LUIS DE

AVILA Y ZUNIGA (c.1490 C. 1560)  , Spanish historian, was born at Placentia . He was probably of low origin, but married a wealthy heiress of the family of Zuniga, whose name he added to his own . He rose rapidly in the favour of the emperor Charles V., served as ambassador to Rome, and was made grand commander of the order of the Knights of Alcantara . He accompanied the emperor to Africa in 1541, and having served during the war of the league of Schmalkalden, wrote a history of this war entitled Commentaries de la guerra de Alemana, hecha de Carlos V en el alto de 1546 y 1547 . This was first printed in 1548, and becoming very popular was translated into French, Dutch, German, Italian and Latin . As may be expected from the author's intimacy with Charles, the book is very partial to the emperor, and its misrepresentations have been severely criticized .