Bernardino de Rebolledo facts for kids
Bernardino de Rebolledo y Villamizar (born May 31, 1597, in León – died March 27, 1676, in Madrid) was an important Spanish figure. He was a talented poet, a brave soldier, and a clever diplomat. He held noble titles like Earl of Rebolledo and Count of the Holy Roman Empire. His family's noble title came from King Ramiro I way back in 815, during a time called the Reconquista.
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Bernardino de Rebolledo's Life
Bernardino de Rebolledo was a very skilled soldier. He fought in many places, including Italy, the Mediterranean Sea, and Flanders. Besides being a soldier, he was also a diplomat, which means he represented his country in other nations. He served as an ambassador in Denmark from 1648 to 1661.
Rebolledo in the Thirty Years' War
Rebolledo played a big part in the Thirty Years War, fighting for the Habsburg side. He was a commander for a Spanish army group and even defeated the Swedish army at Frankenthal. Because of his success, Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand III made him Governor of Westphalia. He also gave him a German noble title.
Rebolledo was one of the Spanish people who helped negotiate the Westphalian Peace Treaty between 1643 and 1648. This treaty helped end the Thirty Years' War.
Diplomatic Missions in Northern Europe
In 1647, Rebolledo became the Spanish ambassador for Northeastern Europe, including Denmark and Poland. His job was to keep a close watch on Sweden. Pope Pius IV also chose him as a secret representative for Northern Europe. His mission was to help rebuild the Catholic Church in Denmark and Sweden, which he did.
He became good friends with members of the Danish royal family. They even invited him to live in one of their castles. He also helped the Duke of Luneborg become Catholic. The Danish crown honored him with several portraits, which you can now see in Danish museums and castles.
During the Seven Years' Scandinavian War, Rebolledo was an artillery commander for the Danish army. Denmark then asked him to negotiate a peace treaty with Sweden to end the war. He sent his nephew, Antonio Pimentel de Prado, as the Spanish ambassador to Sweden. His nephew became good friends with Queen Christina of Sweden. Queen Christina did not want to marry and wished to become Catholic and give up her throne. Rebolledo and others worked to help convert Queen Christina. She even created the Amarant Order, a cultural group that still exists today, in his honor.
Rebolledo successfully helped Queen Christina escape from Stockholm. She disguised herself as a man and went to Lübeck. There, his Jewish-Spanish friend, Moshe Texeira, helped hide her.
Rebolledo as a Poet
As a poet, Bernardino de Rebolledo had a very unique style. Because he spent so much time traveling for his military and diplomatic jobs, he was often away from Spain. This meant his poetry was different from other Spanish writers of his time.
Main Works of Poetry
His most important collection of poems is called Ocios. He also wrote:
- Selvas dánicas (published in Copenhagen, 1655): This poem was about the family history of the Royal House of Denmark. He dedicated it to Queen Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg.
- Selva militar y política (published in Cologne, 1652): This work was dedicated to King of the Romans Ferdinand IV of Germany.
- La constancia victoriosa, égloga sacra (published in Cologne, 1655): This was his translation of the Book of Job from the Bible. He dedicated it to Queen Christina of Sweden.
Descendants of the Count de Rebolledo Family
The Rebolledo family has descendants in different parts of the world:
- From an English-Chilean family line, there is Chilean navy admiral Juan Williams Rebolledo. He was the son of English Royal Navy commander John Williams Wilson and Micaela de Rebolledo from Spain and Chile.
- From a Norwegian family line, there is the poet and writer Torgeir Rebolledo Pedersen.
- From a Spanish-Chilean family, there is the writer and professor Carlos Medina de Rebolledo.
See also
In Spanish: Bernardino de Rebolledo para niños
