Cantar de los Siete Infantes de Lara facts for kids
The Cantar de los Siete Infantes de Lara (which means "Song of the Seven Lara Princes") is an old Spanish legend. It's a dramatic story about family fights and revenge. The main characters are the seven young nobles, or infantes, from the Lara or Salas family.
This legend probably came from a lost cantar de gesta, which is a type of long epic poem or song from the Middle Ages. We know about the story today because it was written down in old history books, like the Estoria de España (History of Spain) from the late 1200s.
Many experts believe this story, along with others like the Cantar de Mio Cid, is one of the most important epic poems in early Spanish literature. The story has also been told through many traditional songs called ballads.
The Infantes de Lara were the children of a nobleman named Gonzalo Gustioz from Lara or Salas, and his wife, Doña Sancha. The whole story is about a big family feud, a cycle of revenge, between their family and the family of Sancha's brother, Ruy Velázquez, and his wife, Doña Lambra.
The Story of the Legend
The legend begins at the wedding of Doña Lambra and Ruy Velázquez. During the celebration, a fight broke out between the bride's family and the sons of Doña Sancha, the seven infantes. In this fight, Gonzalo González, the youngest of the Lara princes, killed Doña Lambra's cousin, Alvar Sánchez.
Doña Lambra was furious and wanted revenge. She ordered her servant to embarrass Gonzalo González in front of his brothers. In response, Gonzalo and his brothers killed the servant right in front of Lambra.
Lambra and her husband, Ruy Velázquez, then came up with a terrible plan. They sent the father of the infantes, Gonzalo Gustioz, to Almanzor, a powerful Muslim ruler in Córdoba. Gonzalo was supposed to ask Almanzor for money for the wedding. But secretly, he carried a letter from Ruy that asked Almanzor to ambush and kill the seven infantes, and also to kill Gonzalo himself.
Ruy Velázquez carried out the ambush against his nephews using Muslim soldiers. The seven infantes were tragically killed. However, Almanzor felt sorry for Gonzalo Gustioz and instead of killing him, he put him in prison.
While Gonzalo was imprisoned, a woman was assigned to take care of him. They fell in love, and she became pregnant with his son, Mudarra González.
Before Gonzalo Gustioz was released, he learned about his unborn child. He saw this as a chance for future help in his revenge against Ruy Velázquez. He broke a ring in half, keeping one piece and giving the other to the woman to give to their child. This way, they could recognize each other later by matching the two halves.
Mudarra González grew up and traveled north to Castile to find his father. When they met, they put the two halves of the ring together, and they fit perfectly. It was Mudarra, the son born to Gonzalo while he was a captive, who eventually got revenge for his half-brothers' deaths by killing Ruy Velázquez and Lambra.
Old Tombs and Relics
For a very long time, several monasteries have claimed to have parts of the legendary Seven Infantes. Having links to famous heroes, whether real or from stories, helped these monasteries attract visitors and pilgrims. This brought them more money.
For example, the Monastery of San Millán de Suso shows what they say are the sarcophaguses (stone coffins) of the seven infantes. But other monasteries, like San Pedro de Arlanza, also claim to have their remains. The church of Santa María in Salas de los Infantes even claims to have their heads and used to display seven skulls. The tomb of Mudarra is said to be in Burgos Cathedral. It was common in the Middle Ages for different places to compete over who had the relics of famous heroes from legends.
Images for kids
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Portal of Gonzalo de Berceo in the Monastery of San Millán de Suso, which contains a sarcophagus claimed to be that of the seven infantes of the legend.
See also
In Spanish: Los siete infantes de Lara para niños
