Loaysa, Gracia De

Loaysa, Gracia De an eloquent Dominican preacher and Spanish cardinal, was born in 1479 at Talavera, Castile; entered the Dominican Order at St. Paul de Pennefiel in 1495, and was made successively professor of philosophy, next of theology, director of studies, rector at St. Gregory, prior of the convent of Avila and of Vallad(olid. provincial of Spain (1518), and finally general of his order. In 1532 he was chosen confessor to Charles V, of whom he had previously been a teacher. In the following year Charles V made him bishop of Osma. He admitted him into his private council, and very soon made him president of the Royal Council of the Indies, and president of the Crusade. Loavsa strongly opposed the release, without ransom or condition, of Francis I, king of France, made prisoner by Charles at Pavia. Succeeding events proved his counsel good. In 1530 Charles V obtained a cardinalship for him from pope Clement VII, and also the title St, Suzanne. In the same year he named him bishop of Siguenza, and also archbishop of Seville. Loaysa finally became grand inquisitor of Spain. He was frequently ambassador for Charles V, and kept up a private correspondence with him, some of the letters of which (from 1530 to 1532), embracing Charles's stay in Germany, the most important period in the history of the Reformation, are published by G. Heine from the archives of Simancas. These letters prove Loaysa very bitter against the "heretics." Loaysa (died April 21, 1546, at Madrid. See Antonio, Biblioth. Hispana Nova, 3:514; Richard, Scriptores Ordinis Praedicatorum, 2:39; Le P. Touron, Hommes illustres

de l'Ordre de Saint-Dominique, 4:93; Table du Journ. des Savans, volume 6; Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Generale, volume 31, s.v.; Vehse, Memoirs of the Court of Austria, 1:158 sq.; Thomas, Dict. of Biog. and Mythol. s.v.