Fernán Díaz de Toledo | |
|---|---|
| Born | Mose Hamomo c. 1385 Alcalá de Henares, Kingdom of Castile |
| Died | 2 May 1457 Burgos, Kingdom of Castile |
| Alma mater | Estudio de Valladolid |
| Occupations |
|
| Notable work | Instrucción del Relator para el obispo de Cuenca a favor de la nación hebrea |
Fernán Díaz de Toledo (born Mose Hamomo; c. 1385 – 2 May 1457) was a Spanish canon lawyer who held numerous important roles in the Spanish government, including royal secretary, oidor , and relator. Díaz most likely converted from Judaism to Christianity as a child in 1391 before studying canon law at the Estudio de Valladolid. Owing to his legal background, hard work, and political connections, Díaz was appointed to numerous political positions during his career. These positions put him in close contact to the Kings Juan II and Enrique IV as well as the Royal Council. The historian María Josefa Sanz Fuentes described him as "probably the most powerful man at the court of King Juan II of Castille", [1] while the medievalist José Luis Bermejo Cabrero wrote that "nobody among the secretaries of the Middle Ages could reach such a level of influence over kings". [2]
Fernán Díaz de Toledo was born Mose Hamomo [3] [4] [a] in Alcalá de Henares circa 1385. [6] [7] His mother was named María de Toledo and his father, from whom he received his Jewish ancestry, was named Pedro Díaz. [8] He had at least one brother, Pedro, who similarly became a doctor in law. [9] Fernán Díaz most likely converted from Judaism to Christianity as a child in 1391. [6] After studying canon law at the Estudio de Valladolid, Díaz received in 1424 papal approval to attain a doctorate in law and decretals. [5]
At an unknown date, Díaz married Aldonza Gonzalez, a Christian widow who had previously borne three children. They had two children together: Luis Díaz de Toledo, who studied law at the Universities of Salamanca and Valladolid, and Juana Díaz de Toledo. [10] [11] Additionally, he had three illegitimate children. The first was named María and was borne to an unknown mother, while the other two, María de Toledo y Pedro de Toledo, were both mothered by Juana de Ovalle. [12] His nephew, Pero Díaz de Toledo , became an oidor in the Audiencia, [13] a role that he also held during his career. [11]
Owing to his legal background, hard work, and political connections, Díaz was appointed to numerous political positions during his career. [14] According to the chronicler Álvar García de Santa María, Díaz was capable of completing more work in one hour than could any other official in four days. [15] The historian Gonzalo Chacón , a contemporary of Díaz, referred to him as "a very sharp man of subtle wit". [16] [b] By 1423, Díaz had risen to serve Juan II, King of Castile, as the royal secretary, oidor , and relator; [11] he was often referred to simply as "el Relator" in reference to this ultimate position. [14] [17] He also served as a scribe, referendary, notary, and member of the Royal Council, [14] and frequently traveled with Juan II as a member of his retinue. [18]
In his capacity as oidor, Díaz worked as a sort of traveling judge, sent by the King to resolve "especially grave judicial conflicts". [19] [c] One example of such a case was that which stripped the Count of Castro of all of his possessions, a sentence that was read by Díaz. [19] As an oidor, he was also responsible for carrying out official inquiries on behalf of the Crown. [20] The position of relator required him to serve as the link between Juan II and the Royal Council [21] [22] as well as to compile and report legal occurrences of note directly to the King. [23] [24] He was also responsible for presenting petitions to the Royal Council. [21] This role placed him very close to the King; [25] in fact, the historian María Josefa Sanz Fuentes described him as "probably the most powerful man at the court of King Juan II of Castille" and "a key person in mid-15th century Castilian history". [1] Furthermore, the medieval historian José Luis Bermejo Cabrero wrote that "nobody among the secretaries of the Middle Ages could reach such a level of influence over kings". [2] [d]
Díaz served Juan II and, later, Enrique IV for nearly half a century, [11] during which time he addressed and resolved royal matters relating to the administration of justice, documentary and notarial issues, and even the personal lives of the kings. [19] At times, Díaz was also dispatched in the King's stead in order to settle diplomatic disputes; for example, there are numerous cases of him being sent to convince local alcaldes to surrender their castles to the Crown when the King demanded control of their holdings. [26]
In 1449, Old Christians in Toledo rebelled, upset by the perceived insidious intrusion of Judaizers in Spain's religious institutions and government. That year, they enacted a municipal statute banning conversos (recent Jewish converts to Christianity) from holding office of any kind in the city due to their "heresies and other offences, insults, seditions and crimes committed and perpetrated". [27] Given his importance and stature, Díaz was an especial target of Toledo's Old Christians, who accused him of heresy. [3] [28]
In response to the campaign against conversos, Díaz penned a dossier directed to the Bishop of Cuenca, Lope de Barrientos, at some point between 15 October and 17 November 1449. [29] Díaz's intent with the dossier, entitled the Instrucción del Relator para el obispo de Cuenca a favor de la nación hebrea [25] (Instruction from the Relator for the Bishop of Cuenca in Favor of the Hebrew Nation), was to garner support for conversos from Barrientos and Enrique IV, who at that time was crown prince; it also circulated more widely among the public. [30] In the Instrucción, Díaz defended converts by highlighting the fact that Christianity developed from Judaism and that the Jews were God's original chosen people. He also argued that all Christians were equals after their initiation through baptism and noted that a majority of Spain's nobility had some Jewish ancestry. [31] By the end of that November, Enrique entered Toledo to quell the rebellion and execute its principal actors. [32] The Instrucción has been the subject of scholarly attention in the modern era. [33]
Díaz died on 2 May 1457 in Burgos. [34] [35] He had made out his will two years prior after falling seriously ill in Almazán. [36] His will, dated 16 February 1455, [37] dictated that he be buried with his mother the Church of Santa María la Mayor's chapel located in Alcalá de Henares, his birth city. He himself had ordered the construction of the chapel, which in modern times has been reconstructed and is now called the Chapel of the Oidor. [8] He bequeathed the majority of his property and assets to his son Luis. [12]