 Vitoria’s thought inevitably depended—but not slavishly—on Thomas Aquinas, not only in his commentary on the Summa theologiae, but also in his relectiones and other writings on law and society. His admiration for “Divus Thomas” had already begun when he studied and later taught theology at Paris and Valladolid. At Paris, he had assisted in the preparation of Crockaert’s edition of the Summa theologiae, published in 1515. His lectures commenting on the Prima and the Prima secundae of the Summa are lost, but must have been quite successful. His most famous works were published after he was elected to the first chair of theology at the University of Salamanca in 1526, the most important professorship in the Spanish kingdom; and, contrary to the statutes of the university, he took the Summa theologiae as the basis for his teachings (Vitoria, Vorlesungen 1995: 36). His reflections on political topics, such as the political status of the Church and the Conquista in Mexico and South America, were followed attentively in the highest circles, even if not always approved, as Emperor Charles V’s harsh reaction to Vitoria’s lecture De Indis showed.