Juan Rodríguez de la Cámara (1390–1450), also known as Juan Rodríguez del Padrón, was a Galician writer and poet, considered the last poet of the Galician school.James Fitzmaurice-Kelly, ''A History of Spanish Literature'' (D. Appleton and Company, 1898), 97.

Life

Born in

Padrón Padrón () is a ''concello'' ( Galician for municipality) in the Province of A Coruña, in Galicia (Spain) within the comarca of O Sar. It covers an area of , is from A Coruña and from Santiago de Compostela. , the town had population of 8,9 ...

, he was born to a

hidalgo Hidalgo may refer to: People * Hidalgo (nobility), members of the Spanish nobility * Hidalgo (surname) Places Mexico :''Most, if not all, named for Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla (1753–1811)'' * Hidalgo (state), in central Mexico * Hidalgo, Coah ...

family. He may have served as a

page Page most commonly refers to: * Page (paper), one side of a leaf of paper, as in a book Page, PAGE, pages, or paging may also refer to: Roles * Page (assistance occupation), a professional occupation * Page (servant), traditionally a young m ...

Juan II of Castile John II of Castile (; 6 March 1405 – 20 July 1454) was King of Castile and León from 1406 to 1454. He succeeded his older sister, Maria of Castile, Queen of Aragon, as Prince of Asturias in 1405. Regency John was the son of King Henry ...

, and may have attended the

Council of Florence The Council of Florence is the seventeenth ecumenical council recognized by the Catholic Church, held between 1431 and 1445. It was convened in territories under the Holy Roman Empire. Italy became a venue of a Catholic ecumenical council aft ...

in 1434 as secretary to the cardinal

Juan de Cervantes Juan de Cervantes (c. 1380 or 1382 in Seville, Spain – 25 November 1453, buried in Seville Cathedral) was a Cardinal of the Catholic Church. Cervantes studied at the University of Salamanca and obtained a doctorate in civil and canon law ...

, a respected

jurist A jurist is a person with expert knowledge of law; someone who analyzes and comments on law. This person is usually a specialist legal scholar, mostly (but not always) with a formal education in law (a law degree) and often a Lawyer, legal prac ...

and a friend of Pero Tafur. He was exiled for reasons not completely known, but may have been connected with an illicit romance at court; Rodríguez's indiscreet revelations to a talkative friend apparently led to a romantic breach of some kind with a noble lady.James Fitzmaurice-Kelly, ''Chapters on Spanish Literature'' (A. Constable and Company, ltd., 1908), 74. James Fitzmaurice-Kelly writes that "the conjectures that make Rodríguez the lover of Juan II's wife,

Isabel Isabel is a female name of Iberian origin. Isabelle is a name that is similar, but it is of French origin. It originates as the medieval Spanish form of ''Elizabeth (given name), Elisabeth'' (ultimately Hebrew ''Elisheba''). Arising in the 12th c ...

, or of

Enrique IV Henry IV of Castile ( Castilian: ''Enrique IV''; 5 January 1425 – 11 December 1474), nicknamed the Impotent, was King of Castile and León and the last of the weak late-medieval kings of Castile and León. During Henry's reign, the nobles bec ...

's wife,

Juana Juana is a Spanish language, Spanish female name. It is the feminine form of ''Juan'' (English ''John (given name), John''), and thus corresponds to the English names Jane (given name), Jane, Jean (female given name), Jean, Joan (given name), J ...

, are destroyed by chronology. None the less it is certain that the writer was concerned in some mysterious, dangerous love-affair which led to his exile, and some believe, to his profession as a

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

friar.” He became a Franciscan at

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

in 1441 and gave up many of his profitable and numerous

benefices A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...

. He returned to

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

and entered into the Franciscan monastery of San Antonio de Herbón, situated in a village near Padrón. He died at San Antonio de Herbón. A probably apocryphal tale of Rodríguez's life, by an anonymous writer of the 16th century, states that the poet went to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, became the lover of the French queen, and was killed near

Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a French port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Calais is the largest city in Pas-de-Calais. The population of the city proper is 67,544; that of the urban area is 144,6 ...

after trying to escape to

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

Works

His works include a sentimental, semi- chivalresque romance called ''Siervo libre de amor'' (1439), the moralistic treatise ''Cadira de Honor'' (1440), and another sentimental romance called ''Triunfo de las donas'' (1445), the latter of which includes 40

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

arguments meant to counter the

misogyny Misogyny () is hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against Woman, women or girls. It is a form of sexism that can keep women at a lower social status than Man, men, thus maintaining the social roles of patriarchy. Misogyny has been wide ...

of the work known as the ''Corbacho'', by Alfonso Martinez de Toledo. Rodríguez's work presents arguments for the superiority of women to men. Some additional romances are attributed to him; these include ''Conde Arnaldos'' and ''Rosa florida''. Also attributed to him is the ''Bursario'', a partial translation of Ovid's ''

Heroides The ''Heroides'' (''The Heroines''), or ''Epistulae Heroidum'' (''Letters of Heroines''), is a collection of fifteen epistolary poems composed by Ovid in Latin elegiac couplets and presented as though written by a selection of aggrieved heroin ...

''. Rodríguez is best known for his poems. He is represented in the ''

Cancionero de Baena The ''Cancionero de Baena'' ("Songbook of Baena") was compiled between around 1426 to 1430 by the Marrano Juan Alfonso de Baena for the king John II of Castile and the Constable of Castile Álvaro de Luna, Duke of Trujillo, Álvaro de Luna. Its ...

'' by a single ''cántica''. Of the seventeen of his surviving songs, sixteen are erotically-themed, like those written by his countryman

Macías Macías (also spelled Macias) is a Spanish surname found to varying degrees in Europe and Latin America. The first Equatoguinean President had that surname and was sometimes mononymously called Macías. Within Spain, its frequency is highest in Ex ...

. One, however, the "Flama del divino Rayo", concerns his spiritual conversion.

Notable family members

*Gonzalo de la Cámara - a knight had his coat of arms displayed in Andalusian in the city of Baeza in 1227. King Ferdinand III of Castile had ordered by

Royal Decree A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state, judge, royal figure, or other relevant authorities, according to certain procedures. These procedures are usually defined by the constitution, Legislative laws, or customary l ...

, ordered that the coat of arms of the knights who were with him in the battle, be displayed in the city, one of them belonging to Don Gonzalo de la Cámara. Book of Lorenzo Suárez de Mendoza, 4th conde de la Coruña and 5th Viceroy of the New Spain -October 20, 1581-Mexico *Gómez Ruiz de la Cámara - in 1393 was given the title Knight of the Chambers by King

Henry III of Castile Henry III of Castile (4 October 1379 – 25 December 1406), called the Suffering due to his ill health (, ), was the son of John I and Eleanor of Aragon. He succeeded his father as King of Castile in 1390. Birth and education Henry was bor ...

. The king married him to an English

lady in waiting A lady-in-waiting (alternatively written lady in waiting) or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but ...

of Queen consort

Catherine of Lancaster Catherine of Lancaster ( Castilian: ''Catalina''; 31 March 1373 – 2 June 1418) was Queen of Castile by marriage to King Henry III of Castile. She governed Castile as regent from 1406 until 1418 during the minority of her son. Queen Catheri ...

, daughter of

John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (6 March 1340 – 3 February 1399), was an English royal prince, military leader and statesman. He was the fourth son (third surviving) of King Edward III of England, and the father of King Henry IV. Because ...

. *Alfonso Ruiz de la Cámara - a Spanish nobleman, was knighted

Order of the Golden Spur The Order of the Golden Spur (, ), officially known also as the Order of the Golden Militia (, ), is a papal order of knighthood conferred upon those who have rendered distinguished service in propagating the Catholic faith, or who have contr ...

(Spanish: Caballero de Espuelas Doradas)''

15 of August,1487 by

Ferdinand II of Aragón Ferdinand II, also known as Ferdinand I, Ferdinand III, and Ferdinand V (10 March 1452 – 23 January 1516), called Ferdinand the Catholic, was King of Aragon from 1479 until his death in 1516. As the husband and co-ruler of Queen Isabella I of ...

, king of Castile, Naples and Navarre. He was given a record of nobility, confirmation of Caballero de Espuelas Doradas, and a letter of privileges by the Queen

Joanna of Castile Joanna of Castile (6 November 1479 – 12 April 1555), historically known as Joanna the Mad (), was the nominal queen of Castile from 1504 and queen of Aragon from 1516 to her death in 1555. She was the daughter of Queen Isabella I of Castile ...

on 23 April, 1506. * Gómez Fernández de la Cámara - King

John II of Castile John II of Castile (; 6 March 1405 – 20 July 1454) was King of Castile and León from 1406 to 1454. He succeeded his older sister, Maria of Castile, Queen of Aragon, as Prince of Asturias in 1405. Regency John was the son of King Henry ...

gave Gómez Fernández de la Cámara the titles of Secretary and Royal Scribe and Royal Notary of the Court by

the 9 of March, 1453. * Juan de la Cámara (1525-1602) - Spanish Conquistador and

was born in Alcala de Henares

. He arrived in

New Spain New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( ; Nahuatl: ''Yankwik Kaxtillan Birreiyotl''), originally the Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain. It was one of several ...

current day

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

from

in 1539, joining the

Spanish Conquest of Yucatán The Spanish conquest of Yucatán was the campaign undertaken by the Spanish Empire, Spanish ''conquistadores'' against the Mesoamerican chronology, Late Postclassic Maya civilization, Maya states and polities in the Yucatán Peninsula, a vast ...

in 1541, and was one of the founders of

Bacalar Bacalar () is the municipal seat and largest city in Bacalar Municipality (until 2011 a part of Othón P. Blanco Municipality) in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, about north of Chetumal. In the 2010 census the city had a population of 11, ...

and Mérida, both in the

Yucatán Peninsula The Yucatán Peninsula ( , ; ) is a large peninsula in southeast Mexico and adjacent portions of Belize and Guatemala. The peninsula extends towards the northeast, separating the Gulf of Mexico to the north and west of the peninsula from the C ...

References

Sources

*''Obras'' Ed. Antonio Paz y Meliá. Madrid, 1884. *''Obras'', ed. de César Hernández Alonso. Madrid: Ed. Nacional, 1982. *''Siervo libre de amor''; edición introducción y notas de Antonio Prieto. Madrid: Castalia, 1976. *Vicente Beltrán Pepió, "Los Gozos de amor de Juan Rodríguez del Padrón: edición crítica" en ''Studia in honoren Germán Orduna'', 2001.

External links