Historian of Spain, born near Anghiera, Italy, 1451; died Granada, Spain, 1526. At Rome he met the Spanish ambassador whom he accompanied to Spain, where he became noted among the humanists, and was patronized by Ferdinand and Isabella. He was sent to Egypt on a mission to the sultan. Charles V made him Count Palatine, and Pope Clement VII, Abbot of Jamaica, an island which he never visited. He was the first to realize the significance of the Gulf Stream. His work as chronicler to the State Council of India is notable. His writings include the first account of Spanish discoveries in the New World, the voyages of Columbus, Balboa, etc., and an account of Egypt. He collected letters of contemporary Spanish history.