El Conde Lucanor |Don Juan Manuel

#Literature #Middle Ages #culture He was one of the most powerful figures in 14th-century Spain. He confronted kings, minted his own currency, and emerged victorious from numerous battles with the Muslims. But despite all these great feats, he is remembered today for his literary tales. Today we're going to talk about Don Juan Manuel. Don Juan Manuel was born in Escalona in 1282 and died in 1348, so he had a long life for his time. His main activity was not as a writer, but as a soldier and political ruler. He was the grandson of King Ferdinand III the Saint and nephew of Alfonso X the Wise. He married three times, becoming the grandfather of two kings: John I of Castile and Ferdinand I of Portugal. He held prestigious noble titles such as Duke and Prince of Villena, Royal Steward, and tutor to King Alfonso XI during his minority. Don Juan Manuel received a thorough education, as his family placed great importance on culture and intellectual development. It is enough to recall the school of translators in Toledo, established by his grandfather and fostered by his uncle. Thus, Don Juan Manuel was educated in Latin, theology, history, literature, and law. As his own works attest, he also trained in the other disciplines inherent to his noble status: horsemanship, falconry, hunting, fencing, and military training. He was appointed Chief Constable of Andalusia and Murcia, fighting against the Muslims and emerging victorious in several battles. His economic and political power was so great that he did not hesitate to confront King Alfonso XI himself several times, the monarch having to yield to Don Juan Manuel's demands after unsuccessful attempts to capture him. Tired of politics and its vicissitudes, Don Juan Manuel spent the last years of his life retired in Garcimuñoz Castle, in the province of Cuenca, devoted to literary composition. He died in 1348. The book we are discussing today, El Conde Lucanor, was written in the 1330s. Its original title was: Libro de los enxiemplos del Conde Lucanor et de Patronio. The first thing we can highlight is that it is written in Castilian and not in Latin, which was the educated language of the time. This is in line with the family policy imposed by Ferdinand III and Alfonso X to make Castilian the official language and also elevate it to the status of a literary language. The work has a clear didactic and moral intention; it aims to educate with the lessons it teaches. Throughout its pages we can find all kinds of themes that make up the social reality of that time: rich, poor, merchants, peasants, nobles, religious, bourgeois... These characters expose a wide range of problems: material, spiritual, political or about human behavior, such as honor, friendship, greed, lies, pride, etc...