Garcilaso de la Vega
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For the Peruvian writer, Garcilaso de la Vega, see Inca Garcilaso de la Vega
Garcilaso de la Vega (b.1503-1536 in Toledo, Spain) was a Spanish poet/soldier of the Siglo de Oro. He is recognized by many as among the greatest Spanish writers of all time.
His father was the poet Íñigo López de Mendoza, marqués de Santillana, and his mother was Fernán Pérez de Guzmán. De la Vega was a follower of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor of Spain and identified himself with the Emperor's causes. He saw combat in the Castilian War of the Communities, and later served against the Ottomans near Vienna, Austria. He was injured in battle at Tunisia. For his service, De la Vega was made a knight in the Order of Santiago.
Upon returning from war, de la Vega lost the favor of Charles V through his part in an attempt to mary his nephew to one of the Empress's maids-of-honor. The Emperor disaproved of this marriage, and punished de la Vega, imprisoning him for several months on an island in the Danube. Upon his release, he retired to Naples (ruled by Charles V at the time) for several years.
During his interwar years, de la Vega wrote many well known poems and books. His works were favored by many members of Spain's high society, and published in many languages. De la Vega adapted the the Italian 11-syllable line to Spanish poetry. In 1543 Garcilaso's work was published with that of his friend Juan Boscán Almogáver, who had introduced the Italian 11 line style to Spain during the reign of Ferdinand V.
Having regained the Emperor's trust, he went to war once again in the service of the crown, this time to Nice, France after Francis I of France allied himself with Suleiman the Magnificent. De la Vega was struck in the head by a stone while leading an assault on a tower in Le Muy, France. He died from his injury shortly thereafter. Seeking vengeance for his friend's death, Charles V had all the French soldiers involved in de la Vega's death executed.
Among his most famous literature works are "Hora de Nuestra Senora" and "Garcilaso sin Comento".
He was posthumously given the title of "Prince of Castilean Poets".
External links
- Page about Garcilaso de la Vega (http://www.garcilaso.org/) - in Spanish.de:Garcilaso de la Vega