Ana de Castro Egas was a Spanish poet and biographer of the

Spanish Golden Age The Spanish Golden Age ( es, Siglo de Oro, links=no , "Golden Century") is a period of flourishing in arts and literature in Spain, coinciding with the political rise of the Spanish Empire under the Catholic Monarchs of Spain and the Spanish H ...

. The only text known by Castro Egas is the ''Eternidad del rey nuestro señor don Felipe III'' (''Eternity to the King our Lord Don Felipe III''), published in 1629.

Life

Ana de Castro Egas was born in the end of 16th century in Valdepeñas, in the province of

Ciudad Real Ciudad Real (, ; en, "Royal City") is a municipality of Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile–La Mancha, capital of the province of Ciudad Real. It is the 5th most populated municipality in the region. History It was founde ...

, and resided in Madrid. As a child, she met Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand of Austria and later became part of the inner circle of the Royal House and a close friend of the

Dukes of Lerma Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ranked ...

and Uceda. Ferdinand suggested Castro Egas become a biographer of his father, King Philip III of Spain. Castro Egas started to work on the biography of Philip III along with Francisco de Quevedo, who wrote the preface for her book. In 1629, ''Eternidad del Rey don Filipe Tercero nuestro señor, el piadoso'' was published. The book is a

panegyric A panegyric ( or ) is a formal public speech or written verse, delivered in high praise of a person or thing. The original panegyrics were speeches delivered at public events in ancient Athens. Etymology The word originated as a compound of grc, ...

in prose written to celebrate Philip III. It is the only surviving work of Castro Egas. It is known about Castro Egas from the numerous poems and prose stories that major poets and writers of her time wrote about her and dedicated to her, including

Lope de Vega Félix Lope de Vega y Carpio ( , ; 25 November 156227 August 1635) was a Spanish playwright, poet, and novelist. He was one of the key figures in the Spanish Golden Age of Baroque literature. His reputation in the world of Spanish literature ...

, Quevedo, Valdivieso, Mira de Amescua, Bocangel, López Zárate, Pérez de Montalbán, and Pellicer. Castro Egas closely collaborated with her niece Catalina del Río, and her cousins Clara María and Ana María de Castro. She was known as a promoter of including women in literary and academic circles. The date of Ana de Castro Egas' death remains unknown.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Castro Egas, Ana de Spanish women poets 16th-century Spanish poets Year of death unknown Date of birth unknown 16th-century Spanish women writers