Pere Marsili

Who is Pere Marsili?

Pere Marsili was a Dominican friar, chronicler, translator, and royal ambassador during the 13th and 14th centuries. In 1314 King James II of Aragon ordered him to make a Latin adaptation of a now-lost autobiography of James I of Aragon, the Llibre dels feyts. The Catalan language original famously recounted the heroics of James I, known as the "Conqueror," and was a project in which the King himself had reputedly been involved. Marsili completed the four-part work in 1322 and titled it Commentarioum de gestis Regis Jacobi primi or Commentary on the Deeds of King James I. Some historians believe he may also have written other extant works traditionally ascribed to a Pere Martell.