Claudio Sánchez-Albornoz and Menduiña (1893-1984) was a Spanish historian, writer, and politician. His written works were related to the history of his country, especially that linked to medieval times, through the rescue of the dominions of Asturias, León, Castilla, Galicia and Navarra..
Sánchez Albornoz's work was extensive and prolific. His historical investigations were developed in areas such as politics, law, economics and institutions. One of his most prominent titles was Stamps of life in León a thousand years ago.
Regarding his political work, Claudio Sánchez Albornoz served as a minister during the Second Spanish Republic. He was also a deputy, councilor of the Cortes and ambassador; the writer received several awards, especially for his historical research.
Article index
Claudio Sánchez Albornoz was born on April 7, 1893 in Madrid. Information about his family is scarce, however, it is known that he received a good education. His first years of training were at the Institución Libre de Enseñanza.
He studied philosophy and letters at the Central University of Madrid, and graduated in 1913. The following year he obtained his doctorate through his thesis work under the title The monarchy in Asturias, León and Castilla during the 8th to 13th centuries. The royal authority and lordships.
The year after obtaining his doctorate, he began to work in the Facultative Body of Archives, Libraries and Museums. In 1918 he won the chair of Spanish history at the universities of Barcelona and Valladolid. Two years later he went to Madrid, and taught ancient and middle history of Spain at the Central University.
Subsequently, Sánchez Albornoz went to Austria to study at the University of Vienna, thanks to a scholarship awarded by the Board for the Expansion of Studies.
In 1918 Claudio Sánchez began to be linked with the Center for Historical Studies, there he was a disciple of Ramón Menéndez Pidal. Then he took over the teaching courses on medieval institutions, for more than seven years, from 1928 to 1936.
During that period he also collaborated in the creation of the magazine Yearbook of the History of Spanish Law. At the same time, he held the post of rector of the Central University for two years, between 1932 and 1934. In addition, in the 1930s he began his political stage and diplomatic career..
Sánchez Albornoz was on the side of the government of the Second Spanish Republic. Therefore, in 1931 he was the spokesperson for the political organization Acción Republicana, while recognizing the work of the politician Manuel Azaña, he also emphasized unconditional support for the constitutional project..
By supporting the new project, Sánchez also accepted the socialist elements, and above all the independence and autonomous nature of the Constitution. He asserted that the role of the Second Republic was one of profound changes, in order to guide it to the path of integral progress.
The 1930s marked a new stage in the life of Sánchez Albornoz, who always showed himself to be a liberal democrat and also a strong opponent of communism. From 1931 to 1936 he was elected on several occasions as a deputy for the town of Ávila.
The historian was also a counselor of Public Instruction between 1931 and 1933. Then he served as Minister of State, and in 1936 his political performance led him to be vice president of the Cortes; He was also the ambassador of Spain in Lisbon just when the Spanish Civil War broke out..
The position that Claudio Sánchez Albornoz began to exercise as ambassador in Lisbon in 1936, ceased that same year, when the governments of the countries involved broke relations. Later he went to France, and worked as a professor at a university in Bordeaux.
In 1940, when the Germans took over France, he made the decision to go live in Argentina. In Buenos Aires he served as director of the Institute of History of Spain in the main house of studies in that country. His years in the South American nation were dedicated to research studies.
During his years in Argentina, Sánchez Albornoz created an important school of medievalists and Hispanists. That was also the time when he was involved in a "discussion" with the philologist Américo Castro about the Being of Spain, a debate related to the identity of the European nation..
From 1962, and for nine years, he was in charge of the presidency of the government of the Spanish Republic, it was a representative function of the Second Republic in exile after the Constitution of 1931. After several decades outside his country, he returned for a short time in 1976.
After his first trip to Spain, after years of exile, Sánchez Albornoz decided to return permanently and permanently in 1983. Upon arrival he settled in the city of Ávila. However, due to a respiratory condition, he passed away a year later, on July 8, he was ninety-one years old..
- Member of the Royal Galician Academy.
- Member of the Royal Academy of History (1926).
- Adoptive Son of Asturias.
- Adoptive Son of the Province of León.
- Member of the Medieval Academy of America (1959).
- Grand Cross of the Civil Order of Alfonso X El Sabio.
- Grand Cross of the Order of Carlos III (1983).
- Prince of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities (1984).
The work of Claudio Sánchez Albornoz was characterized by the use of a cultured and elaborate language, aimed at understanding his historical research on Spain. The theme or content focused on the search for the past identity of the Spanish people through different aspects.
His investigative work was meticulous, precise and accurate. His interest was framed in the development of a structured prose on the medieval period of Spain, which was also deployed towards the study of the economy, politics, historiography and institutions of his nation..
Sánchez Albornoz's work was abundant, extending to various areas of Spanish history. Within his writings he developed books, articles and several monographs, he also raised the characteristics of Hispanic society; the following were some of his most outstanding titles:
- Stamps of life in León a thousand years ago (1926).
- Around the origins of feudalism (1942).
- Ruin and extinction of the Roman municipality in Spain and institutions that replace it (1943).
- Spain and Islam (1943).
- The Ajbar Maymu'a. Historiographic problems that it raises (1944).
- The Hispano-Gothic "Stipendium" and the origins of the prefeudal benefit (1947).
- A Hispanic-Christian city a millennium ago. Stamps of life in León (1947).
- Spain: a historical enigma (1956).
- History and freedom. Essays on historiology.
- Spaniards before history (1958).
- Yesterday and today (1958).
- Muslim Spain (1960).
- Studies on Spanish medieval institutions (1965).
- Depopulation and repopulation in the Duero Valley (1966).
- Research on medieval Hispanic historiography, 8th to 13th centuries (1967).
- Research and Documents on Hispanic Institutions (1970).
- Miscellany of historical studies (1970).
- From yesterday from Spain. Historical triptychs (1973).
- Essays on the history of Spain (1973).
- Basques and Navarrese in their early history (1974).
- The Islam of Spain and the West (1974).
- My political historical testament (1975).
- Origins of the Spanish nation. Critical studies on the history of the kingdom of Asturias (1975).
- Old and new studies on Spanish medieval institutions (1976).
- The land regime in the Asturian kingdom a thousand years ago (1978).
- The Asturleonian kingdom (722-1037). Society, economy, government, culture and life (1980).
- Studies on Galicia in the early Middle Ages (nineteen eighty one).
- Origins of the kingdom of Pamplona. Its link with the Ebro Valley (nineteen eighty one).
- From Islamic Andalusia to today (1983).
- The Spanish Middle Ages and the American company (1983).
- Santiago, made by Spain. Jacobean Studies (1993).
It was a work of historical content that Claudio Sánchez Albornoz wrote during his exile in Buenos Aires. This manuscript dealt with the idea or knowledge that was had about Spain. The author developed it from the anti-Spanish events of the 16th century until the Spanish Civil War.
This work was highlighted both for its theme and literary virtues, as well as for the breakdown that the historian made about the intellectual debate he held with Américo Castro on the identity of Spain. Sánchez Albornoz was placed at the top with this book, and received good reviews.
“I know that these, my ideas, have to be discussed and that some will be rectified, everything is doomed to age. But I am not a ghostly man capable of cold contemplation capable of cold contemplation of Spain… My soul embraces its disturbing destiny. I believe that students of history have a duty to contribute to the formation of a national conscience ".
Sánchez Albornoz through this group of essays reflected his patriotic sense, as well as the ideals and convictions he had about his country. In addition, it dealt with various topics on Spanish history, focused on the different libertarian battles that gave the nation its identity..
The historian stated that he was convinced that Spain, throughout its history, had coexisted with constant aspects, which in one way or another shaped its nature as a nation. Those "constants", according to Claudio Sánchez Albornoz, were linked to religion, especially with the Catholic.
In this work Claudio Sánchez Albornoz expressed his position in favor of the Reconquest. From his vision as a historian, Andalusia was rescued from Islam, a religion that he always opposed. His language towards Muslims in Spain, throughout the text, was strong.
The writer also expressed in this book his feeling of satisfaction at the departure or expulsion of Muslims from Spanish territory in medieval times. The Reconquest meant the liberation of, in his own words, "an arch-communist social and political regime".
“The Reconquest of our great medieval enterprise, a normal reaction against the treacherous Islamic invasion of Spain, not only forged our spirit, it made us capable of carrying out our American exploits, conquering the new world for Spain, for Western civilization and for Christ above all..
The Reconquest led us to be the sword of God on earth against Turks and heretics. The Reconquest in the key of the history of Spain. I have tested it exhaustively ".
The following newspaper articles were written by Sánchez Albornoz from 1977 to 1983 to The vanguard:
- The dream of a nigth of summer (1977).
- Porras Barrenechea (1977).
- Remembering the family nativity scene (1977).
- Facing an onslaught (1978).
- In my prison (1978).
- The dots on the i's (1978).
- And what are you? (1978).
- Some bitter truths (1978).
- Around my Castilian tacos (1978).
- Poor reconquest! (1979).
- The diffusion of the language. Anecdotes and reproaches (1979).
- My books (1979).
- In the homeland and in exile. Two lifes (1979).
- Requiem for the Madrid of my youth (1980).
- We must not forget the civil war (1980).
- Four Spanish kings transited from Spanish (1980).
- Christian Spain (1980).
- Today's youth. Pessimism (nineteen eighty one).
- Santiago, Toledo and Seville. In the forging of the Hispanic (nineteen eighty one).
- A cruel dream: Spain without reconquest (1982).
-… And if the Islamists had not invaded Spain (1982).
- The ones I've seen in my 90 years. Another war (1982).
- Projection of the Islamic invasion in Spanish cultural life (1982).
- The ups and downs of history (1983).
- The Hispanic American. A unique exhibition in Buenos Aires (1983).
Finally, it can be concluded that the work of Claudio Sánchez Albornoz served to renew, restructure and define the history of Spain. His exhaustive and in-depth studies gave another knowledge about Hispanicness, in addition he proved to be a man of solid and verifiable convictions and ideas.
Yet No Comments