Martín de León Cárdenas

Martín de León Cárdenas, O.S.A. (1585 – 15 November 1655) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Palermo (1650–1655),[1] Bishop of Pozzuoli (1631–1650),[2] and Bishop of Trivento (1630–1631).[3]

Most Reverend Martín de León Cárdenas
Archbishop of Palermo
Church	Catholic Church
Archdiocese	Archdiocese of Palermo
In office	1650–1655
Predecessor	Fernando Andrade Castro
Successor	Pietro Jerónimo Martínez y Rubio
Orders
Consecration	20 May 1630 by Laudivio Zacchia
Personal details
Born	1585 Archidona, Spain
Died	15 November 1655 (age 70) Palermo, Italy
Previous post	Bishop of Trivento (1630–1631) Bishop of Pozzuoli (1631–1650)

Biography

Martín de León Cárdenas was born in Archidona, Spain in 1585 and ordained a priest in the Order of Saint Augustine.[4][5] On 13 May 1630, he was appointed during the papacy of Pope Urban VIII as Bishop of Trivento.[3][4] On 20 May 1630, he was consecrated bishop by Laudivio Zacchia, Cardinal-Priest of San Pietro in Vincoli.[4] On 7 April 1631, he was appointed during the papacy of Pope Urban VIII as Bishop of Pozzuoli.[2][4] On 27 August 1650, he was appointed during the papacy of Pope Innocent X as Archbishop of Palermo.[1][4] He served as Archbishop of Palermo until his death on 15 November 1655.[1][4]

Between 1608 and 1615 Cárdenas wrote a picaresque novel, The Orphan's Story, describing a young boy's travels in the Spanish Empire, with locations including Lima, Potosi, Puerto Rico and Cadiz, and accounts of Sir Francis Drake's attack on Puerto Rico and the sacking of Cádiz. The Puerto Rico account includes a letter from one of the generals who fought Drake there.[6] Cardenas arranged for the novel's publication in 1621 under the nom de plume of Andrés de León, but it remained unpublished, and the manuscript was only rediscovered in 1965.[6]

Episcopal succession

While bishop, he was the principal co-consecrator of:[4]

• Gaspar de Borja y Velasco, Archbishop of Seville (1630);
• Tommaso d'Ancora (Ariconi), Bishop of Mottola (1630); and
• Gil Carrillo de Albornoz, Archbishop of Taranto (1630).

References

1. Gauchat, Patritius (Patrice) (1935). Hierarchia catholica medii et recentioris aevi. Vol. IV. Münster: Libraria Regensbergiana. p. 272. (in Latin)
2. Gauchat, Patritius (Patrice) (1935). Hierarchia catholica medii et recentioris aevi. Vol. IV. Münster: Libraria Regensbergiana. p. 289. (in Latin)
3. Gauchat, Patritius (Patrice) (1935). Hierarchia catholica medii et recentioris aevi. Vol. IV. Münster: Libraria Regensbergiana. p. 345. (in Latin)
4. Cheney, David M. "Archbishop Martín de León Cárdenas, O.S.A." Catholic-Hierarchy.org. Retrieved June 16, 2018.^{self-published}
5. Chow, Gabriel. "Archbishop Martín de León y Cárdenas, O.E.S.A." GCatholic.org. Retrieved June 16, 2018.^{self-published}
6. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/02/novel-lost-for-400-years-sheds-light-on-spains-imperial-heights

External links and additional sources

• Cheney, David M. "Diocese of Trivento". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. Retrieved June 18, 2018. (for Chronology of Bishops) ^{[self-published]}
• Chow, Gabriel. "Diocese of Trivento (Italy)". GCatholic.org. Retrieved June 18, 2018. (for Chronology of Bishops) ^{[self-published]}
• Cheney, David M. "Diocese of Pozzuoli". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. Retrieved June 16, 2018. (for Chronology of Bishops)^{self-published}
• Chow, Gabriel. "Diocese of Pozzuoli". GCatholic.org. Retrieved June 16, 2018. (for Chronology of Bishops)^{self-published}
• Cheney, David M. "Archdiocese of Palermo". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. Retrieved June 16, 2018. (for Chronology of Bishops) ^{[self-published]}
• Chow, Gabriel. "Metropolitan Archdiocese of Palermo (Italy)". GCatholic.org. Retrieved June 16, 2018. (for Chronology of Bishops) ^{[self-published]}