DEZA, DIEGO. - Dominican theologian, b. at Toro in Spain around 1444, d. at Seville on 9 June 1523. He taught (1480) at the University of Salamanca and for several years (1486–94) was tutor to Prince Giovanni, heir to King Ferdinando. In 1494 he was elected bishop of Zamora, then transferred to Salamanca, subsequently to Jaén (1498), Valencia (1500), Seville (1504), and finally to Toledo (1523), as primate of Spain. A friend and confessor of the King of Castile, he was at that court the most powerful supporter of Cristoforo Colombo.
Among his works, the following deserve mention: Defensorium doctoris s. Thomae A. contra invectivus Matthiae Dorink in replicationibus contra Paulum Burgensem super Bibliam (Seville 1491; Paris 1514); Novarum defensionum doctoris angelici s. Thomae super quattuor libros sententiarum (Seville 1517).