Class 6

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Class 6 Spain of the Renaissance and the
Golden Age
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The Renaissance was an important period of
western civilization that began in 14th century
Italy and spread to other European countries.
Meaning rebirth, this cultural trend thrived on
renewed interest in all aspects of classic Greek
and Roman literature, philosophy, art and
architecture.
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Isabella and Ferdinand In Spain, the
Renaissance begin to flourish in the 15th
century, during the reign of Queen Isabella and
King Ferdinand. Isabella (of Castile) and
Ferdinand (of Aragón) married in 1469, unifying
most of the Spanish peninsula under one rule and
creating the first modern nation of Western
Europe.
The Catholic Monarchs - Isabella and
Ferdinand
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1492 - Probably the most important year in the
reign of Isabella and Ferdinand was 1492 for the
following

• Conquest of Granada (Moors)
• Expulsion of the Jews
• Columbus arrival in the New World
• First Spanish Grammar appears (consolidates the
  language and aids in the creation of Empire)

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The Word is as Mighty as the Sword When Forming
Empires
Siempre la lengua fue compañera del imperio
(language has always been the companion of
empire). Nebrija, the author of the grammar and
others sensed that Spain was at a moment of
expansion and would need to teach others the
Spanish language.
A LA MUI ALTA Y ASSÍ ESCLARECIDA PRINCESA DOÑA
ISABEL, LA TERCERA DESTE NOMBRE, REINA I SEÑORA
NATURAL DE ESPAÑA Y LAS ISLAS DE NUESTRO MAR.
COMIENÇA LA GRAMATICA QUE NUEVA MENTE HIZO EL
MAESTRO ANTONIO DE NEBRIXA SOBRE LA LENGUA
CASTELLANA. Y PONE PRIMERO EL PRÓLOGO. LEE LO EN
BUEN ORA. Nebrija dedicates his grammar book to
Queen Isabella in these opening remarks
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The First Spanish Emperor Charles V (1516-1556)
Isabella and Ferdinands grandson. Charles
father, Phillip, was a Hapsburg, and thus the
young Charles inherited Spain and the extensive
possessions of the royal family of Austria. In
addition, (see the map on the next slide),
Charles V governed Spanish territory in the
Americas and the Philippines. It was said that
the sun never set on the Spanish empire, as it
was larger than the old Roman Empire.
Charles V (1548, Titian)
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The Spanish Empire in Europe During the Reign of
Charles V
The European possessions of Charles V (shaded
areas)
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A Fanatic Counter ReformerPhilip II
The son of Charles V, he governed his fathers
lands from 1556-1598. Whereas Charles spent
little time in Spain, Philip ruled from his
native country. Both father and son waged
constant wars against Protestant countries,
especially the Low Countries. In all, the
dogmatic world view of the Spanish Counter
Reformation was unable to respond to the needs of
the diverse peoples under the Spanish Hapsburgs.
Philip II
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One of Philips most steadfast enemies was
Elizabeth I of England. A Protestant, the Queen
began to challenge Spains sea power. She
succeeded in defeating The Invincible Armada
sent by the Spanish king in 1588.
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The Escorial Philip II built one of Spains
most famous buildings between 1575-1581. Called
El Escorial, the enormous structure was at once a
palace, monastery, center for government, school,
and royal cemetery.
Escorial of Philip II Palace Monastery Governm
ent offices School royal cemetery 16th Century
North of Madrid
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The stately and sober Escorial reflected well the
cautious monarch who built the palace. Its
straight lines and gray walls of stone, perhaps
reminiscent of the Kremlin during the times of
the old Soviet Union, was a fortress for a king
who tried, without success, to maintain the large
and unwieldy Spanish empire.
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Lazarillo de Tormes, a Picaresque Novel What is
Picaresque and What Does It Mean?
Lazarillo de Tormes was published anonymously in
Antwerp, a Belgian city, and in Spain in 1554.
It is considered either the first picaresque
novel or an antecedent to the genre. The term
denotes a subgenre of usually satiric prose
fiction and depicts in realistic, often humorous
detail the adventures of a roguish, low class
hero. The title character Lazarillo is a pícaro
who must live by his wits in an impoverished
country full of hypocrisy and corruption.
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From The Voices of Latino Culture Lazarillo de
Tormes
From The Voices of Latino Culture
From The Voices of Latino Culture
Burning questions about the story of Lazarillo de
Tormes Why would the author wish to remain
anonymous? Since it was written when Spain was
the greatest world power, how can we reconcile
that to the poverty, corruption and hypocrisy?

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Spains Golden Age of Culture With the death of
Philip II and the arrival of the 17th century,
Spains political, economic, and military
collapse was close at hand. A century of wars,
the extravagant spending by the aristocracy, the
squandering of the gold and silver from the
Americasall these factors began to humble the
once mighty Spanish.
Las Meninas
- Diego Velázquez, 1656
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Spains Golden Age
Curiously, though, as the hardening of the
arteries and national decadence took root, there
was a magnificent flowering of the arts, a true
Golden Age of literature and culture for Spain.
Writers (Cervantes, Lope de Vega, María de
Zayas), painters (Velázquez, El Greco), poets
(Góngora, Quevedo), dramatists (Lope de Vega,
Tirso de Molina, Calderón de la Barca), and
others created what was to become the nations
greatest cultural moment (which ended around 1700
and the last Hapsburg King, Charles II).
Burial of the Count of Orgaz - El Greco
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Santa Teresa de Jesús One outstanding figure of
Spains Golden Age was Teresa de Cepeda y
Ahumada, later canonized as Santa Teresa de
Jesús.
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The Irony of The Golden Age in Spain
The flowering of the arts during this period is
ironic in a way, for Spains political power and
influence were on the decline. The wars against
the protestants, the squandering of the gold and
silver from the Americas, and the weak
governments in Madrid caused an abrupt collapse
of the once mighty Spanish empire. By 1700,
England and especially France had limited the
power of the kings of Spain.
Gentleman with a hand on his chest El Greco
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The Greatest Work in Spanish LiteratureDon
Quixote

• The author
• Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

1547-1616
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A Good Website to Cervantes and Don Quixote

• http//www.csdl.tamu.edu/cervantes/V2/CPI/index.ht
  ml

http//homepages.together.net/donutrun/quix.htmP
lay
Man of la ManchaAn homage to Don Quixote
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From The Voices of Latino Culture Miguel de
Cervantes Don Quixote
What main themes are brought up in this
selection? How can we explain the idea of the
quixotication of Sancho and the
sanchification of Don Quixote? Why are these
characters such icons not only in Spain but the
whole world?