Ramón Menéndez Pidal
Encyclopedia
Ramón Menéndez Pidal was a Spanish
philologist and historian. He worked extensively on the history of the Spanish language
and Spanish folklore
and folk poetry. One of his main topics was the history and legend of The Cid
.
He was born in A Coruña
(Galicia), Spain. His father, Juan Menéndez Fernández, was a lawyer
and a magistrate
, originally from Asturias
. His mother was Ramona Pidal, also an Asturian. His older brother, Juan Menéndez Pidal, whom he outlived by more than fifty years, was also a literary scholar of folk poetry, expert in the poesía popular of Asturias. Another older brother, Luis Menéndez Pidal was a notable realist painter.
He studied at the University of Madrid (Universidad de Madrid). In 1899 he obtained the chair in Romance studies
in the same university, an appointment that he held until his retirement in 1939. In 1900 he married Maria Goyri
, who in 1896 became the first Spanish woman to receive a degree in Philosophy
and later, in 1909, became the first woman to attain a non-medical doctorate at a Spanish university. They spent their honeymoon retracing the geographic locales of the Poem of the Cid (Cantar de Mio Cid
).
Menéndez Pidal was elected to the Spanish Royal Academy (Real Academia Española
) in 1901, and in 1925 its director. However, he resigned this position in 1939 as a protest to the political climate in Spain at the time, under the Republic
. During the Spanish Civil War
he was exiled to France
, Cuba
and the United States
.
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...
philologist and historian. He worked extensively on the history of the Spanish language
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
and Spanish folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
and folk poetry. One of his main topics was the history and legend of The Cid
El Cid
Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar , known as El Cid Campeador , was a Castilian nobleman, military leader, and diplomat...
.
He was born in A Coruña
A Coruña
A Coruña or La Coruña is a city and municipality of Galicia, Spain. It is the second-largest city in the autonomous community and seventeenth overall in the country...
(Galicia), Spain. His father, Juan Menéndez Fernández, was a lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and a magistrate
Magistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
, originally from Asturias
Asturias
The Principality of Asturias is an autonomous community of the Kingdom of Spain, coextensive with the former Kingdom of Asturias in the Middle Ages...
. His mother was Ramona Pidal, also an Asturian. His older brother, Juan Menéndez Pidal, whom he outlived by more than fifty years, was also a literary scholar of folk poetry, expert in the poesía popular of Asturias. Another older brother, Luis Menéndez Pidal was a notable realist painter.
He studied at the University of Madrid (Universidad de Madrid). In 1899 he obtained the chair in Romance studies
Romance studies
Romance studies is an umbrella academic discipline that covers the study of the languages, literatures, and cultures of areas that speak a Romance language. Romance studies departments usually include the study of Spanish, French, Italian, and Portuguese...
in the same university, an appointment that he held until his retirement in 1939. In 1900 he married Maria Goyri
Pidal María Goyri de Menéndez
María Goyri de Menéndez Pidal was a Spanish Hispanist, literary critic, researcher, educator and advocate for women's rights. In 1896 she became the first Spanish woman to earn a degree in Philosophy and Letters and the first to earn her doctorate, in 1909, at a Spanish university . She was the...
, who in 1896 became the first Spanish woman to receive a degree in Philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
and later, in 1909, became the first woman to attain a non-medical doctorate at a Spanish university. They spent their honeymoon retracing the geographic locales of the Poem of the Cid (Cantar de Mio Cid
Cantar de Mio Cid
El Cantar de Myo Çid , also known in English as The Lay of the Cid and The Poem of the Cid is the oldest preserved Spanish epic poem...
).
Menéndez Pidal was elected to the Spanish Royal Academy (Real Academia Española
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...
) in 1901, and in 1925 its director. However, he resigned this position in 1939 as a protest to the political climate in Spain at the time, under the Republic
Second Spanish Republic
The Second Spanish Republic was the government of Spain between April 14 1931, and its destruction by a military rebellion, led by General Francisco Franco....
. During the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
he was exiled to 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...
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Works (selection)
- La leyenda de los siete infantes de Lara (1896)
- Crónicas generales de España (1898)
- Manual elemental de Gramática histórica española (1904)
- El dialecto leonés (1906)
- Cantar de Mio CidCantar de Mio CidEl Cantar de Myo Çid , also known in English as The Lay of the Cid and The Poem of the Cid is the oldest preserved Spanish epic poem...
: texto, gramática y vocabulario (1908-1912) - Orígenes del español (1926)
- La España del Cid (1929)
- La idea imperial de Carlos V (1938)
- Reliquias de la poesía épica española (1952)
- Romancero hispánico (1953)
- En torno a la lengua vasca (1962), recolle traballos anteriores
- El padre Las Casas: su doble personalidad (1963)