Altamira y Crevea, Rafaél

Altamira y Crevea, Rafaél (räfäĕl` ältämē`rä ē krāvā`ä), 1866–1951, Spanish jurist and historian. He was appointed professor of the history of the law in the universities at Oviedo (1897), Madrid (1914), and Mexico City (1945), and he served (1921–45) as a judge of the Permanent Court of International Justice (the World Court). Among his numerous works on education, social science, literature, law, and history, his Historia de España y de la civilización española (5 vol., 1913–29; tr. A History of Spanish Civilization, 1930) is the best known.