Francisco Javier Alegre facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Francisco Xavier Alegre
|
|
|---|---|
Portrait (late 18th century)
|
|
| Born | 12 November 1729 |
| Died | 16 August 1788 (aged 58) near Bologna, Italy
|
| Other names | Francisco Javier Alegre (modern-day) |
| Alma mater | Royal College of San Ignacio (Puebla) |
| Occupation | Historian, translator and scholar |
Francisco Xavier Alegre (born November 12, 1729 – died August 16, 1788) was an important Jesuit priest from New Spain (which is now Mexico). He was a very smart person, known as a scholar, who also worked as a translator and a historian.
Contents
A Look at Francisco Xavier Alegre's Life
Early Life and Education
Francisco Xavier Alegre was born in Veracruz, a city in New Spain. When he was young, he went to the Royal College of San Ignacio in Puebla. There, he studied philosophy, which is about big ideas and how we think.
Later, he moved to Mexico City to study law. He also studied theology in Angelópolis. Theology is the study of religious beliefs.
Joining the Jesuits and Learning Languages
On March 19, 1747, Alegre joined the Company of Jesus (also known as the Jesuits). This was a special religious group. He entered their training program, called a novitiate, in Tepozotlán.
Alegre was very good at learning languages. He taught himself Italian, Greek, Hebrew, and Náhuatl. Náhuatl is a language spoken by some native people in Mexico. He was so good that he could even give speeches in Náhuatl.
He loved to learn about many things. He studied theology, history, mathematics, and especially old writings from ancient Greece and Rome. These are called classical literature.
Teaching and Travel
After his studies, Alegre became a teacher in Mexico City. He taught grammar and also learned French during this time.
Because he wasn't feeling well, he went back to Veracruz. He taught there for two years. Then, he returned to Mexico City to take an exam in theology. After passing, he became a priest.
His health was still not good. So, he was sent to Havana, which is in Cuba. He taught rhetoric and philosophy there for seven years. Rhetoric is the art of speaking or writing well.
Writing History and Exile
After Havana, Alegre moved to Mérida, where he worked at a Jesuit college. He started working on a big history book called Historia de la provincia. Another priest had started it, but Alegre took over.
He continued working on this history when he moved back to Mexico City. In less than three years, he finished his most famous work. It was called Historia de la Compañía de Jesús en Nueva España. This book was almost ready to be printed.
However, something big happened on July 25, 1767. The Jesuits were forced to leave all Spanish lands. This event is known as the expulsion of the Jesuits. When Alegre left New Spain, his important book and all his notes were left behind.
Later Life and Passing
Alegre went to live in Bologna, Italy, after being expelled. He died near Bologna in 1788. He passed away from a sudden illness called apoplexy. Some of his writings were not published until after he died.
Francisco Xavier Alegre's Important Works
Rewriting History in Exile
While living in Italy, Alegre did something amazing. He rewrote his big history book, Historia de la Compañía de Jesús en Nueva España, completely from memory! He made it shorter, like a summary, called a compendium. This new version was finally published in Mexico in 1841-1842.
He also wrote 18 books about theology. These were published together as Instituciones teológicas.
Poetry and Translations
Alegre also wrote poems. One was an epic poem called Alexandrias. It was about Alexander the Great conquering a city called Tyre. He also wrote a Latin poem called Nysus.
He was a skilled translator. He translated the famous Greek poem Iliad into Latin. He also translated parts of a French poem, L'Art poétique, into Spanish.
He left behind many shorter works, mostly translations of old classic writings. These included "Alexandriadas" and "Homeri Batrachiomachia" (another translation of a Greek poem). He also translated parts of works by famous writers like Horace and Boileau.
His Most Famous Work
Alegre is best known for his History of the Society of Jesus in New Spain. This book is very important for understanding the history of Mexico when it was a Spanish colony. It also tells us a lot about many of the native tribes in Mexico.
Even though the Jesuits were treated badly when he wrote it, the book is fair and respectful. It doesn't attack Spain or the Spanish people.
Other Contributions
He also published a map called Carta geográfica del hemisferio mexicano. This map shared new information about New Spain that people in Europe didn't know before.
In 1889, another scholar published some of Alegre's poems and writings that had never been seen before. These were called Opúsculos inéditos latinos y castellanos del P. Francisco Xavier Alegre. Alegre's Latin writing was very clear and classic, like the great writers of the Renaissance.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Bandelier, Adolph Francis Alphonse (1907). "Francisco Xavier Alegre". Catholic Encyclopedia 1. New York: Robert Appleton.
See also
In Spanish: Francisco Javier Alegre para niños
