Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros
Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros, OFM (1436 – 8 November 1517) was a Spanish cardinal, religious figure, and statesman. Starting from humble beginnings he rose to the heights of power, becoming a religious reformer, twice regent of Spain, Cardinal, Grand Inquisitor, promoter of the Crusades in North Africa, and founder of the Alcalá University. Among his intellectual accomplishments, he is best known for funding the Complutensian Polyglot Bible, the first printed polyglot version of the entire Bible. He also edited and published the first printed editions of the missal (in 1500) and the breviary (in 1502) of the Mozarabic Rite, and established a chapel with a college of thirteen priests to celebrate the Mozarabic Liturgy of the Hours and Eucharist each day in the Toledo Cathedral.
Cardinal Fray Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros O.F.M. | |
|---|---|
Portrait by Juan de Borgoña, c. 1514 | |
| 80th Archbishop of Toledo, Primate of Spain | |
| In office 20 February 1495 – 8 November 1517 | |
| Preceded by | Cardinal González de Mendoza |
| Succeeded by | William de Croÿ |
| Governor of the Kingdom of Castile | |
| In office 23 January 1516 – 8 November 1517 | |
| Monarch | Joanna I "The Mad" |
| Preceded by | Ferdinand II of Aragon, Governor of the Realm |
| Succeeded by | Charles I, co-monarch with his mother Joanna, |
| President of the Council of Regency of the Kingdom of Castile | |
| Preceded by | Philip "The Handsome", King of Castile, iure uxoris |
| Succeeded by | Ferdinand II of Aragon, Governor of the Realm |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1436 Torrelaguna, Crown of Castile |
| Died | 8 November 1517 (aged 80–81) Roa de Duero, Crown of Castile |
| Signature | |
Cardinal Cisneros' life coincided with, and greatly influenced, a dynamic period in the history of Spain during the reign of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile. During this time Spain underwent many significant changes, leading it into its prominent role in the Spanish Golden Age (1500–1700). Modern historian John Elliott said as far as any particular policies that can be attributed to Spain's rise, they were those of King Ferdinand and Cardinal Cisneros.