Doctor in Law from the Complutense University of Madrid, Professor of History of Law and Institutions at the University of Castilla-La Mancha. He has been Dean, now Honorary, of the Faculty of Legal and Social Sciences of the University of Castilla-La Mancha in Toledo, and Director and Honorary Fellow of the "Diego de Covarrubias" Major of the Complutense University of Madrid. Full Member of the Real Academia Matritense de Heráldica y Genealogía and Corresponding Member of the Real Academia de Jurisprudencia y Legislación and of the Real y Sevillana de Buenas Letras.
He is also a Corresponding Academician of the National Academy of History of Argentina and of the Chilean Academy of History. Patron of the Institute of Historical and Hospitaller Studies of the Order of Malta (Icomal), former Deputy Director of the Centre for Political and Constitutional Studies and Secretary of the International Institute for the History of Indian Law. Former Vice-Commissioner of the National Exhibition "The world Cervantes lived in", commemorating the 4th centenary of the publication of Don Quixote. Member of the Board of Honour of the Anuario de Historia del Derecho Español.
Commander of the Royal and Distinguished Spanish Order of Charles III, Commander of the Civil Order of Alfonso X the Wise, Distinguished Cross of First Class of the Order of San Raimundo de Peñafort, Commander of the Royal Order of the Polar Star (Sweden) and Venera of the Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle. National History Award (2016). Chronicler of the Villa de Madrid. In 2013, he was elected academic secretary of the Institution.
Elected full member of the Royal Academy of History on 13 April 2007; took up his post on 8 March 2009.