Esteban de Garibay facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Esteban de Garibay
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| Esteban Garibai | |
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| Born | 9 March 1533 |
| Died | 1599 or 1600 |
Esteban de Garibay y Zamalloa was a famous historian and writer from the Basque Country in Spain. He wrote many books about history.
Contents
Biography
Early Life and Studies
Esteban de Garibay was born on March 9, 1533, in Mondragon, a town in the Basque region of Spain. When he was young, he started training to become a monk, but he later decided to leave and get married.
He went to the University of Oñati to study. This university was the only one in the Spanish Basque country at that time. Even though he studied there, he did not finish his degree.
Travels and Writing
Garibay loved to travel. He explored many parts of the Iberian Peninsula, which includes Spain and Portugal. He visited places like Portugal and Andalusia, and important Spanish cities such as Seville, Toledo, and Madrid.
During his travels, he became interested in the political life of these areas. This helped him to write a big history book about Spain. His book covered everything from the very beginning of the world (as believed at the time) up to the time of King Pelayo.
In the 1570s, he traveled to Antwerp (which is now in Belgium) to publish his book, Compendio historia. He worked with a famous publisher named Christophe Plantin. However, publishing the book caused him to go into debt, and he eventually ran out of money. He then traveled back through France.
Royal Connections
After traveling a lot, Garibay settled in Toledo. In 1574, he got married again. He also became very interested in genealogy, which is the study of family histories and ancestors.
Because of his connections to important families, Garibay was able to meet King Philip II in 1575. The King was very interested in Garibay's writings about royal family trees and who had the right to rule.
From 1585, Garibay started working for the royal family. In 1592, he was officially named the royal court chronicler. This meant he was the official historian for the King.
Later Life and Death
Around 1594, Garibay became ill, which affected his thinking. However, his last history book, called Genealogical Illustrations of the Catholic Kings of Spain, was still ready to be published.
He wrote his final will on October 17, 1599. In his will, he said he wanted to be buried in his hometown of Mondragón. He also wrote a book about his own life, called Discurso de mi vida, around 1598 or 1599.
Esteban de Garibay died in 1599. He had children from both of his marriages. Some of his children were living with the famous writer Miguel de Cervantes in 1605.
Influence on Basque Culture
Even though Garibay's writings often supported the Spanish royal family and Catholic ideas, he is seen as an important person for helping to create a stronger sense of Basque identity.
He tried to help the Province of Guipúzcoa (a Basque region) get back its old status as a "kingdom." However, this plan did not work because he did not have enough support from local leaders.
Garibay also collected old songs and proverbs that were passed down by word of mouth in his home region. In his 1571 book, Compendio historia, he wrote down the name his people used for their own language: enusquera. This word is related to the modern Basque word euskara. In the same book, he also wrote about an old myth that the Biblical figure Tubal was an ancestor of the Basques. He also suggested that the Basque country used to be much larger than it is today.
See also
In Spanish: Esteban de Garibay para niños
