CLAVIJO, RUY GONZALEZ DE (d. 1412), Spanish traveller of the 15th
century, whose narrative is the first important one of its kind
contributed to Spanish literature, was a native of Madrid, and belonged
to a family of some antiquity and position. On the return of the
ambassadors Pelayo de Sotomayor and Hernan Sanchez de Palazuelos from
the court of Timur, Henry III. of Castille determined to send another
embassy to the new lord of Western Asia, and for this purpose he
selected Clavijo, Gomez de Salazar (who died on the outward journey),
and a master of theology named Fray Alonzo Paez de Santa Maria. They
sailed from St Mary Port near Cadiz on the 22nd of May 1403, touched at
the Balearic Isles, Gaeta and Rhodes, spent some time at Constantinople,
sailed along the southern coast of the Black Sea to Trebizond, and
proceeded inland by Erzerum, the Ararat region, Tabriz, Sultanieh,
Teheran and Meshed, to Samarkand, where they were well received by the
conqueror. Their return was at last accomplished, in part after Timur's
death, and with countless difficulties and dangers, and they landed in
Spain on the 1st of March 1406. Clavijo proceeded at once to the court,
at that time in Alcala de Henares, and served as chamberlain till the
king's death (in the spring of 1406-1407); he then returned to Madrid,
and lived there in opulence till his own death on the 2nd of April 1412.
He was buried in the chapel of the monastery of St Francis, which he had
rebuilt at great expense.