Juan Manuel
Juan Manuel | |
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Blanca de La Cerda y Lara | |
Issue |
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Father | Beatrice of Savoy |
Some confusion exists about his names and titles. Juan Manuel often refers to himself in his books as "Don Juan, son of infante don Manuel". But some 19th and early 20th century scholars started calling him infante, a title he did not possess, as in medieval Castile only the sons of kings were called infantes (and he was the grandson of Fernando III).[2] The same applies for the title of Duke and Prince of Villena, that he received from Alfonso IV and Pedro IV of Aragón. As these titles follow the Aragonese nobiliary traditions, they were of little interest to the Castilian author, to the point that he never used them in his writings or correspondence, and they have only been associated to him by a handful of scholars.[2]
Biography
Juan Manuel was born in the Castle of
In 1304 he was entrusted by the queen mother, Doña María de Molina, to conduct political negotiations with James II of Aragon on behalf of her son, Ferdinand IV, then under age. The diplomacy was successful and Juan Manuel's marriage to James II's daughter, Constance, added to his prestige.[3]
Juan Manuel gave the hand of his daughter Constanza in marriage to
On the death of his wife Constance in 1327, Don Juan Manuel strengthened his position by marrying Doña
Finally, the Pope brought about reconciliation between Juan Manuel and Alfonso XI. This reconciliation was not complete until 1340, when Juan Manuel and Alfonso allied against the Muslims in the Battle of Río Salado, taking the city of Algeciras. After these events, Juan Manuel left political life and retired to Castillo de Garcimuñoz, where he spent his last years focused on literature. Proud of his works, he decided to compile them all in a single volume. This compilation was destroyed in a fire, with no known copy preserved.
Juan Manuel died at Córdoba in 1348, at the age of sixty-six.
Works
Throughout his life, he wrote approximately thirteen books, of which only eight are preserved today. These works are predominantly didactic. Following the path of his uncle,
While his writings were directed largely to a literate class, it was nonetheless his assumption that they would be read aloud, as was common during the Middle Ages. He is ever conscious of propriety, and speaks carefully, both because of his elevated rank, and in case women or children should hear what he has written. His works reflect his character, ambitions, and beliefs, so that in many ways they are a mirror of his time and circumstances.
Juan Manuel's work is marked by a great preoccupation both with the practical and the spiritual life, and is directed not only to the nobility, but also to lower estates, since much of his work speaks not only of the duties of lords, but of their vassals as well. While his work is often classified under the general Medieval rubric of "the education of princes" it also begins to approach the Machiavellianism which is more characteristic of the Renaissance, by virtue of its dedication to the astute art of governing.
Chronological summary
Of Juan Manuel's surviving writings:
- Crónica abreviada, 'Abbreviated Chronicle' was compiled between 1319 and 1325.
- The Libro de la caza, 'Book of the Hunt' was written between 1320 and 1329; and during this period of nine years the Crónica de España, 'Chronicle of Spain', the Crónica complida, 'Complete Chronicle', and the Tratado sobre las armas, 'Treatise about the Weapons' were produced.
- The Libro del cavallero et del escudero, 'Book of the Knight and the Squire' was finished before the end of 1326. It is striking for its curious and varied erudition of the turbulent prince who weaves his personal experiences with historical or legendary incidents, with reminiscences of Kalilah and Dimnah, with various Oriental traditions, and with the material of anecdotic literature which he embodies in the Libro de Patronio, best known by the title of El Conde Lucanor.
- The first book of the Libro de los estados, 'Book of the States' was finished on 22 May 1330, while the second was begun five days later.
- The first book of El Conde Lucanor was written in 1328, the second in 1330, and the fourth is dated 12 June 1335.
- The devout Treatise on the Virgin, dedicated to the prior of the monastery at Peñafiel, to which Don Juan Manuel bequeathed his manuscripts, is of uncertain date, but it seems probable that the Libro de los frailes predicadores, 'Book of the Preaching Friars' is slightly later than the Libro de los estados; that the Libro de los castigos, 'Book of the Punishments' (left unfinished, and therefore known by the alternative title of Libro infinido, 'Unfinished Book') was written not later than 1333, and that the treatise De las maneras de amor, 'About the Ways of Love' was composed between 1334 and 1337.[3]
Among his lost works, the Libro de los sabios, 'Book of the Wise Men', a treatise called 'Engaños de guerra, 'Deceptions of War' and the Libro de cantares, 'Book of Songs', a collection of verses, were composed between 1320 and 1327; but they have disappeared together with the Libro de la caballería, 'Book of the Chivalry' (written during the winter of 1326), and the Reglas cómo se debe trovar, 'Rules How to Make Poetry', a metrical treatise assigned to 1328–1334.[3]
El Conde Lucanor
El Conde Lucanor, or
It is essentially the production of a conscious artist, deliberative and selective in his methods. Don Juan Manuel naturalizes the Eastern apologue in Spain, and by the laconic picturesqueness of his expression imports a new quality into Spanish prose which attains its full development in the hands of
Children
His first wife was Elizabeth of Majorca, daughter of James II of Majorca. She died around 1301 and they had no children.
With Constance of Aragon, daughter of James II of Aragon:
- Constanza Manuel of Villena (c. 1318 – 1349), who first married Alfonso XI of Castile in 1325 before the marriage was annulled in 1327. She married her second husband Infante Peter of Portugal in 1340.
- Beatrice Manuel of Villena, died young.
- Manuel of Villena, died young.
With Blanca de la Cerda y Lara, daughter of Fernando de la Cerda:
- Fernando Manuel of Villena (died c. 1350), Lord of Escalona, Peñafiel and Villena, who married in 1346 Joan, a daughter of Ramón Berenguer, Count of Ampurias, himself a younger son of James II of Aragon. The couple had a daughter, Blanca Manuel (c. 1348 – 1361), heiress of Villena, Escalona and Peñafiel.
- Juana Manuel of Villena (1339–1381), who married in 1350 Henry II of Castileand became Queen of Castile.
Illegitimate with Inés de Castañeda:
- Sancho Manuel of Villena (1320–1347),
- Enrique Manuel of Villena (1340–1390), count of Seia and lord of Sintra.
Ancestors
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See also
References
This article needs additional citations for verification. (February 2016) |
- ISBN 8487136869.
- ^ ISSN 1989-4597.
- ^ a b c d e f public domain: Fitzmaurice-Kelly, James (1911). "Juan Manuel, Don". In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 15 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 530. Bibliography cited:
- Obras, edited by P. de Gayangos in the Biblioteca de autores Españoles, vol. li.
- El Conde Lucanor (Leipzig, 1900), edited by H. Knust and A. Hirschfeld
- Libro de la caza (Halle, 1880), edited by G. Baist
- El libro del caballero et del escudero, edited by S. Gräfenberg in Romanische Forschungen, vol. vi.
- G. Baist, Alter und Textueberlieferung der Schriften Don Juan Manuels (Halle, 1880)
- F. Hanssen, Notas á la versificación de D. Juan Manuel (Santiago de Chile, 1902)
- Mahomet III", but he had died in 1314.
Sources
- Ayerbe-Chaux, Reinaldo. Count Lucanor: Traditional matter and originality creadorá. Madrid: J. Porrúa Turanzas, 1975.
- Biglieri, Aníbal A. Towards a poetic one of the didactic story: Eight studies on count Lucanor. Chapel Hill: UNC Dept. of Romance Languages, 1989.
- Flory, David. The Count Lucanor: Don Juan Manuel within his historical context. Madrid: Pliegos, 1995.
- Giménez Soler, Andrés. Don Juan Manuel. Biography and critical study. Zaragoza: F. Martinez, 1932.
- Hammer, Michael Floyd. "Framing the Reader: Exemplarity and Ethics in the Manuscripts of the 'Count Lucanor'." Ph.D. University of California at Los Angeles, 2004.
- Lida de Malkiel, Maria Rosa. "Three notes on Don Juan Manuel." Romance Philology 4,2-3 (1950): 155-94.
- Wacks, David A. "Don Yllán and the Egyptian Sorcerer: Vernacular commonality and literary diversity in medieval Castile." Sefarad 65,2 (2005): 413-33.
- MacPherson, Ian. ed. Juan Manuel: A Selection. London: Tamesis Texts Limited, 1980.
External links
- Infante Don Juan Manuel (Biografía)
- Text of De lo que aconteció in Spanish
- Works by Juan Manuel at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)