15th Century Spanish Literature: Key Works & Authors
15th Century Spanish Literature
The fifteenth century is the time when the Castilian language definitively settles as dominant in educated lyric poetry. Before then, poets of Castile, influenced by earlier traditions, preferably employed Galician-Portuguese in their compositions. 15th-century learned poetry, of a courtly character, emerged among the nobility and was centered around the courts of kings.
This courtly poetry is compiled in cancioneros, anthologies that brought together works by one or several authors. Among the most prominent are the Cancionero de Baena and Cancionero de Estúñiga.
The themes of the poetry of cancioneros are varied (mockery, death, religion, etc.), but love stands out, conceived as a courtly and literary game. This love poetry shows the influence of 12th and 13th-century Provençal lyric poetry, based on the themes of courtly love. Love, often frustrated, is presented as an overwhelming force.
Jorge Manrique: Coplas a la Muerte de su Padre
Born in 1440 in Paredes de Nava or Segura de la Sierra, Jorge Manrique was the son of Count Don Rodrigo Manrique, belonging to one of the oldest and most illustrious families of Castile. He was also a Knight of Santiago.
Ballads
Ballads were a form of poetry popular in the Middle Ages. The word “romance” comes from *Romanus*, deriving from Latin.
At a literary level, it designates a poetic composition that has its origin in epic poems. Ballads were sung to the sound of an instrument. They were typically short verses, around 20-30-60 lines, composed of an indefinite number of eight-syllable verses, with assonant rhyme in the even-numbered lines.
The authors of these early ballads are anonymous.
All ballads are divided into two categories:
- Old Ballads (Romancero Viejo): Anonymous ballads from the late 14th and 15th centuries, retaining the epic spirit.
- New Ballads (Romancero Nuevo): Ballads from the 16th and 17th centuries by well-known authors, often lacking the epic sense of the older ballads. Some authors include Cervantes, Lope de Vega, and Luis de Góngora. These works spread throughout Europe.
El Conde Lucanor
El Conde Lucanor is a collection of tales that offer advice on how to act in life’s conflicts: how to recognize a true friend, how to increase one’s fame, etc. Some tales are original, belonging to the traditions of the time. Unlike Alfonso X, Don Juan Manuel did not translate the works, but rather recreated them, setting the environment, developing the personality of the characters, and adapting them to the times.
Medieval Theater
Medieval theater was often represented in religious temples. Its main purpose was to show the faithful a few truths of faith that were difficult to understand. The oldest surviving play is the Representación de los Reyes Magos (The Play of the Magi): 147 polymetric verses, telling the story of Melchior, Gaspar, and Balthazar, who discover a new star in the sky and interpret it as a sign that the Messiah has been born. They communicate to Herod their intention of going to worship the Messiah. Herod calls his counselors, and the narration is interrupted.
15th Century: A Time of Change
The fifteenth century was a period of great political change in Spain, marked by wars, rebellions, killings, and struggles for the succession of kingdoms.
Key events and figures:
- 1469: The marriage of Isabel I of Castile and Ferdinand V of Aragon represented the union of Castile, Aragon, and Navarre.
- 1492:
- End of the Reconquista with the fall of Granada.
- Discovery of America.
- Publication of the first grammar of the Castilian language, developed by Nebrija.
- Expulsion of the Jews and Moors.
The reign of Ferdinand and Isabella brought about the religious and political unification of Spain.