The Spanish statesman, soldier, historian, and poet Pedro López de Ayala (1332-1407) was a towering figure in the Iberian Peninsula in the 14th century.

Pedro López de Ayala was born in Vitoria in the Basque country, and his long and fruitful life spans the reigns of six kings of Castile: Alfonso XI, Peter the Cruel, Henry II, John I, Henry III, and John II. He served all but the first and last of these kings, with ever-increasing importance and distinction. He was educated by his uncle, Cardinal Barroso, with whom he visited the papal court in Avignon. In 1353 he entered the royal household of Peter the Cruel. From then on his name is inextricably linked to the wars and civil strife that characterize the Castilian history of that period.

López de Ayala served King Peter well, until the rivalry between the King...