Augustinian bishop. Born at Fuentellana, Castile, Spain, he was the son of a miller. He studied at the University of Alcala, earned a licentiate in theology, and became a professor there at the age of twenty-six. He declined the chair of
philosophy at the university of
Salamanca and instead entered the Order of St Augustine at Salamanca in 1516. Ordained in 1520, he served as
prior of several houses in Salamanca, Burgos, and Valladolid, as
provincial ofAndal usia and Castile, and then court
chaplain to Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (r. 1519-1556). During his
time as
provincial of Castile, he dispatched the first Augustinian missionaries to the New World. They subsequently helped evangelize the area of modern Mexico. He was offered but declined the see of Granada, but accepted appointment as
archbishop of
Valencia in 1544. As the see had been vacant for nearly a century, Thomas devoted much effort to restoring the spiritual and material
life of the archdiocese. He was also deeply committed to the needs of the poor. He held the post of grand almoner of the poor, founded colleges for the
children of new converts and the poor, organized priests for service among the Moors, and was renowned for his personal saintliness and austerities. While he did not attend the sessions of the Council of Trent, he was an ardent promoter of the Tridentine reforms throughout Spain
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