The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07.
López de Ayala, Pedro
(p´thr l´pth th äyä´lä) (KEY) , 1332–1407, Spanish statesman, poet, and chronicler. As a royal official in Castile, he served Peter the Cruel, Henry II, John I, and Henry III, rising to become chancellor of Castile (1398–1407). He is best known for his chronicle of the reigns of the four kings he served; avoiding the fantastic interpretations of earlier historians, he wrote with accuracy and realism. His Cronicas is one of the earliest and useful histories of Spain. He also wrote a satiric poem, Rimado de Palacio, on the social and political problems of his era, and translated Livy, Boccaccio, and others.
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