Pere Tomich

Who is Pere Tomich?

Pere Tomich or Tomic was a Catalan knight and historian.

He wrote a monumental general history of Catalonia from Creation, through the "primers pobladors d'Espanya", to the reign of Ferdinand I of Aragon. His Histories e Conquestes del reyalme Darago e principat de Cathalunya he finished at Bagà in 1438. One of its distinguishing marks is Pere's uncritical acceptance of legend and incorporation of folklore into his otherwise accurate account. Besides legend, Pere especially revels in listing the names of the major noble families of Aragon, Catalonia, and Valencia. The events in which they were actors accompany their names, and the names of the lords of Pinós and Bagà are heavily favoured. Pere is the sole source for several historical events. He adds to the so-called "Legend of the Cowardly Peasants", in which the cowardice of the peasantry in the face of the Moors is led to explain their servitude, the fact that the Christian leader whose summons to arms they refused to obey was Louis the Pious and that the summons took place in 814. Pere also asserts that Huguet de Mataplana, the troubadour, was present at the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa.