Spanish Renaissance literature
In 1492, the Catholic Monarchs completed the Reconquista by expelling the last Muslim governors from their possessions in Spain. This political unification coincided with the arrival of printing presses to the Iberian Peninsula. From that year onward, printers began operating within Spanish borders. The papacy of two Valencians named Calixto III and Alejandro VI narrowed cultural relations between Castile, Aragón, and Rome. These religious leaders facilitated a remarkable interchange between Italy and Spain during the second half of the fifteenth century. Literary works of greatest prominence were published or translated into Italy, which served as the center for early printing. Amadís de Gaula and The Celestina appeared alongside poetic compositions by Jorge Manrique. Íñigo López de Mendoza, known as the first Marquess of Santillana, also contributed to this era. Popular productions such as romances and carols circulated widely. Italian works like Jerusalén liberata by Torquato Tasso found their way into Spain. Hispanic-Italian relations brought intellectual ferment to the peninsula. This exchange precipitated the start of the Spanish Renaissance.
Antonio de Nebrija published his Gramática Castellana in 1492. It was the first grammar produced by any Romance language. At this time, Castilian became the official language of Spain, replacing Latin. Cardinal Gonzalo Jiménez de Cisneros acted as a great patron during the Renaissance. He put his greatest effort into reforming the indisciplined customs of the religious orders. In 1498 he founded the University of Alcalá de Henares. That institution surpassed all others in prestige except the University of Salamanca. Erasmus ideas influenced the direction of his reform. Pedro Mexía compiled miscellaneous scientific information that reflected the Renaissance tendency towards idealization. He believed wisdom could be extracted from common people whose pure tradition had conserved it. Bartolomé de las Casas promoted colonial activity principles based on rationality. He argued that war is irrational and opposite to civilization. Francisco de Vitoria rejected metaphysical arguments in favor of studying real political problems raised by contemporary life. He established basic concepts of modern international law based on natural law rules.
The poetry of this period divides into two distinct schools: the Salmantine and the Sevillian. Fray Luis de León represents the Salmantine School with its concise language and simple ideas. This group preferred realistic themes and short verse forms. The Sevillian school included Fernando de Herrera and produced grandiloquent, extremely polished works. They focused on meditation rather than feeling and used long complex verses filled with adjectives. A key date for innovation arrived in 1526 when Andrea Navagiero encouraged Juan Boscán to try sonnets in Castilian. Boscán introduced the Italian eleven-syllable verse and strophes to Castilian poetry. Garcilaso de la Vega served as a courtesan and soldier during imperial times. His poetry linked him to influences like Virgil, Petrarch, and Sannazaro. He began to concern himself with the beauty of the outer world and feminine beauty. Elements of a new style impelled him to idealize love. Juan Boscán translated Il Cortegiano from Baldassare Castiglione in 1528. This work became a Renaissance model prose example. The poem Hero and Leandro by Boscán dealt with classic legendary and mythological themes.
Alonso de Ercilla was born into a noble family in Madrid, Spain. He occupied positions in the household of Prince Philip before joining a military expedition to Chile. He distinguished himself in the campaign against the Araucanians but quarreled with a comrade. In 1558 his general García Hurtado de Mendoza condemned him to death. The sentence was commuted to imprisonment, yet he fought at the Battle of Quipeo on December 14 that same year. He was exiled to Peru and returned to Spain in 1562. He wrote La Araucana, an epic poem about the Spanish Conquest of Chile. It was considered the national epic of the Captaincy General of Chile. Cristóbal de Castillejo stood out within the traditional line with loving poems fit for courteous topics. His satires have been admired as full of the ideal of Erasmo. He opposed the Italianizing school and defended the national language of the new empire. He postulated that this language would surpass the insubstantialness of existing Castilian songs. This vitality meant incorporating folkloric and traditional elements alongside populist tendencies.
Santa Teresa de Jesús entered the monastery leaving her parents home secretly. She experienced periods of spiritual ecstasy through devotional books. Various friends suggested her knowledge was diabolical, though her confessor reassured her of divine inspiration. Her most important writings include The Life of Teresa of Jesus and The Interior Castle. San Juan de la Cruz studied philosophy at the University of Salamanca. In 1577 he was jailed in Toledo after refusing to relocate following his superior orders. He later wrote The Spiritual Canticle and The Dark Night of the Soul. Fray Luis de León obtained a chair in Theology at the University of Salamanca in 1561. He translated the Song of Songs but was denounced to the Inquisition and imprisoned for four years. During the reign of Felipe II from 1557 to 1597 religious prose had its greater boom in Spain. The religiosity of the monarch and the spirit of the Counterreformation contributed to this genre's importance. Didactic literature included Apologetics, Ascetic rules, and Mystic contemplation methods.
Amadís de Gaula by Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo is a landmark work among chivalric romances. Its first version was written at the onset of the fourteenth century before printing began. Dozens of sequels appeared in Spanish, Italian, and German during the decades following publication. Miguel de Cervantes wrote Don Quixote as a burlesque attack on the resulting genre. La Diana by Jorge de Montemayor appeared around 1558 as the first Spanish pastoral novel text. Lope de Vega and Miguel de Cervantes later cultivated this narrative type. The Lazarillo de Tormes published anonymously in 1554 narrates the life of a boy named Lázaro de Tormes. It follows his birth until he marries the servant of an archpriest in Toledo. He serves several masters who mistreat him and give him very little to eat. This book inaugurated the picaresque novel and stands out for its originality. It represents a literature based on reality rather than idealism or religiosity. The story is autobiographical and follows a chronological order with irony and dialogue.
Common questions
When did the Spanish Renaissance literature begin and what event triggered it?
The Spanish Renaissance began in 1492 when the Catholic Monarchs completed the Reconquista and printing presses arrived on the Iberian Peninsula. This political unification coincided with the start of literary exchange between Italy and Spain during the second half of the fifteenth century.
Who published the first grammar for a Romance language in 1492?
Antonio de Nebrija published his Gramática Castellana in 1492, which was the first grammar produced by any Romance language. At this time Castilian became the official language of Spain replacing Latin.
What are the two distinct poetry schools of the Spanish Renaissance period?
The poetry of this period divides into the Salmantine School represented by Fray Luis de León and the Sevillian school including Fernando de Herrera. The Salmantine group preferred realistic themes and short verse forms while the Sevillian school focused on meditation using long complex verses filled with adjectives.
Which epic poem about the Spanish Conquest of Chile was written by Alonso de Ercilla?
Alonso de Ercilla wrote La Araucana an epic poem about the Spanish Conquest of Chile that was considered the national epic of the Captaincy General of Chile. He distinguished himself in the campaign against the Araucanians before being exiled to Peru and returning to Spain in 1562.
When did religious prose experience its greater boom during the reign of Felipe II?
Religious prose had its greater boom in Spain during the reign of Felipe II from 1557 to 1597. This genre's importance resulted from the religiosity of the monarch and the spirit of the Counterreformation which contributed to didactic literature including Apologetics and Mystic contemplation methods.