ZURITA Y CASTRO, JERÓNIMO. - Aragonese historian, b. at Saragozza in 1512, d. there in 1580.
He studied at Salamanca and in 1548 was appointed court historiographer. He travelled through Aragon, Naples, and Sicily in search of documents, having obtained from Filippo II in 1550 free access to public and private archives.
After more than thirty years of research he published the Annales de la Corona de Aragón, from the Moorish invasions to the death of the Catholic King: the first historical work conducted according to scientific criteria, since Z. extended to the most ancient historical periods the critical examination of sources, including diplomatic reports.
Z. was also secretary of the Inquisition in Madrid and, from 1569, intermediary between this tribunal and the Court. He spent his final years with the Girolamini of S. Engracia in Saragozza.