Who was Francisco de Vitoria?
FRANCISCO DE VITORIA
(1485-1546)
WHO WAS HE?
The UFV is named after the Spanish Dominican friar Fray Francisco de Vitoria, a great theologian, philosopher and jurist of the 16th century, who was a professor at the universities of Paris, Valladolid and Salamanca.
Francisco de Vitoria was born in Burgos in 1485. At the age of 20 he entered the novitiate of the Order of Preachers (better known as the Dominican Order), where he began his humanistic studies. The Dominicans, an order founded by Saint Dominic de Guzman in the 13th century, have been famous in history for their work in favor of the advancement of intellectual knowledge and the dissemination of truth. Among them are great university teachers such as St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Albert the Great and Francisco de Vitoria himself.
In 1508, Fray Francisco joined one of the colleges that were part of the Sorbonne University: the College of Santiago. In Paris he received the degrees of Licentiate and Doctor. In 1522, he moved to the College of St. Gregory of the University of Valladolid where, for three years, he explained the Summa of Theology of St. Thomas Aquinas. There he received the last degree that the Dominican Order granted to its professors: the Magister in Sacred Theology. In 1526 he won the Chair Prima of Theology at the University of Salamanca, then one of the most prestigious universities in the world. He continued to teach there until his death.
In his classes he dealt with the most topical subjects and was attended by students and professors alike. His teaching ability was extraordinary, his students admired him so much that they called him “the master” and even men of government came to him for advice. He founded the famous School of Salamanca, to which influential jurists and theologians of the stature of Melchor Cano, Domingo Báñez, Domingo de Soto and Francisco Suárez belonged. He is considered the father of modern international law and the main defender of the human rights of the American Indians.
During the twenty years he spent in Salamanca, he faced the greatest intellectual challenges of his time, renewing methods and themes, and originating a true current of theological-legal thought destined to have enormous repercussions. His work revolved around the dignity and moral problems of the human condition. He was especially influential for his juridical contributions, although his studies on theology and on moral aspects of economics also had great repercussions. His teachings have been preserved in thirteen relections – solemn lessons – dedicated, among other topics, to homicide, marriage, civil and ecclesiastical power, relations between the Council and the Pope, just war and the conflicts arising from the Discovery of America, the incorporation of those territories into the Spanish Crown and peace and respect in relations with the Indians. Together with these relections, written and published by his disciples, other writings have also been preserved.
As one of his best disciples said: some may know more than he did, but not even ten together could teach like him. His thought has had a very great influence and still retains its relevance today. Following his example, the work of the UFV can be summarized in research, teaching and service to society, and many of his qualities inspire our daily work today: strength, scientific rigor, broadmindedness, respect for everything and everyone, and a great passion for the search for truth and the defense of human rights.