Hernando del Pulgar

thumb|... the whole nation, restored to tranquillity and order, sought no other redress, than that afforded by the operation of the law. Hernando del Pulgar (1436 – c. 1492), also spelled Fernando de Pulgar, was a Castilian royal secretary, historian, and writer. He first served in the administration of Enrique IV of Castile and later was appointed by Isabel I to serve as her royal chronicler. His best known work, Claros varones de Castilia, presents a series of biographical sketches of some of the most important nobles and prelates of the era. Quotes Era muy inclinada á facer justicia, tanto que le era imputado seguir mas la via de rigor que de la piedad; y esto facia por remediar á la gran corrupcion de crímines que falló en el Reyno quando subcedió en él. Reyes Católicos, p. 37. Spanish reported, untranslated, in W. H. Prescott, History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella, the Catholic, of Spain, 3rd ed. (1841) vol. 1, ch. 6, note 9 Whereas the kingdom was previously filled with banditti and malefactors of every description, who committed the most diabolical excesses, in open contempt of law, there was now such terror impressed on the hearts of all, that no one dared to lift his arm against another, or even to assail him with contumelious or discourteous language. The knight and the squire, who had before oppressed the laborer, were intimidated by the fear of that justice, which was sure to be executed on them; the roads were swept of the banditti; the fortresses, the strongholds of violence, were thrown open, and the whole nation, restored to tranquillity and order, sought no other redress, than that afforded by the operation of the law. Reyes Católicos, p. 167. Reported in Prescott (1841) vol. 1, ch. 6 Legal reforms of Ferdinand and Isabella, e.g. the cortes of Madrigal, 1476, and of Toledo, 1480 There joined the royal standard a body of men from Switzerland, a country in upper Germany. These men were bold of heart, and fought on foot. As they were resolved never to turn their backs upon the enemy, they wore no defensive armor, except in front; by which means they were less encumbered in fight. They made a trade of war, letting themselves out as mercenaries; but they espoused only a just quarrel, for they were devout and loyal Christians, and above all abhorred rapine as a great sin. Reyes Católicos, ch. 21. Reported in Prescott (1841) vol. 1, ch. 11 A corps of Swiss mercenaries during the Reconquista of Granada, early 1480s See also Andrés Bernáldez External links Category:People of the Reconquista Category:Historians from Spain Category:1436 births Category:1490s deaths