Diego de San Pedro facts for kids

Diego de San Pedro (born around 1437 – died around 1498) was an important writer from Castile, a kingdom in old Spain. We don't know much about his life. Most of what we know comes from his own writings. We also learn from the important people he worked for and dedicated his books to.

Life of Diego de San Pedro

Diego de San Pedro started writing after 1470. This is clear from the introductions in his books. These books include The Love Between Arnalte and Lucenda, The Prison of Love, and The Disdain of Fortune.

His book The Love Between Arnalte and Lucenda was for Queen Isabel and her ladies-in-waiting. A later version of this book says San Pedro worked for Don Juan Téllez-Girón. Don Juan was a powerful count and the half-brother of Queen Isabel. San Pedro dedicated The Disdain of Fortune to him. He called Don Juan "his lord" and said he worked for him for 29 years.

San Pedro also dedicated The Prison of Love to Diego Fernández de Córdoba. Diego Fernández was related to the Téllez-Girón family. He was the leader of a special group of young men who guarded the king. San Pedro also mentioned Doña Marina Manuel, a very important noblewoman, in this book's introduction.

Experts believe San Pedro was an adult writer in the 1480s and 1490s. He wrote for the queen's court and her friends. He probably passed away quietly, and younger people might not have known about him.

Some historians think San Pedro was not a main writer at Queen Isabel's court. He even wrote that he was afraid women would make fun of him. He was likely an hidalgo, which means he was from the lower nobility. He followed orders and tried hard to please the queen's ladies.

Sentimental Romance Books

Spanish sentimental romance was a popular type of story in the 1400s and early 1500s. These stories used the idea of courtly love to explore feelings like desire and sadness. Courtly love was a special kind of love, often secret and unfulfilled.

Authors wrote these stories from both the first-person (like "I") and third-person (like "he/she") viewpoints. They often showed love that was difficult or even painful. When courtly love was the main theme, there was no physical relationship. This often led to frustration and showed how love could be destructive.

Diego de San Pedro's Works

Diego de San Pedro wrote several important works. Here are some of them:

• La pasión trobada (around 1480): This was one of his first works. It was a spiritual poem for a nun. It described the suffering of Christ in great detail. San Pedro also wrote about the suffering of Mary, Jesus's mother, in this poem.
• Las siete angustias de Nuestra Señora (The Seven Sorrows of Our Lady, around 1480): This poem came from La pasión trobada. San Pedro used parts of his earlier poem to create this new one.
• Sermón (around 1485): This was a funny story that gave advice to men and women about love. It suggested that men were less powerful in love. But it also said that women were important for comforting their lovers.
• Tractado de amores de Arnalte y Lucenda (The Story of the Loves of Arnalte and Lucenda, 1491): This is one of San Pedro's most famous sentimental romances. It was translated into French, Italian, and English. Sentimental romances were prose stories, usually shorter than chivalric romances (stories about knights). They often used letters, monologues (long speeches by one person), and speeches to tell the story.
  • In Arnalte y Lucenda, a narrator tells the story. The main character, Arnalte, is a nobleman who tries to win Lucenda's love but fails. Arnalte asks the narrator to dedicate his sad story to the kind ladies of Queen Isabel's court. The book also praises the queen.
• Cárcel de amor (Prison of Love, 1492): This is San Pedro's other very famous sentimental romance. It was dedicated to Fernández de Córdoba. Like Arnalte y Lucenda, this story is told by a narrator. It uses many letters, monologues, and speeches instead of conversations.
  • The story starts with a symbolic description of love. The plot is simple: Leriano loves Laureola, a princess. They communicate through the narrator. Another man, Persio, who also loves Laureola, lies to the king. He says Laureola and Leriano are together. Laureola is put in prison. Leriano rescues her by force and kills Persio. But when Laureola rejects him in a letter, Leriano decides to die. Before he dies, he praises women.
  • Cárcel de amor was very popular when it came out. It was quickly translated into other languages. It also greatly influenced La Celestina, another famous Spanish book.
• Desprecio de la Fortuna (The Disdain of Fortune, 1498): This was San Pedro's last known work. It was a poem inspired by the philosopher Boethius. San Pedro dedicated it to Juan Téllez-Girón, who had faced many problems and left the Spanish court.

Cancionero Poetry

Besides his popular stories, Diego de San Pedro was also known for his cancionero verse. This was a type of lyric poetry (poems that express feelings) that was popular for entertainment at the court of the Catholic Monarchs.

In 1511, twenty-two of his shorter poems were published in a collection called Cancionero general. San Pedro's court poetry often focused on the theme of love. He liked to use eight-syllable lines and abstract words, which sometimes made his poems a bit mysterious.

See also

In Spanish: Diego de San Pedro para niños