Miguel de Barrios
Encyclopedia
Miguel Barrios was a Spanish
poet and historian from a converso
family. He was born in Montilla
, Spain
and died in Amsterdam
. Miguel was the son of a converso
, Simon de Barrios — who also called himself Jacob Levi Caniso — and Sarah Valle. His grandfather was Abraham Levi Caniso. To escape the persecution of the Spanish Inquisition
, Simon fled to Portugal
, and remained for a time at Marialva
, and also in the vicinity of Villa-Flor. Not feeling safe in Portugal, he went to Algeria
.
and dwelt for a time at Nice
, France
, where his paternal aunt was married to the otherwise unknown Abraham de Torres. He then stayed for a longer time at Livorno
, where another sister of his father, wife of Isaac Cohen de Sosa, prevailed upon him to declare himself publicly a Jew. Soon after this he married Deborah Vaez, a relative of his brother-in-law, Eliahu Vaez, from Algeria
, and afterward determined to leave Europe
. On 20 July 1660, he with 152 coreligionists and fellow-sufferers set sail for the West Indies. Soon after his arrival at Tobago
his young wife died, and he returned to Europe
. He went to Brussels
and there entered the military service of Spain.
, where he came much in contact with Spanish and Portuguese knight
s, and where he was soon advanced to the rank of captain. Here he wrote his best poetical work—his "Flor de Apolo" (see below)—his dramas, and "Coro de las Musas," in which he sang the praises of the reigning princes of Europe and of the then most flourishing cities, Madrid
, Lisbon
, Paris
, London
, Rome
, Amsterdam
, and others. Here also he planned his greatest poetical work, which was to deal with the Pentateuch, and which was to be divided into twelve parts, each part to be dedicated to a European ruler. He intended to call it the "Imperio de Dios" or "Harmonia del Mundo." Several potentates had already sent the poet their likenesses, their genealogies, and their coats of arms, and had promised the means for the production of the work, when the board of wardens ("ma'amad") and the rabbi
s of the Amsterdam community refused to give the necessary "approbation" for the publication of the work, through which, they held, the law of God might be profaned.
. He firmly believed that the Messiah
would appear on the Jewish New Year of 5435 (1675 CE). On the Passover
preceding that holy day he suddenly became insane, fasted for four days, refused to take any nourishment, and in consequence was so weakened that he was not expected to survive. Only the earnest remonstrances of the eminent Rabbi Jacob Sasportas, who had given him advice in regard to the compilation of his "Harmonia del Mundo," and who possessed his full confidence, prevailed with him and induced him to take food and thus by degrees to regain his strength. De Barrios remained in poor circumstances all his life. In order to earn bread for those nearest to him, he sang the praises of the rich Spanish-Portuguese Jews on sad and joyous occasions, or dedicated his minor works to them. His writings are frequently the only sources of information concerning the scholars, philanthropic institutions, and Jewish academies of his time, though the information given is not always reliable. He was buried in the cemetery of Amsterdam, next to his second wife, Abigail, daughter of Isaac de Pina, whom he had married in 1662, and who died in 1686.
He composed for himself the following epitaph, in Spanish:
"Ya Daniel y Abigail Levi ajuntarse bolvieron. Por un Amor en las Almas, Por una losa en los cuerpos. Porque tanto en la vida se quisieron Que aun despues de la muerte un vivir fueron."
("Daniel and Abigail Levi have here become united again. Love joined their souls; A stone now joins their remains. So deeply they loved each other in life That even after death they shall be one.")
; Coro de las Musas, in nine parts (Brussels, 1672); Imperio de Dios en la Harmonia del Mundo, (Brussels, 1670-74) (the second edition contains 127 verses; the first, but 125); Sol de la Vida, (Brussels, 1673); Mediar Estremos, Decada Primera en Ros Hasana, Amsterdam, 1677; Metros Nobles, Amsterdam; Triumpho Cesareo en la Descripcion Universal de Panonia, y de la Conquista de la Ciudad de Buda, (celebrating the conquest of Budapest
by the Habsburg
s from the Ottoman Empire
, Amsterdam, 1687); Dios con Nos Otros, (1688); Historia Real de la Gran Bretaña, ib. 1688; Arbol de la Vida con Raizes de la Ley, ib. 1689.
The opuscula, or minor literary and biographical works, of De Barrios appeared under various titles at different periods, in two different editions. They treated of the various "hermandades academicas" and "academias caritativas." The often-quoted "Relacion de los Poetas, y Escriptores Españoles de la Nacion Judayca" and "Hetz Jaim (Hayyim), Arbol de las Vidas," which treat of the Amsterdam scholars, are of most value. Both have been reprinted, with explanatory notes, in "Revue Etudes Juives," xviii. 281-289, xxxii. 92-101. His last work bears the title "Piedra Derribadora de la Sonjada Estatua Desde el Año de 1689 al de 1700" (no date).
A certain Daniel Lopes Barrios, who may have been a descendent, lived in America in 1748.
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...
poet and historian from a converso
Converso
A converso and its feminine form conversa was a Jew or Muslim—or a descendant of Jews or Muslims—who converted to Catholicism in Spain or Portugal, particularly during the 14th and 15th centuries. Mass conversions once took place under significant government pressure...
family. He was born in Montilla
Montilla
Montilla a town and municipality of southern Spain, in the province of Córdoba, 32 miles south of the provincial capital, Córdoba, by the Córdoba-Bobadilla railway. , the town had a population of 23,245. The olive oil of the district is abundant and good, and it is the peculiar flavour of the pale...
, Spain
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...
and died in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
. Miguel was the son of a converso
Converso
A converso and its feminine form conversa was a Jew or Muslim—or a descendant of Jews or Muslims—who converted to Catholicism in Spain or Portugal, particularly during the 14th and 15th centuries. Mass conversions once took place under significant government pressure...
, Simon de Barrios — who also called himself Jacob Levi Caniso — and Sarah Valle. His grandfather was Abraham Levi Caniso. To escape the persecution of the Spanish Inquisition
Spanish Inquisition
The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition , commonly known as the Spanish Inquisition , was a tribunal established in 1480 by Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile. It was intended to maintain Catholic orthodoxy in their kingdoms, and to replace the Medieval...
, Simon fled to Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, and remained for a time at Marialva
Marialva
Marialva is a town and municipality in the state of Paraná in the Southern Region of Brazil.-References:...
, and also in the vicinity of Villa-Flor. Not feeling safe in Portugal, he went to Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
.
Travels
Miguel went to ItalyItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and dwelt for a time at Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, where his paternal aunt was married to the otherwise unknown Abraham de Torres. He then stayed for a longer time at Livorno
Livorno
Livorno , traditionally Leghorn , is a port city on the Tyrrhenian Sea on the western edge of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of approximately 160,000 residents in 2009.- History :...
, where another sister of his father, wife of Isaac Cohen de Sosa, prevailed upon him to declare himself publicly a Jew. Soon after this he married Deborah Vaez, a relative of his brother-in-law, Eliahu Vaez, from Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
, and afterward determined to leave Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. On 20 July 1660, he with 152 coreligionists and fellow-sufferers set sail for the West Indies. Soon after his arrival at Tobago
Tobago
Tobago is the smaller of the two main islands that make up the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is located in the southern Caribbean, northeast of the island of Trinidad and southeast of Grenada. The island lies outside the hurricane belt...
his young wife died, and he returned to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. He went to Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
and there entered the military service of Spain.
Military service
De Barrios, who in the course of his long life had to undergo a hard struggle against fate, spent his happiest years in BrusselsBrussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, where he came much in contact with Spanish and Portuguese knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
s, and where he was soon advanced to the rank of captain. Here he wrote his best poetical work—his "Flor de Apolo" (see below)—his dramas, and "Coro de las Musas," in which he sang the praises of the reigning princes of Europe and of the then most flourishing cities, 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...
, Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, and others. Here also he planned his greatest poetical work, which was to deal with the Pentateuch, and which was to be divided into twelve parts, each part to be dedicated to a European ruler. He intended to call it the "Imperio de Dios" or "Harmonia del Mundo." Several potentates had already sent the poet their likenesses, their genealogies, and their coats of arms, and had promised the means for the production of the work, when the board of wardens ("ma'amad") and the rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
s of the Amsterdam community refused to give the necessary "approbation" for the publication of the work, through which, they held, the law of God might be profaned.
Later life
In 1674 De Barrios left the Spanish service and returned to Amsterdam, where he joined the numerous followers of Sabbatai ZeviSabbatai Zevi
Sabbatai Zevi, , was a Sephardic Rabbi and kabbalist who claimed to be the long-awaited Jewish Messiah. He was the founder of the Jewish Sabbatean movement...
. He firmly believed that the Messiah
Messiah
A messiah is a redeemer figure expected or foretold in one form or another by a religion. Slightly more widely, a messiah is any redeemer figure. Messianic beliefs or theories generally relate to eschatological improvement of the state of humanity or the world, in other words the World to...
would appear on the Jewish New Year of 5435 (1675 CE). On the Passover
Passover
Passover is a Jewish holiday and festival. It commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt...
preceding that holy day he suddenly became insane, fasted for four days, refused to take any nourishment, and in consequence was so weakened that he was not expected to survive. Only the earnest remonstrances of the eminent Rabbi Jacob Sasportas, who had given him advice in regard to the compilation of his "Harmonia del Mundo," and who possessed his full confidence, prevailed with him and induced him to take food and thus by degrees to regain his strength. De Barrios remained in poor circumstances all his life. In order to earn bread for those nearest to him, he sang the praises of the rich Spanish-Portuguese Jews on sad and joyous occasions, or dedicated his minor works to them. His writings are frequently the only sources of information concerning the scholars, philanthropic institutions, and Jewish academies of his time, though the information given is not always reliable. He was buried in the cemetery of Amsterdam, next to his second wife, Abigail, daughter of Isaac de Pina, whom he had married in 1662, and who died in 1686.
He composed for himself the following epitaph, in Spanish:
"Ya Daniel y Abigail Levi ajuntarse bolvieron. Por un Amor en las Almas, Por una losa en los cuerpos. Porque tanto en la vida se quisieron Que aun despues de la muerte un vivir fueron."
("Daniel and Abigail Levi have here become united again. Love joined their souls; A stone now joins their remains. So deeply they loved each other in life That even after death they shall be one.")
Works
De Barrios was the most fruitful poet and author among all the Spanish-Portuguese Jews of his time. Hardly a year passed that did not see the publication of one or more of his writings. His principal works are: Flor de Apolo, containing romances, "dezimas," 62 sonnets, and the three comedies, Pedir Favor al Contrario, El Canto Junto al Encanto, and El Espanjol de Oran, (Brussels, 1663); Contra la Verdad no ay Fuerca, (Amsterdam, 1665-67), a panegyric on Abraham Athias, Jacob Rodrigues Caseres, and Rachel Nuñez Fernandez, who were burned as martyrs at CordovaCórdoba, Spain
-History:The first trace of human presence in the area are remains of a Neanderthal Man, dating to c. 32,000 BC. In the 8th century BC, during the ancient Tartessos period, a pre-urban settlement existed. The population gradually learned copper and silver metallurgy...
; Coro de las Musas, in nine parts (Brussels, 1672); Imperio de Dios en la Harmonia del Mundo, (Brussels, 1670-74) (the second edition contains 127 verses; the first, but 125); Sol de la Vida, (Brussels, 1673); Mediar Estremos, Decada Primera en Ros Hasana, Amsterdam, 1677; Metros Nobles, Amsterdam; Triumpho Cesareo en la Descripcion Universal de Panonia, y de la Conquista de la Ciudad de Buda, (celebrating the conquest of Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
by the Habsburg
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...
s from the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, Amsterdam, 1687); Dios con Nos Otros, (1688); Historia Real de la Gran Bretaña, ib. 1688; Arbol de la Vida con Raizes de la Ley, ib. 1689.
The opuscula, or minor literary and biographical works, of De Barrios appeared under various titles at different periods, in two different editions. They treated of the various "hermandades academicas" and "academias caritativas." The often-quoted "Relacion de los Poetas, y Escriptores Españoles de la Nacion Judayca" and "Hetz Jaim (Hayyim), Arbol de las Vidas," which treat of the Amsterdam scholars, are of most value. Both have been reprinted, with explanatory notes, in "Revue Etudes Juives," xviii. 281-289, xxxii. 92-101. His last work bears the title "Piedra Derribadora de la Sonjada Estatua Desde el Año de 1689 al de 1700" (no date).
A certain Daniel Lopes Barrios, who may have been a descendent, lived in America in 1748.
Resources
- http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=315&letter=B&search=Miguel%20Barrios Gottheil, Richard and Meyer KayserlingMeyer KayserlingMeyer Kayserling was a German rabbi and historian.-Life:He was educated at Halberstadt, Nikolsburg , Prague, Würzburg, and Berlin. He devoted himself to history and philosophy...
. "Barrios, Daniel Levi (Miguel) De." Jewish EncyclopediaJewish EncyclopediaThe Jewish Encyclopedia is an encyclopedia originally published in New York between 1901 and 1906 by Funk and Wagnalls. It contained over 15,000 articles in 12 volumes on the history and then-current state of Judaism and the Jews as of 1901...
. Funk and Wagnalls, 1901-1906, citing:
- M. Kayserling, "Sephardim", Roman. Poesien der Juden in Spanien, passim;
-
- idem, Revue Etudes Juives, xviii. 276 et seq.;
- idem, Biblioteca Españ.-Portug.-Judaica, pp. 16-26.
-