Juan Nicasio Gallego
Encyclopedia
Juan Nicasio Gallego was a Spanish
priest
and poet
; born in Zamora
, Spain, 14 December 1777, he died in Madrid
, 9 January 1853.
He received his training at Salamanca
; entering into Holy orders
, he soon went to Madrid, where he was given a post in the royal palace, being made director of the royal pages. His feelings as a patriot and his love for pseudo-classicism led him to associate himself with the coterie about the poet Manuel José Quintana
, and to imitate the latter's metres. It is by virtue of only seven ode
s and elegies
that Gallego is known. Of these the first was the ode, A la defensa de Buenos Ayres
(1807), directed against the British invasions of the Río de la Plata
. Another was his elegy on the death of the Duchess of Frias.
With intensified liberal tendencies, Gallego presented himself for election and was returned a deputy to the Cortes Generales
. He had consistently opposed Napoleon's invasion of Spain, with both pen and voice, yet the despotic Ferdinand VII, after his return in 1814, imprisoned him because of his liberalism. During the second constitutional period, now free again, he was appointed Archdeacon
of Valencia. The Royal Spanish Academy
took him into its membership, and made him its perpetual secretary.
The most famous of the few compositions left by Gallego is the elegy El Dos de Mayo, which commemorates the events of the patriotic uprising of 2 May 1808
, by a few hundred Spanish civilians and militarymen, including the artillery captains Daoiz
and Velarde
, and infantery lieutenant Ruiz. The revolt in Madrid inspired a general rising in Spain against Napoleon. Gallego's words, urging his countrymen to resist unto death, are said to have had a major effect.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
and poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
; born in Zamora
Zamora, Spain
Zamora is a city in Castile and León, Spain, the capital of the province of Zamora. It lies on a rocky hill in the northwest, near the frontier with Portugal and crossed by the Duero river, which is some 50 km downstream as it reaches the Portuguese frontier...
, Spain, 14 December 1777, he died in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, 9 January 1853.
He received his training at Salamanca
Salamanca
Salamanca is a city in western Spain, in the community of Castile and León. Because it is known for its beautiful buildings and urban environment, the Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. It is the most important university city in Spain and is known for its contributions to...
; entering into Holy orders
Holy Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
, he soon went to Madrid, where he was given a post in the royal palace, being made director of the royal pages. His feelings as a patriot and his love for pseudo-classicism led him to associate himself with the coterie about the poet Manuel José Quintana
Manuel José Quintana
Manuel José Quintana y Lorenzo , was a Spanish poet and man of letters. He was born at Madrid. After completing his studies at Salamanca he was called to the bar....
, and to imitate the latter's metres. It is by virtue of only seven ode
Ode
Ode is a type of lyrical verse. A classic ode is structured in three major parts: the strophe, the antistrophe, and the epode. Different forms such as the homostrophic ode and the irregular ode also exist...
s and elegies
Elegy
In literature, an elegy is a mournful, melancholic or plaintive poem, especially a funeral song or a lament for the dead.-History:The Greek term elegeia originally referred to any verse written in elegiac couplets and covering a wide range of subject matter, including epitaphs for tombs...
that Gallego is known. Of these the first was the ode, A la defensa de Buenos Ayres
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
(1807), directed against the British invasions of the Río de la Plata
British invasions of the Río de la Plata
The British invasions of the Río de la Plata were a series of unsuccessful British attempts to seize control of the Spanish colonies located around the La Plata Basin in South America . The invasions took place between 1806 and 1807, as part of the Napoleonic Wars, when Spain was an ally of...
. Another was his elegy on the death of the Duchess of Frias.
With intensified liberal tendencies, Gallego presented himself for election and was returned a deputy to the Cortes Generales
Cortes Generales
The Cortes Generales is the legislature of Spain. It is a bicameral parliament, composed of the Congress of Deputies and the Senate . The Cortes has power to enact any law and to amend the constitution...
. He had consistently opposed Napoleon's invasion of Spain, with both pen and voice, yet the despotic Ferdinand VII, after his return in 1814, imprisoned him because of his liberalism. During the second constitutional period, now free again, he was appointed Archdeacon
Archdeacon
An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in Anglicanism, Syrian Malabar Nasrani, Chaldean Catholic, and some other Christian denominations, above that of most clergy and below a bishop. In the High Middle Ages it was the most senior diocesan position below a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church...
of Valencia. The Royal Spanish Academy
Real Academia Española
The Royal Spanish Academy is the official royal institution responsible for regulating the Spanish language. It is based in Madrid, Spain, but is affiliated with national language academies in twenty-one other hispanophone nations through the Association of Spanish Language Academies...
took him into its membership, and made him its perpetual secretary.
The most famous of the few compositions left by Gallego is the elegy El Dos de Mayo, which commemorates the events of the patriotic uprising of 2 May 1808
Dos de Mayo Uprising
On the second of May , 1808, the people of Madrid rebelled against the occupation of the city by French troops, provoking a brutal repression by the French Imperial forces and triggering the Peninsular War.-Background:...
, by a few hundred Spanish civilians and militarymen, including the artillery captains Daoiz
Luis Daoiz de Torres
Luis Daoiz de Torres was a Spanish artillery officer and one of the leaders of the Dos de Mayo Uprising that signalled the start of the Spanish War of Independence. Daoiz's surname is derived from the town of Aoiz in Navarre and he was descended from a long line of Spanish gentry with soldiering...
and Velarde
Pedro Velarde y Santillán
Pedro Velarde y Santillán was a Spanish artillery captain famous for his heroic death in the Dos de Mayo uprisings against the French occupation of Madrid...
, and infantery lieutenant Ruiz. The revolt in Madrid inspired a general rising in Spain against Napoleon. Gallego's words, urging his countrymen to resist unto death, are said to have had a major effect.