Martín Royas de Portalrubio

Martín Royas de Portalrubio also simply known as Martín Royas (1512 - 19 March 1577) was a Spanish Roman Catholic prelate who became the Bishop of Malta in 1572.

His Excellency Martín Royas de Portalrubio O.S.Io.Hieros.
Bishop of Malta
Church	Roman Catholic
Diocese	Malta
Appointed	5 November 1572
In office	1572-1577
Predecessor	Domenico Cubelles
Successor	Tomás Gargallo
Other posts	Inquisitor of Malta
Orders
Consecration	9 November 1572
Rank	Bishop
Personal details
Born	1512 Toledo, Spain
Died	19 March 1577 Rome, Papal States
Nationality	Spanish

Biography

Royas was born in Toledo, Spain in 1512. Upon the death of Domenico Cubelles in 1566, Philip II of Spain wanted to appoint Royas as Bishop of Malta, however Pope Pius V refused to accept the appointment. Consequently, the see was not filled until the death of Pius V when Royas was appointed as Bishop of Malta by Pope Gregory XIII on 5 November 1572. He was ordained in Rome a few days later on 9 November. Royas was also the second Inquisitor of Malta. During his episcopacy, Royas was renowned for accusing the Grandmaster of the order on numerous occasions to the Holy See. He also accused a number of members of the order of becoming Lutherans. Such clashes were due to his post as Inquisitor of Malta. The order was not contempt of having one person holding the offices of bishop and inquisitor of Malta simultaneously. In 1576, Royas left for Rome where he died on 19 March 1577.[1][2]

References

1. "Bishop Martín Rojas de Portalrubio, O.S.Io.Hieros.", Catholic Hierarchy. Retrieved on 05 July 2018.
2. Bonnici, Alexander; Schiavone, Michael J. (2007). Minn Publju sa Pawlu: L-Isqfijiet ta’ Malta, ta’ Ghawdex, u Isqfijiet Ohra Maltin [From Publius to Paul: The Bishops of Malta, Gozo, and Other Maltese Bishops] (in Maltese). Pieta: Pubblikazzjonijiet Indipendenza. p. 8. ISBN 978-99932-41-91-08-4. OCLC 254299827.CS1 maint: ignored ISBN errors (link)