López de Ayala, Pedro, 1332-1407, Spanish statesman, poet, and chronicler. As a royal official in Castile, he served Peter the Cruel, Henry II, John I, and Henry III, rising to become chancellor of Castile (1398-1407). He is best known for his chronicle of the reigns of the four kings he served; avoiding the fantastic interpretations of earlier historians, he wrote with accuracy and realism. His Cronicas is one of the earliest and useful histories of Spain. He also wrote a satiric poem, Rimado de Palacio, on the social and political problems of his era, and translated Livy, Boccaccio, and others.