BERNÁLDEZ, ANDRÉS. - Spanish writer, born at La Fuente around the middle of the 15th century and probably died in 1514; parish priest of Los Palacios and chaplain to the archbishop of Seville, Diego de Deza.
He was the first to write a history of the Catholic Monarchs (Historia de los Reyes Católicos don Fernando y doña Isabel), covering the period 1453-1513, in which he dwells in particular on events of great importance, such as, for example, the expulsion of the Jews and the establishment of the Inquisition (of which B. was a convinced advocate), the war of Granada, the conquest of the Canaries, etc., as well as events in other countries, to which, however, the author never gives a personal interpretation. The work, pleasant to read and written in a lively and picturesque language, supplements that written on the same subject by Hernando del Pulgar (c. 1436-93) and is rich in
information provided directly by contemporary figures: it includes, indeed, the first account of the discovery of America based on Columbus’s Diario, with numerous details concerning the first two voyages supplied directly by Columbus himself. The Historia was published in 1856 by M. Lafuente y Alcántara and subsequently in the Bibl. de autores espán. 70, Madrid 1878, pp. 267-773.
Iole Scudieri Ruggieri