Garcilaso de la Vega
For the Peruvian writer, Garcilaso de la Vega, see Inca Garcilaso de la VegaGarcilaso 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 marry his nephew to one of the Empress's maids-of-honor. The Emperor disapproved 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 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 Señora" and "
Garcilaso sin Comento".
He was posthumously given the title of "Prince of
Castilian Poets".
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Page about Garcilaso de la Vega - in
Spanish.
