to respect moral and spiritual ideals. Pulgar's Claros varones de Castilla, a series of portraits of eminent nobles, ecclesiastics, and men of learning, provides interesting insights into the court of Henry IV. These portraits were published together with Pulgar's Letras, which were directed to both well-known and anonymous correspondents. Pulgar also composed a gloss on the Coplas de Mingo Revulgo.