October 9 - Miguel de Cervantes and Don Quixote

📜 On This Day in History: 9th October 1547 📜

Though not Tudor England, this event still falls in the Tudor period! On 9th October 1547, legendary Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes, author of Don Quixote, was baptized. 🌟 Want to know more about the man behind the world’s first modern novel? Join me as I uncover fascinating facts about his life, from battles and kidnappings to the story behind Don Quixote. 🏰📚

🎥 Don’t miss out on learning about this iconic figure from history!

#Cervantes #DonQuixote #TudorHistory #OnThisDay #HistoryFacts #HistoricalFigures

[melenatorr]

Thanks for this lovely summary of Cervantes' life. The story of why he wasn't included in the ransom is a little more complicated, and feeds into Cervantes' lifelong acquaintance with Murphy's Law (everything that can to wrong will go wrong). Don Juan of Austria was impressed with Cervantes and wrote him a letter of recommendation. He instructed Cervantes to bring the letter to court upon returning to Spain, and that it would lead to wonderful employment and the end of Cervantes' financial woes. When he was taken captive, this letter was discovered. The result was that, since he had a letter signed by don Juan, he must be a person of some importance, and therefore his ransom was increased to much more than his family could afford. Cervantes spent about five years in captivity. By the time he returned to Spain, the chance for useful employment via the deceased don Juan and the court had long gone. So the letter that was supposed to have been the salvation of him and his family ended up doing just the opposite. Most of his life went kind of like this, and to me it explains a good deal about the tone and many of the adventures of his famous knight.

[carolynambrose]

It's easy to forget or not recognize how many of these Historical figures were contemporaries. You've given me a new quarantine project. I'm going to read Don Quixote De La Mancha!

[pagebartz]

I loved Don Quixote! Years after reading it, I was lucky enough to visit Spain. It was as though the characters that Cervantes created were my tour guides. What an extraordinary experience; what a beautiful country!

[pamelaoliver]

You're in Spain...seems fitting :)
My teacher required we read it...in Spanish. I've always been glad I did. It really was something. I've never known about the man..thank you so much as always for teaching me ❤

[patmccoy]

I remember studying the story of Don Quixote, seeing the film, (for Spanish class), and enjoying the musical Man of La Mancha. I think Cervantes would be amazed at how popular that story has become.

[chiaroscuroamore]

Cervantes sounds like an interesting man! I didn’t know about him until your talk.

A big thing to be credited with writing the first modern novel.

Thank you as always for another great video and I’ll tune in again tomorrow

[almontepaolilli]

Talk about a full and varied life. Also saw Mag the cat again and heard church bells again.

[susquahallasmiley]

It is truly funny in a cute way, and to me, obviously a parody. Had to read it in Spanish in high school.

[robertdudley]

Tilting at windmills etc, it's a great read, he lived a varied life great story teller

[beerbandit]

I found that Edith Grossman's translation was the best English version so far and highly recommend it.

[ellenspear]

One of the fun novels I read during lockdown (all but over now, provisionally at least, in New Zealand) was The Shakespeare Secret by JL Carrell. Cervantes figures in it, or documents pertaining to him, as well as a lost Shakespeare play and speculation on who wrote the plays.

[barbarachoquet]

Thank you for this amazing video Claire!! 👏🏻❤️

[Lyndell-P]

🇭🇲🦘 An interesting life - to say the least! I haven't read Don Quixote, but of course know of it. However, I didn't know when it was written and that it

.... is considered the first modern novel (and was a 'hit' when published). At that time in history this book would have been 'escapism' for those who read it, as it has been for many since then, and today. I do look forward to reading it, one day! 📚 👍

"Thank you" Claire for your information about the life and times of Miguel de Cervantes! 💓👑👍

[marionarnott]

I had a picture once of the windmill, its great arms to the fore, with Don Quixote riding by and Sancho Panza, head tucked into his chest, riding behind him.
To this day, we say that idealistic people are quixotic, or that they go tilting at windmills in lost causes.

[beverlyfletcher]

Dying the same day as William Shakespeare (I like to think that!) Fortunate that his life is better documented., thank you for the video.

[wendychavez]

My favorite English teacher in high school pointed out that Don Quixote, as a satire, is properly pronounced "dawn quick sah tee." I just can't!

[maryh]

Fancy losing someone's bones for centuries! You'd think back then, they would have been even more careful.

[kimberlyperrotis]

You’re the first British person that I’ve ever heard with decent Spanish pronunciation - my father is a retired Spanish teacher, plus we Californians are more familiar with Spanish than other Americans (my name isn’t Hispanic, it’s Italo-Greek).

[cindyrobinson]

When I was growing up our neighbor had a statue that had a guy with a donkey pulling a cart. They called it Don Quixote. I always thought it was Donkey Otey talking about the donkey not the man 🤣🤣🤣

[micheltibon]

As he is buried in the Convento Trinitarias Madrid I would like to suggest to do a video on this little known order. I understand they were created to ransom slaves from the Barbary pirates. I encountered their name recently in another video about Crusader orders.