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SPAIN | Toledo, Spain Travel Guide
Friday, May 17, 2024
Miguel de Cervantes
Miguel de Cervantes
Was Don Quixote even half the man his creator was? Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) was born outside of Madrid. When young, he developed a love of books and eventually swore off a university education. His first poem was published at the age of 21, the same year he was forced to flee the country for Italy following assault accusations. His life, as an itinerant adventurer, had begun. In Naples he enlisted as a soldier with the Spanish infantry. Relations between the Ottoman Empire and the Spanish-Italian confederacy had reached a breaking point, and Cervantes found himself in the midst of a significant naval battle a year after his enlistment. Stricken with fever, he reportedly refused to lie below decks during the battle and emerged as a valiant fighter, receiving two gunshot wounds to the chest and another to his left hand that would render it useless for the rest of his life. The Ottoman Turks had lost their hold over the Mediterranean. Cervantes’ life as a distinguished soldier would play out over the next few years until his planned return to Spain.
En route to his homeland with letters of recommendation from King Don Juan de Austria, Cervantes’ ship was attacked by Barbary corsairs; all aboard, including the future author and his brother, were captured and sold into slavery in Algeria. The letters sustained Cervantes’ life as a captive and endeared him to his captors. He was apparently a stoic leader among his fellow captives and, despite at least four failed escape attempts, managed to avoid the severe punishment, torture or death that would have befallen most slaves for such an act. He remained in captivity for five years, until his family was able to earn his release in 1580.
Cervantes’ return to Spain would lead to 25 years of poverty, with odd jobs here and there and little to show for it all. The life of Cervantes the adventurer had come to an end. But the legend of Cervantes the writer would soon be assured in 1605, when El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha was published to rave reviews.
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