Accounts of contemporary historians of Petrus Hispanus, the pope John XXI

Abstract

Following the publication of Tractatus (later called Summule Logicales) by L. M. de Rijk in 1972, along with other works by several authors, it is generally accepted that the Summule were written by the Portuguese author Pedro Hispano, Pope John XXI. In an article titled Petrus Hispanus Op, auctor Summularum, published in 1997, Angel d'Ors challenges this tradition and argues that the pontiff was not the author of the work, but rather a certain Petrus Hispanicus, a Dominican monk. His arguments are worth considering and open the door for further and deeper investigation. For now, we take the opportunity to transcribe, translate into Portuguese, and comment on the important accounts of two historians, contemporaries of Pope John XXI: the Dominican Martino Polono and the Franciscan Salimbene Adam. Despite their differences, both authors, like many of their contemporaries, agree on one point: he was a remarkable man with extensive knowledge in many sciences.