Robert Ignatius was born in San Francisco (USA) in 1921. He studied theology and two Doctorates in History, one at the University of Friburg, versed in the Indians of North America, and the second at John Hopkins University, which dealt with King Jaume I and the Valencian Church, with the title El Regne croat de València, with the aim of analyzing how the Church was organized in a territory that had just won Islam.

He specialized in the kingdom of Jaume I and the conquest of the Kingdom of Valencia, the post conquest organization and very particularly the situation of the Islamic population that remained in the country under Christian rule.

He combined the research work with university education, at the University of San Francisco, the Gregorian University of Rome and the University of California since 1967.

Top publications:

• L'Islam sota els Croats
• Medieval Colonialism: Postharvest exploitation of Islamic València
• The region croat of València, a border country to the thirteenth century
• Jaume I els valencians del segle XIII
• Moros, cristians i jueus in the regne croat of València

Awards:

• Premi de la Crítica Serra d'Or
• Premi Catalònia de l'Institut d'Estudis Catalans
• Ramon Llull International Award
• Creu de Sant Jordi of the Generalitat de Catalunya