Francisco Imperial facts for kids

Francisco Imperial was a poet from Genoa (which is now part of Italy). He lived in Seville, Spain, around the early 1400s. He wrote many poems, especially lyric poems (which express feelings) and allegorical poems (which use symbols to tell a story). All of his poems that we still have today are found in a special collection called the Cancionero de Baena.

Francisco Imperial worked for King Henry III of Castile (who ruled from 1390 to 1406). One of his poems even celebrated the birth of the king's son, John II of Castile. In 1403, Imperial held an important job as the assistant to the Admiral of Castile, who was in charge of the navy. It seems he passed away sometime before 1409, as documents from that year mention his family members as his "heirs."

About Francisco Imperial's Life

We don't know many certain details about Francisco Imperial's life. Some notes in the Cancionero de Baena say he was born in Genoa and lived in Seville. A historian from the 1500s, Gonzalo Argote de Molina, wrote that Imperial came from a noble family in Genoa. These families often sent two officials to Seville to look after Genoa's business interests there.

In 1403, a letter from King Martin I of Aragon was sent to "Miçer Francisco Imperial, lieutenant of the Admiral of Castile." This shows he held a significant position. Another document from 1409 talks about the "heirs of Miçer Francisco Imperial." This suggests he had died by that time. These few documents are most of what we know about his life.

Some experts have tried to find clues about Imperial's life in his poems. However, these ideas are mostly guesses.

Imperial was clearly a well-known poet in his time. He has many poems in the Cancionero de Baena, which was an important collection. Also, a famous writer named the Marques de Santillana called Imperial a true "poet." This was a big compliment, as Santillana only gave this title to Imperial among Spanish writers. Some of Imperial's poems were so popular that other poets wrote their own poems in response to them.

What Francisco Imperial Wrote

Francisco Imperial wrote 18 poems that we know of. All of them are found in the Cancionero de Baena. Some poems clearly state they are by Imperial, while others are believed to be his because of their style and what they talk about.

Most of Imperial's poems are short lyrics. He wrote several poems about the goddess Fortune. He questioned if Fortune was always fair or if she was just random and unpredictable. Imperial also wrote many love poems. In some of these, he praised a woman he called "Estrella Diana." He also wrote two poems about Angelina de Grecia, a noblewoman who came to Seville. She had been captured by Tamerlane and sent to Spain as a gift.

Imperial is most famous for two longer, allegorical poems:

• The Dezir al nacimiento de Juan II: This poem was written in 1405. It celebrates the birth of John II of Castile, who was the son of King Henry III of Castile.
• The Dezir a las syete virtudes: This is Imperial's longest and most famous work. It describes a dream where he sees the Seven Virtues. This poem has many references to the famous Italian poem, the Divine Comedy by Dante.

Special Things About Imperial's Poetry

How Dante Influenced His Work

The famous Italian poet Dante had a big impact on Francisco Imperial's poetry. This is most clear in the Dezir a las syete virtudes, but you can see Dante's influence in other poems too.

One of Imperial's poems even features Dante as a main character. In this poem, Imperial imagines what the Florentine poet would say. Imperial also disagreed with Dante's ideas about Fortune in one poem.

Imperial often translated lines from Dante's works into his own poems. For example, in the Dezir al nacimiento de Juan II, he hoped that Prince Juan would become the "master of those who know." This is a direct translation of Dante's description of Aristotle as "il maestro di color che sanno."

In the Dezir a las syete virtudes, Imperial translated longer parts from Dante, sometimes as many as six lines at once. Imperial's poems also use themes from Dante's poetry. For example, he used "Dantesque similes," which are comparisons that are very detailed, just like Dante did. He also used the idea of a poetic guide on a journey, like Dante had Virgil as his guide. In Imperial's poem, Dante himself is the guide! You can find a reference to Dante in almost every part of the Dezir a las syete virtudes.

His Interest in Foreign Languages

Imperial's poetry is also special because he used words and phrases from other languages. He used many Italian words in his poems. For example, he used the word "transumanar," which Dante had actually invented.

In the Dezir al nacimiento de Juan II, Imperial even tried to copy the sounds of French, Latin, English, and Arabic in some lines. Another poem has a whole line in what seems to be Provençal, a language from southern France. Imperial was following Dante here, as Dante also put Provençal lines in the mouth of a poet in his work. One of the poems about Angelina de Grecia even has a word that seems to come from Greek and another that might be Hungarian.

Some experts see Imperial as a poet who helped bring the Renaissance (a time of great change and new ideas) to Spain. Others think he just copied Dante without fully understanding his genius. But no matter what, Imperial's poetry stands out from other Spanish poets of his time because he used so many foreign elements and was so influenced by Dante.

See also

In Spanish: Francisco Imperial para niños