Wallace, William A., ed. American Catholic Philosophical Quar-
terly 70, no. 1 (1996). [Special Albertus Magnus issue.]
Weisheipl, J. A. ed. Albertus Magnus and the Sciences: Com-
memorative Essays 1980, Toronto: Pontifi cal Institute of
Medieval Studies, 1980.
Clyde Lee Miller
ALBORNOZ, GIL ALVAREZ
CARRILLO DE (1295–1367)
Gil de Albornoz was one of the most eminent Spanish
churchmen of the fourteenth century. He was born at
Cuenca (ca. 1295) and was the son of García de Al-
bornoz and Teresa de Luna. Albornoz was educated in
Zaragoza under the watchful eye of his infl uential uncle,
Jimeno, who at the time was archbishop there, and under
the tutelage of Pedro Egidio, who would later become
a deacon at Cuenca and come to administer Albornoz’s
household. In 1316 to 1317, Gil de Albornoz enrolled
at the University of Toulouse, where he remained for a
decade and from where before 1325 he was awarded a
doctorate in decretals and canon law. While at Toulouse,
he doubtless came into contact with Stephan Aubert.
Gil de Albornoz’s life can be divided into two phases,
an early Iberian one and a later Italian period follow-
ing the accession of Pedro I to the crown of Castile
and Albornoz’s voluntary departure from the Iberian
Peninsula. Since Albornoz’s exploits in Italy are more
amply known and readily accessible in many sources,
greater attention will be given here to his achievements
in Spain.
Upon returning to Castile from Toulouse in 1327,
Gil de Albornoz joined the circle of Alfonso XI and, in
addition to his ecclesiastical benefi ces at Cuenca, held
the title of counselor to the king and archdeacon of
Calatrava. By 1335 he had participated in an embassy
to the king of Aragón and was actively engaged in the
political life of Castile. In 1338, he was named arch-
bishop of Toledo to succeed his uncle Jimeno, who held
that position when he died. Albornoz was subsequently
given the secular title of canciller de Castilla. It is at this
point that he began to intervene vigorously in reforming
the kingdom’s judicial administration and in the orga-
nization of the armed forces. His active participation
in the cortes (parliament) of Castile show him to be a
dynamic force in all manner of affairs concerning the
governance of the realm. Although Albornoz’s infl u-
ence in the adoption of the Ordenamiento de Alcalá in
1348 has not been carefully studied, he was doubtless a
major participant in drafting and promulgating the new
legal code. At the same time, Albornoz is known to have
been energetically engaged in Alfonso XI’s military ex-
ploits against the Muslims in the south and was named
comisario de la cruzada for his efforts. Albornoz was at
Alfonso’s side at the Battle of the Salado River (1340),
at the siege and capture of Algeciras (1342–1344), and
at the siege of Gibraltar until the king’s untimely death
from the plague in 1350.
Albornoz’s activity in the Spanish Church was no
less forceful than his involvement in secular govern-
ment. The synods and councils of Toledo in 1339 and
1345 show him to have been especially preoccupied
with the moral life of his diocese, attempting to impose
order upon the disposition of ecclesiastical property and
benefi ces, the cura pastoralis and administration of the
sacraments by the rectors of churches and parishes, and
the general reform of the clergy, which was deemed to
be in a lamentable state of decadence. Clerical simony
and concubinage were two lapses that especially caught
Albornoz’s attention, and orders against these practices
went out under his name. It is because of this that Al-
bornoz is often associated with Juan Ruiz, the putative
author of the Libro de buen amor, whom the Salamanca
manuscript of the latter attests was jailed by the bishop
for his carnal failings. Quite aside from reputedly polic-
ing the celibacy of the clergy in the diocese of Toledo,
Albornoz was deeply concerned with the level of their
culture, learning, and education. He began his reign as
archbishop by ensuring that the edicts of the Council
of Valladolid (1322) be strictly observed and that one
out of every ten clergymen in every deaconry be com-
missioned to study theology and canon law, prohibit-
ing the ordination of all who could not demonstrate
an adequate level of clerical education, “ut nullus nisi
litteratus ad clericatum promovetur” (unless literate,
do not make him a cleric), according to the Council of
Toledo of 1339. Albornoz’s own fi delity to his vows
and the requirements of ordination were said by all to
have been exemplary.
The death of Alfonso XI led Albornoz to fear disgrace
at the hands of Pedro I, the king’s successor. As a result,
he withdrew to the papal court at Avignon, where he
was made a cardinal in December 1350. His career in
the curia was as successful as it had been at the Court
of Castile. He was made papal legate and vicar general
of the Papal States, helping Pope Innocent VI to control
fi rmly their administration and dominate central Italy
politically. Between 1353 and 1360 Albornoz attempted
to revive the Angevin-Guelph alliance of the 1320s to
counter the power of the lords of Lombardy but, after
great sacrifi ce and expenditure, he failed to pacify the
Italian peninsula because of French inability to provide
continued support.
Throughout his life Albornoz remained fi rmly com-
mitted to the education of the clergy. He was especially
concerned with their preparation in canon law and
ecclesiastical administration. As a result, he founded
the Collegio di San Clemente, known as the Spanish
College, at the University of Bologna. In the will he
signed in 1364, he created the foundation to establish
the college as the universal heir to his fortune and, inALBORNOZ