Albornoz, Juan de

Juan de Albornoz, a native of Cuenca and a protégé of Zayas, was secretary to the Duke of Alba from 1565. The correspondence he maintained with the Spanish court, preserved in the General Archive of Simancas and partially published in Codoin and Carvajal is a source of basic documentation regarding the conflict in the Netherlands. Albornoz, who takes on the task of finding BAM lodging «that doesn't cost him a penny» as soon as he arrives in Antwerp, will venerate the greatness of the man from Fregenal for the rest of his life, hence his reproach to Zayas for having been so stingy in assigning BAM a salary, given the scarcity of resources necessary for life in Flanders (cf. Carvajal, «Elogio histórico», pp. 150-151, doc. no. 28). The correspondence between Albornoz and BAM is also revealing: one such exchange resulted in Albornoz's letter to Zayas, dated March 19, 1572, in which, at BAM's own urging, Albornoz presses the king's secretary to expedite BAM's departure for Rome (cf. Carvajal, «Elogio histórico», p. 164, doc. no. 38). Furthermore, BAM's letter to Albornoz, dated November 16, 1571, is one of the key documents for a thorough understanding of the motivations, drafting, and impact of the Index expurgatorius of 1571 (cf. Carvajal, «Elogio histórico», pp. 154-155, doc. no. 33). Finally, we cite here the interesting block of correspondence between Albornoz and BAM preserved in the Library of the Liria Palace (ADA, C. 28-168ff): these letters are testimonies to the deep friendship that united the king's chaplain and the right-hand man of the Duke of Alba. BAM addressed him to negotiate all matters concerning the court of Brussels, also requesting personal favors such as the hiring of servants; Albornoz was also the one who informed BAM of what was happening in Spain «porque no teniéndolo por mano de vuestra merced o no lo recibo o, si hay algo que oyga, no lo creo» (cf. 1571 11 24).

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