Antonio de Nebrija facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Antonio de Nebrija
Native name	Elio Antonio de Lebrija
Born	Antonio Martínez de Cala 1444 (1444) Lebrija, Province of Seville
Died	5 July 1522(1522-07-05) (aged 77–78) Alcalá de Henares, Spain
Pen name	[Aelius] Antonius Nebrissensis Antonio of Lebrixa
Occupation	Linguist, poet, humanist
Language	Spanish
Education	University of Salamanca Colegio de San Clemente University of Alcalá de Henares
Alma mater	Bologna University
Period	Spanish Renaissance
Subject	Castilian grammar
Years active	1473–1517
Notable works	Gramática de la lengua castellana, 1492
Relatives	Possibly Antonio de Lebrija (grandson)
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Antonio de Nebrija (1444 – 5 July 1522) was a very important Spanish scholar. He lived during the Spanish Renaissance, a time of great learning. Nebrija wrote poems and studied old books. He also encouraged people to learn classical languages like Latin.

His biggest achievements were in grammar (the rules of language) and lexicography (making dictionaries). He wrote the first Spanish Grammar book in 1492. He also created the first Spanish dictionary in 1495. His grammar book was the first ever published for a modern European language. His works were very popular and influenced many people for over 100 years. This influence spread across Spain and its growing empire.

Who Was Antonio de Nebrija?

Antonio de Nebrija was a key figure in the Spanish Renaissance. He helped shape the Spanish language. His work made it easier for people to learn and understand Spanish. He also helped spread knowledge about classical studies.

His Many Names

Nebrija was born as Antonio Martínez de Cala. During the Renaissance, many scholars changed their names. They often used Latin versions to sound more academic. Antonio changed his name to Aelius Antonius Nebrissensis. He took "Aelius" from old Roman writings found in his hometown. His hometown, Lebrija, was called Nebrissa Veneria by the Romans. He was also known as Antonio de Lebrija.

Early Life and Education

Antonio de Nebrija was born in Lebrija, Spain. This town is in the province of Seville. His parents were Juan Martínez de Cala and Catalina de Xarana. He was the second of five children. Most historians agree he was born in 1444.

Studying in Italy

When he was 14, Nebrija started studying at the University of Salamanca. He learned about math, philosophy, law, and religion. He received a scholarship to study theology in Bologna, Italy. Not much is known about his time there. However, he was greatly inspired by Italian scholars. He learned new ideas about humanism. This was a way of thinking that focused on human values and classical studies. After ten years, Nebrija returned to Spain. He brought these new ideas with him.

Returning to Spain

Back in Spain, Nebrija worked for Alonso de Fonseca y Ulloa. Fonseca was the archbishop of Seville. After three years, Fonseca died. In 1473, Nebrija went back to the University of Salamanca. He became a lecturer there.

Latin Grammar Book

In 1476, he became the First Chair of Grammar. This was a very important position. In 1481, he published his first major book. It was called Introductiones latinae (Introduction to Latin). This book was a textbook for learning Latin grammar. It was very popular. The first 1,000 copies sold out quickly. It was reprinted many times during his life.

In 1487, he married Isabel Montesino de Solís. They had seven children together. Later, he left the university. He moved to Badajoz to work for Juan de Zúñiga. He lived there for twelve years.

The First Spanish Grammar

After his success with Latin, Nebrija focused on Spanish. In 1492, he published Gramática de la lengua castellana. This means Grammar of the Castilian Language. He dedicated this book to Queen Isabella I of Castile.

His book was one of the first to set rules for a modern European language. It had a big impact on politics and education. Nebrija believed language was key to ruling a country.

Language and Power

In his dedication to Queen Isabella, he wrote about language. He said it was "the instrument of empire." He meant that his grammar book would help Spain. It would be useful as the Spanish rulers conquered new lands. People in these lands spoke different languages.

Creating Dictionaries

Also in 1492, Nebrija published his Diccionario latino-español. This was a Latin-Spanish dictionary. It was not the very first one. But it became extremely important. A few years later, he made a Spanish-Latin dictionary. This was called Vocabulario español-latino, published around 1495.

For the next 100 years, this dictionary grew. New words and translations were added. It also helped other scholars. They used it to create dictionaries for other languages. These included Spanish-Arabic (1505) and Spanish-Nahuatl (1547).

Later Life and Bible Studies

After his dictionaries, Nebrija studied the Bible. He wanted to improve its text and meaning. He used the same careful study methods as other scholars. Around 1504, he faced problems. Diego de Deza, a powerful religious leader, suspected him. Deza took Nebrija's work and destroyed it.

In 1507, Cardinal Jiménez de Cisneros became the new leader. Cisneros allowed Nebrija to continue his Bible studies. Nebrija then published several works. These used his scholarly methods to understand Bible translations.

Challenges with the Bible Project

Nebrija worked briefly on a special Bible project. It was called the Complutensian Polyglot Bible. This Bible was written in many languages. He disagreed with other editors. They were more traditional. They did not like his new ways of translating the Bible. Jiménez supported the traditional view. So, Nebrija's ideas were mostly ignored. The finished Bible was published in 1517.

Other Important Works

Nebrija wrote or translated many other books. These covered various topics. He wrote about religion, law, and history. He also wrote about teaching methods.

Antonio de Nebrija died on July 5, 1522. He passed away in Alcalá de Henares, Spain. His possible grandson, Antonio de Lebrija, was a conquistador. He was a treasurer in the Spanish conquest of the Muisca people in Colombia.

List of His Books

• Introductiones latinae, 1481
• Gramática de la lengua castellana, 1492
• Diccionario latino-español, 1492
• Vocabulario español-latino, around 1495
• Iuris civilis lexicon, 1506
• Artis rhetoricae, 1515
• Reglas de ortografía española, 1517
• Posthumously published Reglas de ortografía en la lengua castellana, 1523

Images for kids

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  Antonio de Nebrija teaching D. Juan de Zuniga, 1486

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  Statue of Antonio de Nebrija outside the Biblioteca Nacional de España, Madrid

See Also

In Spanish: Antonio de Nebrija para niños