Royal Academy of History

The Royal Academy of History (Spanish: Real Academia de la Historia, RAH) is Spain's premier institution for historical research, located in Madrid. Founded by royal decree of Philip V on 18 April 1738, the academy studies history in its broadest sense, encompassing what its charter describes as "ancient and modern, political, civil, ecclesiastical, military, scientific, of letters and arts, that is to say, the different branches of life, of civilisation, and of the culture of the Spanish people." The institution serves as a scholarly body dedicated to investigating the full scope of Spanish and Ibero-American history, and it publishes the Boletín de la Real Academia de la Historia as its official journal.

The academy's origins trace to 1735, when a circle of scholars began meeting at the home of Julián Hermosilla, a magistrate of the royal councils, to discuss historical topics. These gatherings soon moved to the newly founded Royal Library, and the group sought official royal patronage. Philip V granted this through a royal decree on 18 April 1738, with statutes confirmed by royal certificate on 17 June of the same year. The founding decree charged the academy with investigating "the important truth of events, banishing fables introduced by ignorance or malice, and bringing to knowledge many things that antiquity has obscured or neglect has buried." In 1785, Charles III ordered the academy moved to the Casa de la Panadería on the Plaza Mayor, where its library had already been housed since 1775. A pivotal moment came in 1836 under the government of Juan Álvarez Mendizábal, when the academy received a large transfer of codices, manuscripts, and books from upson monastic confiscations, along with its permanent building. The official transfer was ordered on 23 July 1837, though the academy did not fully occupy the premises until 1874. Since 1 January 1938, the RAH has formed part of the Instituto de España.

As the former principal Spanish institution for antiquaries, the Royal Academy of History maintains substantial libraries and collections of antiquities. These holdings are not open to the general public. The collections span manuscripts, codices, and archaeological objects, reflecting the academy's long-standing role in preserving Spain's documentary and material heritage. The keeper of antiquities is the prehistorian Martín Almagro Gorbea.

Among the academy's most significant possessions are several items of exceptional historical and artistic importance. These include the Glosas Emilianenses, early medieval glosses crucial for the study of the Spanish language, the Códice de Roda, an important medieval manuscript, and the San Millán Beatus, a notable illuminated manuscript. The collection also holds the Missorium of Theodosius I, a large ceremonial silver dish probably crafted in Constantinople to commemorate the tenth anniversary (decennalia) in 388 of Emperor Theodosius I's reign, the last ruler of both the Eastern and Western Roman Empires. This piece ranks among the finest surviving examples of Late Antique imperial imagery and late Roman goldsmith work.

Since 1836 the academy has occupied the Nuevo Rezado, an 18th-century neoclassical building at 21 Calle del León in Madrid, designed by Juan de Villanueva, the architect best known for the Museo del Prado. The structure was originally built beginning in 1788 to house the prayer books (libros de rezos) of the Hieronymite order from El Escorial, which explains the grill (parrilla) of Saint Lawrence on its facade. Contemporary chronicles record public admiration when the doorposts and lintel arrived in Madrid drawn by twenty-eight pairs of oxen. The building's architecture is notably austere in ornamentation but employs grand proportions and precious materials. Renovations were carried out between 1871 and 1874 under architect Eduardo Saavedra. The building was declared a national monument (Monumento Nacional) in 1945. In 1974 the complex expanded to incorporate the adjacent Palacio del Marqués de Molins and a house on Calle de las Huertas, giving the academy ownership of the entire block bounded by Calles León, Huertas, Amor de Dios, and Santa María.

The Royal Academy of History is headquartered in Madrid, Spain, and operates under the patronage of the Spanish monarch, currently Felipe VI. Its governance is vested in a Junta de Gobierno (Governing Board) that meets weekly. The institution is composed of up to 36 numerary members plus corresponding academics. Since 12 December 2014, the academy has been directed by Carmen Iglesias, the first woman to hold this position. The RAH maintains active communication with numerous counterpart institutions across Ibero-America, including national history academies in Venezuela, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Argentina, and other countries. The academy has also engaged in public outreach, notably a 2015 collaboration with Metro de Madrid to provide historical information about figures commemorated in station names. Its major scholarly publication, the Diccionario Biográfico Español, was launched in print in 2011 and became available as the Diccionario Biográfico Electrónico in 2018.