Ximénez de Cisneros, Francisco

(1436–1517)

   Cardinal and Statesman.

   Ximénez was born in Torrelaguna, Castile, and he studied in Alcalá, Salamanca and Rome. He joined the order of Observantine Friars in Toledo and became well known for his ascetic mode of living. In 1492 he became the Confessor of Queen Isabella and was an important influence at court. In 1494 he was elected Provincial of the Spanish Franciscans and in 1495 he was consecrated Archbishop of Toledo. Throughout he continued to lead an austere life. He made every attempt to convert the Muslims of Granada to Christianity; he reformed the Spanish Franciscans; he founded the University of Alcalá and he sponsored the Complutensian Polyglot, the first polyglot edition of the whole Bible. He continued to play an active role in political life even after Queen Isabella had died and he was Regent in Castile after King ferdinand’s death in 1516 and during the minority of Charles V. He was a significant figure in the history of Spain. When he died, it was suspected that he had been poisoned.

   R. Merton, Cardinal Ximénez and the Making of Spain (1934);

   W. Starkie, Grand Inquisitor (1940).