Pedro Romero Martínez (19 November 1754 – 10 February 1839) was a

bullfighter A bullfighter or matador () is a performer in the activity of bullfighting. ''Torero'' () or ''toureiro'' (), both from Latin ''taurarius'', are the Spanish and Portuguese words for bullfighter, and describe all the performers in the activ ...

from the Romero family in

Ronda Ronda () is a Municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Málaga, within the autonomous community of Andalusia. Its population is about 35,000. Ronda is known for its cliffside location and a deep canyon that ca ...

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 ...

. His grandfather Francisco is credited with advancing the art of using the

muleta A muleta is a stick with a red cloth hanging from itmuleta' in the Diccionario de la Real Academia. that is used in the final third ('' tercio de muleta'' or ''de muerte'') of a bullfight. It is different from the cape used by the matador earlie ...

; his father and two brothers were also

torero A bullfighter or matador () is a performer in the activity of bullfighting. ''Torero'' () or ''toureiro'' (), both from Latin ''taurarius'', are the Spanish and Portuguese words for bullfighter, and describe all the performers in the activi ...

s. As a youth he participated in bullfights in

Algeciras Algeciras () is a city and a municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Cádiz, Andalusia. Located in the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula, near the Strait of Gibraltar, it is the largest city on the Bay of G ...

and in Seville in 1772; and in Madrid, with his father and

Costillares Joaquín Rodríguez (July 20, 1743 – January 27, 1800), better known as Costillares, was a Spanish bullfighter who has been considered the father of modern spectator bullfighting. Biography Costillares was born in Seville, son of the matad ...

, in 1775. In the following year he killed 285 bulls, establishing his reputation. He allegedly fought 5,558 bulls without incurring serious injury before retiring in 1799. He was known as the first matador to present the bullfight as an art form as well as a display of courage. After retiring, Romero was appointed the head of a bullfighting school in

Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...

. Although the school lasted only from 1830 to 1832, it had an enormous influence where Romero offered his knowledge to matadors-in-training. He is credited with the invention of the classical style of bullfighting in the School of Ronda and Pedro Romero's name is inseparable from the Plaza de Toros (bullring). He killed numerous bulls in a bullring in Madrid at the age of eighty, probably the last corrida he fought.

Notable References

Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway ( ; July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer and journalist. Known for an economical, understated style that influenced later 20th-century writers, he has been romanticized f ...

, in his novel ''

The Sun Also Rises ''The Sun Also Rises'' is the first novel by the American writer Ernest Hemingway, following his experimental novel-in-fragments '' In Our Time (short story collection)'' (1925). It portrays American and British expatriates who travel from Par ...

,'' portrays a young, "beautiful" and very artful bullfighter whom he names Pedro Romero, presumably after Pedro Romero Martinez. *The infamous organisation PTNKY has been noted for its use of the art piece "Portrait of the Matador Pedro Romero" in its art exhibitions and events.

References

1754 births 1839 deaths People from Ronda Sportspeople from the Province of Málaga Spanish bullfighters {{spain-bullfighting-bio-stub

Notable References

See also

References