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107-459: Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra ( / s ɜːr ˈ v æ n t iː z , - t ɪ z / sur- VAN -teez, -⁠tiz ; Spanish: [miˈɣel de θeɾˈβantes saaˈβeðɾa] ; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 NS ) was a Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-eminent novelists. He is best known for his novel Don Quixote ,

214-639: A compluvium ). The city boundaries have been inhabited since the Chalcolithic phase of the Bronze Age . Romans conquered the area in the 1st century BC, and built the town of Complutum near a previous Carpetanian settlement, Iplacea. With 10,000 inhabitants, it reached the status of municipium and had its own governing institutions. It played an important role, located on the Roman road connecting Emerita Augusta and Caesaraugusta . After

321-521: A collegiate church , and derives from the requirement that all of the canons of the cathedral must possess the academic distinction of Doctor of Theology in order to serve there. In addition to that of Saints Justus and Pastor, the cathedral also houses the tomb of renowned 17th-century Spanish sculptor Gregorio Fernández . The city is also home to the Archbishops Palace. This site is where Christopher Columbus and King Ferdinand planned

428-637: A Mateo Vázquez . Viaje del Parnaso , or Journey to Parnassus , is his most ambitious verse work, an allegory that consists largely of reviews of contemporary poets. He published a number of dramatic works, including ten extant full-length plays: He also wrote eight short farces ( entremeses ): These plays and short farces, except for Trato de Argel and La Numancia , made up Ocho Comedias y ocho entreméses nuevos, nunca representados ( Eight Comedies and Eight New Interludes, Never Before Performed ), which appeared in 1615. The dates and order of composition of Cervantes's short farces are unknown. Faithful to

535-642: A calendar change, respectively. Usually, they refer to the change from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar as enacted in various European countries between 1582 and 1923. In England , Wales , Ireland and Britain's American colonies , there were two calendar changes, both in 1752. The first adjusted the start of a new year from 25 March ( Lady Day , the Feast of the Annunciation ) to 1 January,

642-544: A change which Scotland had made in 1600. The second discarded the Julian calendar in favour of the Gregorian calendar, skipping 11 days in the month of September to do so. To accommodate the two calendar changes, writers used dual dating to identify a given day by giving its date according to both styles of dating. For countries such as Russia where no start-of-year adjustment took place, O.S. and N.S. simply indicate

749-431: A commuter town, with many of its inhabitants travelling to work in the capital. By Cercanias (railway) is the lines C2 and C7 that links Alcalá de Henares with Madrid in 35 minutes, or Guadalajara in 25 minutes, also exists in the peak hours trains called CIVIS, direct train, that makes the journey in 20 minutes. Also it is linked by bus to Madrid, Guadalajara and several towns and villages in nearby. By car, Alcalá de Henares

856-470: A conventional pastoral romance that received little contemporary notice; despite promising to write a sequel, he never did so. Aside from these, and some poems, by 1605, Cervantes had not been published for 20 years. In Don Quixote , he challenged a form of literature that had been a favourite for more than a century, explicitly stating his purpose was to undermine 'vain and empty' chivalric romances . His portrayal of real life, and use of everyday speech in

963-459: A letter dated "12/22 Dec. 1635". In his biography of John Dee , The Queen's Conjurer , Benjamin Woolley surmises that because Dee fought unsuccessfully for England to embrace the 1583/84 date set for the change, "England remained outside the Gregorian system for a further 170 years, communications during that period customarily carrying two dates". In contrast, Thomas Jefferson , who lived while

1070-456: A literary context was considered innovative, and proved instantly popular. First published in January 1605, Don Quixote and Sancho Panza featured in masquerades held to celebrate the birth of Philip IV on 8 April. He finally achieved a degree of financial security, while its popularity led to demands for a sequel. In the foreword to his 1613 work, Novelas ejemplares , dedicated to his patron,

1177-461: A major recreational center for city residents and lies along a main road of Alcalá, Vía Complutense. Recent archaeological excavations have opened up the city's Roman forum where a large complex comprising a basilica, public baths, a cryptoporticus , a market and a large monumental façade stands out. Alongside the forum is the Domus with an extraordinary collection of Roman domestic mural paintings. On

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1284-558: A narrative tradition that includes Homer , Dante , Defoe , Dickens , Balzac , and Joyce . Sigmund Freud claimed he learnt Spanish to read Cervantes in the original; he particularly admired The Dialogue of the Dogs ( El coloquio de los perros ), from Exemplary Tales , in which two dogs, Cipión and Berganza, share their stories; as one talks, the other listens, occasionally making comments. From 1871 to 1881, Freud and his close friend Eduard Silberstein wrote letters to each other, using

1391-738: A position in the household of Giulio Acquaviva , an Italian bishop who spent 1568 to 1569 in Madrid, and was appointed Cardinal in 1570. When the 1570 to 1573 Ottoman–Venetian War began, Spain formed part of the Holy League , a coalition formed to support the Venetian Republic . Possibly seeing an opportunity to have his arrest warrant rescinded, Cervantes went to Naples , then part of the Crown of Aragon . The military commander in Naples

1498-512: A public ceremony in June 2015. No authenticated portrait of Cervantes is known to exist. The one most often associated with the author is attributed to Juan de Jáuregui , but both names were added at a later date. The El Greco painting in the Museo del Prado , known as Retrato de un caballero desconocido ( Portrait of an Unknown Gentleman ), is cited as 'possibly' depicting Cervantes, but there

1605-402: A small boat used for assaulting enemy galleys. The Marquesa lost 40 dead, and 120 wounded, including Cervantes, who received three separate wounds, two in the chest, and another that rendered his left arm useless, this last wound is the reason why he later was called " El Manco de Lepanto " (English: "The one-handed man of Lepanto", "The one-armed man of Lepanto"), a title that followed him for

1712-911: A start-of-year adjustment works well with little confusion for events before the introduction of the Gregorian calendar. For example, the Battle of Agincourt is well known to have been fought on 25 October 1415, which is Saint Crispin's Day . However, for the period between the first introduction of the Gregorian calendar on 15 October 1582 and its introduction in Britain on 14 September 1752, there can be considerable confusion between events in Continental Western Europe and in British domains. Events in Continental Western Europe are usually reported in English-language histories by using

1819-470: A work considered as the first modern novel . The novel has been labelled by many well-known authors as the "best book of all time" and the "best and most central work in world literature". Much of his life was spent in relative poverty and obscurity, which led to many of his early works being lost. Despite this, his influence and literary contribution are reflected by the fact that Spanish is often referred to as "the language of Cervantes". In 1569, Cervantes

1926-536: Is 9 February 1649, the date by which his contemporaries in some parts of continental Europe would have recorded his execution. The O.S./N.S. designation is particularly relevant for dates which fall between the start of the "historical year" (1 January) and the legal start date, where different. This was 25 March in England, Wales, Ireland and the colonies until 1752, and until 1600 in Scotland. In Britain, 1 January

2033-608: Is generally accepted Cervantes died on 22 April 1616 (NS; the Gregorian calendar had superseded the Julian in 1582 in Spain and some other countries); the symptoms described, including intense thirst, correspond to diabetes , then untreatable. In accordance with his will, Cervantes was buried in the Convent of the Barefoot Trinitarians , in central Madrid. His remains went missing when moved during rebuilding work at

2140-576: Is generally accepted Miguel de Cervantes was born around 29 September 1547, in Alcalá de Henares . He was the second son of barber-surgeon Rodrigo de Cervantes and his wife, Leonor de Cortinas ( c.  1520–1593 ). Rodrigo came from Córdoba, Andalusia , where his father Juan de Cervantes was an influential lawyer. Rodrigo was frequently in debt, or searching for work, and moved constantly. Leonor came from Arganda del Rey , and died in October 1593, at

2247-464: Is generally known simply as Alcalá , but de Henares (‘of the river Henares ’) is appended when needed to differentiate it from a dozen Spanish cities sharing the name Alcalá (from the Arabic word القلعة al-qalʿa , for fortification or citadel , typically a castle). Its Latin name, Complutum , means " confluence ", where rivers' water (or rain water) flow into one place (i.e.,

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2354-548: Is his religious background. It has been suggested that not only Cervantes' father but also his mother may have been New Christians . Anthony Cascardi writes, "While the family might have had some claim to nobility they often found themselves in financial straits. Moreover, they may have been of converso origin, that is, converts to Catholicism of Jewish ancestry. In the Spain of Cervantes' days, this meant living under clouds of official suspicion and social mistrust, with far more limited opportunities than were enjoyed by members of

2461-689: Is located in the central part of the Iberian Peninsula , in the southern half of the Inner Plateau . It lies on the valley of the Henares , a left-bank tributary of the Jarama , which is in turn a right-bank tributary of the Tagus . The right (north) bank of the river (on which the current urban nucleus was built) displays a very flat relief with a series of quaternary fluvial terraces , while

2568-520: Is named "Universidad de Alcalá", the ancient institution founded by Cisneros is the one now called "Universidad Complutense", translocated in the capital city of Madrid ("Complutensis" is the Latin word for "native of Alcalá"). The modern university is related to the original institution in name only, although it occupies the former buildings of the Complutense. Aside from the buildings associated with

2675-413: Is no evidence for this. It has been suggested that the portrait The Nobleman with his Hand on his Chest , also by El Greco, may possibly depict Cervantes. However, The Prado itself, while mentioning, in passing, that "specific names have been proposed for the sitter, including that of Cervantes", and even "that the painting could be a self-portrait [of El Greco]", goes on to state that "Without doubt,

2782-534: Is the world's largest digital archive of Spanish-language historical and literary works. As listed in Complete Works of Miguel de Cervantes : Cervantes is generally considered a mediocre poet; few of his poems survive. Some appear in La Galatea , while he also wrote Dos Canciones à la Armada Invencible . His sonnets include Al Túmulo del Rey Felipe en Sevilla , Canto de Calíope and Epístola

2889-537: Is uncertain, including his name, background and what he looked like. Although he signed himself Cerbantes , his printers used Cervantes , which became the common form. In later life, Cervantes used Saavedra , the name of a distant relative, rather than the more usual Cortinas , after his mother. Historian Luce López-Baralt claimed that it comes from the word shaibedraa that in Arabic dialect means "one-handed", his nickname during his captivity. Another area of dispute

2996-452: Is well known for its population of white storks . Their large nests can be observed atop many of the churches and historic buildings in the city, and are themselves a significant tourist attraction. Situated in the lowlands of the Henares river , the city is an attractive home for the migratory storks due to the wide availability of food and nesting material in the area. For over twenty years, Alcalá's storks have been counted and studied, and

3103-675: Is yet to be proven and no evidence has been published on the matter. By 1580, Spain was occupied with integrating Portugal , and suppressing the Dutch Revolt , while the Ottomans were at war with Persia ; the two sides agreed a truce, leading to an improvement of relations. After almost five years, and four escape attempts, in 1580 Cervantes was set free by the Trinitarians , a religious charity that specialised in ransoming Christian captives , and returned to Madrid. While Cervantes

3210-637: The Universidad Complutense , one of the oldest universities in the world, as a Studium Generale . With the patronage of Cardinal Cisneros , it was recognized in a 1499 papal bull , and quickly gained international fame as a main centre of learning of the Renaissance thanks to the production of the Complutensian Polyglot Bible in 1517, which is the basis for most of the current translations. By royal decree,

3317-527: The Ottoman fleet at the Battle of Lepanto . This landmark sea battle, the most significant naval conflict since the Roman Battle of Actium (32 B.C.), stopped Muslim incursion into Europe, and for the first time allowed European Christians to feel that they were not to be overrun by Islam. According to his own account, although suffering from malaria, Cervantes was given command of a 12-man skiff ,

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3424-702: The Plaza de Cervantes and is traversed by a long pedestrian main street, the Calle Mayor . The city includes the Moorish quarter, the Jewish quarter, and the Christian quarter. These distinct neighborhoods have given Alcalá the reputation of "the city of three cultures". The old city centre has been largely preserved, unlike the suburbs. There has been no clear planning by the city councillors regarding expansion, and

3531-609: The Russian Empire and the very beginning of Soviet Russia . For example, in the article "The October (November) Revolution", the Encyclopædia Britannica uses the format of "25 October (7 November, New Style)" to describe the date of the start of the revolution. The Latin equivalents, which are used in many languages, are, on the one hand, stili veteris (genitive) or stilo vetere (ablative), abbreviated st.v. , and meaning "(of/in) old style" ; and, on

3638-613: The Spanish Civil War . Thousands of prisoners were held in different camps in the city after the end of the war. From March 1939 to February 1948, at least 264 individuals were executed in Alcalá by the Francoist authorities . The town of historic importance was one of the first bishoprics founded in Spain. The polyglot Bible known as the Complutensian Polyglot Bible , the first of the many similar Bibles produced during

3745-573: The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party in the province of Madrid in 1903. Emerging in reaction to Socialist advances, Social catholicism also took hold in the city from 1905, founding a number of organizations such as Centro Católico de Acción Social Popular and the Mutual Obrera Complutense . Following the 1936 coup d'etat that sparked the Spanish Civil War , putschist elements seized key posts around

3852-414: The 'Old Christian' caste." According to Charles D. Presberg, there is no wide following for the view that Cervantes had converso origins. Cuban writer Roberto Echevarría asserts that the claims of Cervantes' converso origins are based on "very flimsy evidence", namely Cervantes' lack of social and financial progression in a time when such rewards were denied to most Spaniards regardless of social group. It

3959-584: The 14th-century Satire by Marrano Pero Ferrús . During the 15th century, the Jewish congregation of the city was one of the largest in Castile , having about 200 Jewish families. Hebrew studies at the University of Alcalá were encouraged by Cardinal Francisco Jimenez de Cisneros during the 16th century, bringing some Jews and Marrano Hebraists to work in the city. The location of the Jewish quarter of

4066-527: The 19th century, a practice that the author Karen Bellenir considered to reveal a deep emotional resistance to calendar reform. Alcal%C3%A1 de Henares Predated by earlier settlements ( oppida ) on the left bank of the Henares, the city has its origins in the Complutum settlement founded in Roman times on the right bank (north) of the river, that became a bishopric seat in the 5th century. One of

4173-539: The 4th century , had drifted from reality . The Gregorian calendar reform also dealt with the accumulated difference between these figures, between the years 325 and 1582, by skipping 10 days to set the ecclesiastical date of the equinox to be 21 March, the median date of its occurrence at the time of the First Council of Nicea in 325. Countries that adopted the Gregorian calendar after 1699 needed to skip an additional day for each subsequent new century that

4280-583: The Boyne was commemorated with smaller parades on 1 July. However, both events were combined in the late 18th century, and continue to be celebrated as " The Twelfth ". Because of the differences, British writers and their correspondents often employed two dates, a practice called dual dating , more or less automatically. Letters concerning diplomacy and international trade thus sometimes bore both Julian and Gregorian dates to prevent confusion. For example, Sir William Boswell wrote to Sir John Coke from The Hague

4387-462: The British Isles and colonies converted to the Gregorian calendar, instructed that his tombstone bear his date of birth by using the Julian calendar (notated O.S. for Old Style) and his date of death by using the Gregorian calendar. At Jefferson's birth, the difference was eleven days between the Julian and Gregorian calendars and so his birthday of 2 April in the Julian calendar is 13 April in

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4494-410: The British colonies, changed the start of the year from 25 March to 1 January, with effect from "the day after 31 December 1751". (Scotland had already made this aspect of the changes, on 1 January 1600.) The second (in effect ) adopted the Gregorian calendar in place of the Julian calendar. Thus "New Style" can refer to the start-of-year adjustment , to the adoption of the Gregorian calendar , or to

4601-626: The Civic Hospital at Messina , Sicily. Although he returned to service in July 1572 in the Tercio de Figueroa , records show his chest wounds were still not completely healed in February 1573. Based mainly in Naples, he joined expeditions to Corfu and Navarino , and took part in the 1573 occupation of Tunis and La Goulette , which were recaptured by the Ottomans in 1574. Despite Lepanto,

4708-522: The Count of Lemos, Cervantes promises to produce one, but was pre-empted by an unauthorised version published in 1614, published under the name Alonso Fernández de Avellaneda . It is possible this delay was deliberate, to ensure support from his publisher and reading public; Cervantes finally produced the second part of Don Quixote in 1615. The two parts of Don Quixote are different in focus, but similar in their clarity of prose and their realism. The first

4815-623: The Gregorian calendar. For example, the Battle of Blenheim is always given as 13 August 1704. However, confusion occurs when an event involves both. For example, William III of England arrived at Brixham in England on 5 November (Julian calendar), after he had set sail from the Netherlands on 11 November (Gregorian calendar) 1688. The Battle of the Boyne in Ireland took place a few months later on 1 July 1690 (Julian calendar). That maps to 11 July (Gregorian calendar), conveniently close to

4922-466: The Gregorian calendar. Similarly, George Washington is now officially reported as having been born on 22 February 1732, rather than on 11 February 1731/32 (Julian calendar). The philosopher Jeremy Bentham , born on 4 February 1747/8 (Julian calendar), in later life celebrated his birthday on 15 February. There is some evidence that the calendar change was not easily accepted. Many British people continued to celebrate their holidays "Old Style" well into

5029-430: The Julian and Gregorian dating systems respectively. The need to correct the calendar arose from the realisation that the correct figure for the number of days in a year is not 365.25 (365 days 6 hours) as assumed by the Julian calendar but slightly less (c. 365.242 days). The Julian calendar therefore has too many leap years . The consequence was that the basis for the calculation of the date of Easter , as decided in

5136-581: The Julian calendar had added since then. When the British Empire did so in 1752, the gap had grown to eleven days; when Russia did so (as its civil calendar ) in 1918, thirteen days needed to be skipped. In the Kingdom of Great Britain and its possessions, the Calendar (New Style) Act 1750 introduced two concurrent changes to the calendar. The first, which applied to England, Wales, Ireland and

5243-517: The Julian date of the subsequent (and more decisive) Battle of Aughrim on 12 July 1691 (Julian). The latter battle was commemorated annually throughout the 18th century on 12 July, following the usual historical convention of commemorating events of that period within Great Britain and Ireland by mapping the Julian date directly onto the modern Gregorian calendar date (as happens, for example, with Guy Fawkes Night on 5 November). The Battle of

5350-536: The Ottoman Empire. The origins of Miguel de Cervantes' family are supposed (there is no total certainty) to be Jewish. Because his father worked on the former Jewish neighbourhood, the birthplace was close to the workplace, and also because the surname Cervantes makes reference to a different site in the Northwest of Spain, and geographical surnames were common among the Jewish population. Alcalá de Henares

5457-418: The active protection and maintenance of their nests is by official policy. Although once in danger of disappearing, with only eleven pairs counted between 1986 and 1987, the population has grown to around 90 resident pairs today, many of which have shortened the distance and duration of their typical migrations to remain in the city nearly all year. Some 18% of the population are of foreign origin, according to

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5564-461: The affairs of his recently deceased friend and minor poet, Pedro Laínez. There he met Catalina de Salazar y Palacios ( c.  1566 – 1626 ), eldest daughter of the widowed Catalina de Palacios; her husband died leaving only debts, but the elder Catalina owned some land of her own. This may be why in December 1584, Cervantes married her daughter, then between 15 and 18 years old. The first use of

5671-592: The age of 73; surviving legal documents indicate she had seven children, could read and write, and was a resourceful individual with a keen eye for business. When Rodrigo was imprisoned for debt from October 1553 to April 1554, she supported the family on her own. Cervantes' siblings were Andrés (born 1543), Andrea (born 1544), Luisa (born 1546), Rodrigo (born 1550), Magdalena (born 1554) and Juan. They lived in Córdoba until 1556, when his grandfather died. For reasons that are unclear, Rodrigo did not benefit from his will and

5778-617: The area located in between the railway and the A-2 motorway and beyond. The climate in this city of central Spain is semi-arid , with cold, dry winters and hot, dry summers. The average year-round temperature is 14 °C (57 °F). The average year-round rainfall is about 300 mm (11.8 in), mainly in spring and autumn. Temperatures vary from some degrees below 0 °C (32 °F) in December and January to some over 40 °C (104 °F) in July and August. Dry season coincides with maximum heat in summer. The major landmark and one of

5885-545: The city during the persecutions of the Roman Emperor Diocletian at the beginning of the 4th century. In 414 a chapel was erected at the site of Justus and Pastor's martyrdom, and was converted into a cathedral during the period of Visigoth control of Hispania ; bishops from Alcalá were present at the Councils of Toledo beginning in the 7th century. In 1053 the old city of Alcalá ( Alcalá la Vieja )

5992-578: The city is well known – between Mayor, Santiago, Imagen and Cervantes streets. One synagogue stood in Carmen Calzado street, no. 10. The other was on Santiago street. After the 1492 Alhambra Decree Jews were required to become Christians to continue living in Castile and Aragon; those who refused had to leave these kingdoms and most of them found residence in the North of Africa, Amsterdam and

6099-565: The city. However, following the botched coup in Madrid, Rebel forces in Alcalá eventually surrendered to Republican Colonel Ildefonso Puigdendolas and his troops on 21 July. Alcalá, that reportedly became a Soviet power base during the conflict—a "republic within the republic" where the Republican national government held a tenuous grip—was the place were POUM leader Andrés Nin was transferred to and tortured and killed in June 1937 by NKVD agents. The city suffered severe damage during

6206-634: The colonies appear in his work. From 1596 to 1600, he lived primarily in Seville, then returned to Madrid in 1606, where he remained for the rest of his life. In later years, he received some financial support from the Count of Lemos , although he was not included in the retinue Lemos took to Naples when appointed Viceroy in 1608. In July 1613, he joined the Third Order Franciscans , then a common way for Catholics to gain spiritual merit. It

6313-492: The combination of the two. It was through their use in the Calendar Act that the notations "Old Style" and "New Style" came into common usage. When recording British history, it is usual to quote the date as originally recorded at the time of the event, but with the year number adjusted to start on 1 January. The latter adjustment may be needed because the start of the civil calendar year had not always been 1 January and

6420-477: The convent in 1673, and in 2014, historian Fernando de Prado launched a project to rediscover them. In January 2015, Francisco Etxeberria, the forensic anthropologist leading the search, reported the discovery of caskets containing bone fragments, and part of a board, with the letters 'M.C.'. Based on evidence of injuries suffered at Lepanto, on 17 March 2015 they were confirmed as belonging to Cervantes along with his wife and others. They were formally reburied at

6527-696: The downfall of the Roman Empire, under the Visigoths , it declined, although it also became a pilgrimage destination in remembrance of the Saints Justo and Pastor . When the Moors invaded in 711, they conquered the Visigothic city and founded another site, building an al-qalʿa , which means "citadel" in Arabic, on a nearby hill, today known as Alcalá la Vieja (Old Alcalá). On 3 May 1118, it

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6634-432: The end of the following December, 1661/62 , a form of dual dating to indicate that in the following twelve weeks or so, the year was 1661 Old Style but 1662 New Style. Some more modern sources, often more academic ones (e.g. the History of Parliament ) also use the 1661/62 style for the period between 1 January and 24 March for years before the introduction of the New Style calendar in England. The Gregorian calendar

6741-511: The excursion to the West as well as the birthplace of Catherine of Aragon , daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella, who would be the first wife of King Henry VIII of England and therefore queen consort of England . Alcalá's Corral of Comedies , which hosts a full program of theatre and is open for tours, is the oldest documented corral in the history of Spain. The center of the city remains essentially medieval, with many winding cobbled streets, and many historic buildings. The city centre surrounds

6848-478: The family disappears until 1564 when he filed a lawsuit in Seville . Seville was then in the midst of an economic boom, and Rodrigo managed rented accommodation for his elder brother Andres, who was a junior magistrate. It is contended that Cervantes attended the Jesuit college in Seville, where one of the teachers was Jesuit playwright Pedro Pablo Acevedo, who moved there in 1561 from Córdoba. However, legal records show his father got into debt once more and in 1566

6955-440: The family moved to Madrid . In the 19th century, a biographer discovered an arrest warrant for a Miguel de Cervantes, dated 15 September 1569, who was charged with wounding Antonio de Sigura in a duel. Although disputed at the time, largely on the grounds such behaviour was unworthy of so great an author, it is now accepted as the most likely reason for Cervantes leaving Madrid. He eventually made his way to Rome, where he found

7062-409: The great prides of the city, its university, uses sites throughout the city, but has two main campuses. The first is on the north side of Alcalá. This campus includes most science departments and student housing (as well as its own, separate Renfe station ). The second, central campus, houses most of the humanities and social-science departments, including a law school. The architectural influence of

7169-444: The influence of his friend Raymond de Sauvetât , the Archbishop of Toledo , decided not to restore the Diocese of Alcalá at that time. Instead, de Sauvetât was able to secure the incorporation of Alcalá into his own archiepiscopal territories through a donation from King Alfonso VII in 1129. The church was rebuilt again some three hundred years later by a subsequent archbishop of Toledo, Alfonso Carrillo de Acuña, who elevated it to

7276-417: The left (southern) bank features a very steep slope of clays from the miocene , rapidly rising up to the moors of La Alcarria . Standing at an average altitude of 654 m, and occupying some 88 km ; the city was for a long time contained in between the Henares to the South and the Madrid-Barcelona railway to the North. However, the increasing population brought on the sprawl of the urbanised area to

7383-404: The modern Colegio de San Ildefonso, the Colegio de Málaga and other Colegios , and the structures have served as a model for other universities across the Spanish territories in the Americas and other dependencies. The university chapel dedicated to Saint Ildefonso has a monument to the university's founder, Cardinal Cisneros, by Fancelli , an Italian sculptor. Although the present university

7490-454: The most convincing suggestion has connected this figure with the Second Marquis of Montemayor, Juan de Silva y de Ribera, a contemporary of El Greco who was appointed military commander of the Alcázar in Toledo by Philip II and Chief Notary to the Crown, a position that would explain the solemn gesture of the hand, depicted in the act of taking an oath." The portrait by Luis de Madrazo , at the Biblioteca Nacional de España , painted in 1859,

7597-420: The name Cervantes Saavedra appears in 1586, on documents related to their marriage. Shortly before this, his illegitimate daughter Isabel was born in November. Her mother, Ana Franca, was the wife of a Madrid innkeeper; they apparently concealed it from her husband, but Cervantes acknowledged paternity. When Ana Franca died in 1598, he asked his sister Magdalena to take care of his daughter. In 1587, Cervantes

7704-441: The official data, a large part of the newcomers (30%) are immigrants from Eastern Europe . Many Chinese businesses have also been established in the city. Alcalá has the largest community (18%) of Romanian immigrants in Spain , with over 35,000 people. In 2007, for the first time, the immigrants from Romania created a political party for the elections to come. Alcalá's excellent transport links with Madrid have led to its becoming

7811-710: The original Roman site, and the Muslim one was abandoned. Under Christian rule until the end of the Reconquista, the town had both a Jewish and a Moorish quarter and a renowned marketplace. Its central position allowed it to be a frequent residence of the Kings of Castile , when travelling south. At some time in the 1480s, Christopher Columbus first met there the Reyes Católicos , King Ferdinand II of Aragon and his wife Queen Isabella I of Castile , who financed

7918-456: The other, stili novi or stilo novo , abbreviated st.n. and meaning "(of/in) new style". The Latin abbreviations may be capitalised differently by different users, e.g., St.n. or St.N. for stili novi . There are equivalents for these terms in other languages as well, such as the German a.St. (" alter Stil " for O.S.). Usually, the mapping of New Style dates onto Old Style dates with

8025-593: The outskirts is the House of Hippolytus, an old school. In turn, the Regional Archaeology Museum (MAR) holds highly valuable mosaics. The city hosts a large population of international students due to the presence of the university, and in particular its Spanish language and literature programs for foreign students. Alcalingua, a branch of University of Alcalá , is one of the major foreign language learning centers for students from abroad. Alcalá

8132-488: The pen names Cipión and Berganza. In 1905, the tricentennial of the publication of Don Quixote was marked with celebrations in Spain; the 400th anniversary of his death in 2016, saw the production of Cervantina , a celebration of his plays by the Compañía Nacional de Teatro Clásico in Madrid. Man of La Mancha , the 1965 musical, was loosely based on Cervantes' life. The Miguel de Cervantes Virtual Library ,

8239-559: The rest of his life. His actions at Lepanto were a source of pride to the end of his life, while Don John approved no less than four separate pay increases for him. In Journey to Parnassus , published two years before his death in 1616, Cervantes claimed to have "lost the movement of the left hand for the glory of the right". As with much else, the extent of his disability is unclear, the only source being Cervantes himself, while commentators cite his habitual tendency to praise himself. However, they were serious enough to earn him six months in

8346-410: The revival of Biblical studies that took place in the 16th century, was printed at Alcalá under the care of Cardinal Cisneros . A papal bull of 7 March 1885, united Alcalá with (effectively merging it into) the diocese of Madrid , which includes the civil province of Madrid, suffragan of the archbishopric of Toledo . The bishop's residence has since been used for preserving historical archives. It

8453-480: The several Muslim citadels in the Middle Mark of al-Andalus (hence the name Alcalá , a derivative of the Arabic term for citadel) was established on the left bank, while, after the Christian conquest culminated c.  1118 , the bulk of the urban nucleus returned to the right bank. For much of the late middle-ages and the early modern period before becoming part of the province of Madrid, Alcalá de Henares

8560-399: The spirit of Lope de Rueda, Cervantes endowed them with novelistic elements, such as simplified plot, the type of descriptions normally associated with a novel, and character development. Cervantes included some of his dramas among the works he was most satisfied with. Old Style and New Style dates Old Style ( O.S. ) and New Style ( N.S. ) indicate dating systems before and after

8667-581: The sprawling suburban areas are irregularly constructed, with the addition of 1970s-style high rise blocks in many places. One of the most important streets in the city is the Calle del Cardenal Cisneros which takes tourists from the Madrid Gate at the entrance of the city, to the old city center and the cathedral in Santos Niños Square. The main park of Alcalá, Parque Municipal O'Donnell is

8774-496: The status of a collegiate church . It was finally reconstructed in its present Isabelline Gothic style under Cardinal Cisneros (1495–1517), the founder of the university. A tower was added between 1528 and 1582, achieving its modern appearance in 1618. The processional cloister and the Chapel of Saint Peter were incorporated into the building in the 17th century. The building was declared a national monument in 1904. Nevertheless, it

8881-521: The travel for the Discovery of America . Cardinal Cisneros granted the town a new fuero in 1509. Despite being largely ruined, the town acquired the status of city in 1687 after long negotiations. In decadence since the mid-18th century, Alcalá de Henares experienced a relative demographic and economic upturn in the second half of the 19th century, based on its newly acquired condition of military outpost, to which an embryonic industrial nucleus

8988-523: The university can be found in other present-day academic institutions. The University of San Diego is largely based on the Spanish university; its campus and address take the name "Alcalá Park". In addition, some buildings at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas were modeled after the architecture of Universidad de Alcalá de Henares. In 1293 in Alcalá de Henares King Sancho IV of Castile founded

9095-592: The university moved to Madrid in 1836 (initially as the Universidad de Madrid, later as the Universidad Central, which in the 1970s would finally be renamed Universidad Complutense de Madrid ). A new university was founded in the old buildings as the Universidad de Alcalá in 1977. Parts of the new university occupy the buildings of the old Universidad Complutense in the city centre, including

9202-600: The university, one of the city's most important and historic building is the Cathedral-Magistral of Saints Justus and Pastor , known formally in Spanish as the Santa e Insigne Catedral-Magistral de los Santos Justo y Pastor or more familiarly as the Catedral de los Santos Niños . Constructed between 1497 and 1514, the cathedral houses the remains of Saints Justus and Pastor, two Christian schoolboys martyred near

9309-507: The war overall was an Ottoman victory, and the loss of Tunis a military disaster for Spain. Cervantes returned to Palermo , where he was paid off by the Duke of Sessa , who gave him letters of commendation. In early September 1575, Cervantes and Rodrigo left Naples on the galley Sol ; as they approached Barcelona on 26 September, their ship was captured by Ottoman corsairs , and the brothers taken to Algiers , to be sold as slaves , or – as

9416-486: Was a seigneurial estate of the archbishops of Toledo . Its historical centre is one of UNESCO 's World Heritage Sites . The city has a long university tradition. Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros founded the Complutense University in Alcalá de Henares in the late 15th century. The city currently hosts the (refounded) University of Alcalá . It is the native city of Miguel de Cervantes . Locally, it

9523-405: Was also added. The population steadily increased from 1868 to 1939. The population was still agrarian to a large extent, with high levels of illiteracy and poverty. Seeking social change, Republican and later Socialist movements grew in force in the city. The leading figure in the latter movement was Antonio Fernández Quer  [ es ] , who became the first municipal councillor from

9630-480: Was altered at different times in different countries. From 1155 to 1752, the civil or legal year in England began on 25 March ( Lady Day ); so for example, the execution of Charles I was recorded at the time in Parliament as happening on 30 January 164 8 (Old Style). In newer English-language texts, this date is usually shown as "30 January 164 9 " (New Style). The corresponding date in the Gregorian calendar

9737-597: Was appointed as a government purchasing agent, Commissary of the Royal Galleons in Seville, obtaining wheat and oil for the doomed Spanish Armada . He became a tax collector in 1592 and was briefly jailed for 'irregularities' in his accounts, but quickly released. Several applications for positions in Spanish America were rejected i.e. to the Council of Indies in 1590, though modern critics note images of

9844-430: Was based on his imagination. The image that appears on Spanish euro coins of €0.10, €0.20 and €0.50 is based on a bust, created in 1905. Cervantes claimed to have written over 20 plays, such as El trato de Argel , based on his experiences in captivity. Such works were extremely short-lived, and even Lope de Vega , the best-known playwright of the day, could not live on their proceeds. In 1585, he published La Galatea ,

9951-513: Was burned during the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939), and practically all of its contents were destroyed with the exception of a few minor relics and choir seats. It was not until 1991 that the Diocese of Alcalá was finally restored, being separated from the Archdiocese of Madrid, at which time the building was granted its present status of cathedral-magistral (although the title "magistral"

10058-596: Was celebrated as the New Year festival from as early as the 13th century, despite the recorded (civil) year not incrementing until 25 March, but the "year starting 25th March was called the Civil or Legal Year, although the phrase Old Style was more commonly used". To reduce misunderstandings about the date, it was normal even in semi-official documents such as parish registers to place a statutory new-year heading after 24 March (for example "1661") and another heading from

10165-473: Was conquered by Ferdinand the Great , only to be recaptured the following year by the Moorish armies then warring for control of the Iberian Peninsula , who destroyed the cathedral as an act of retaliation. At that time the relics of Saints Justus and Pastor were taken to Huesca for safekeeping until after the reconquest of Alcalá in 1118. Although a church was rebuilt on the site in 1122, Pope Urban II , under

10272-614: Was designed by Alonso Berruguete and has a famous staircase. During Muslim rule, the Jewish community of the city was granted equal rights as the Christians living in it: special restrictions were not placed on Jews regarding criminal compensation, residency, and other municipal aspects. In the Middle Ages , the Jewish congregation of the city paid taxes to the Archbishop of Toledo . The Jews of Alcalá were mentioned in

10379-469: Was forced to leave Spain and move to Rome , where he worked in the household of a cardinal . In 1570, he enlisted in a Spanish Navy infantry regiment, and was badly wounded at the Battle of Lepanto in October 1571 and lost the use of his left arm and hand. He served as a soldier until 1575, when he was captured by Barbary pirates ; after five years in captivity, he was ransomed, and returned to Madrid . His first significant novel, titled La Galatea ,

10486-549: Was implemented in Russia on 14 February 1918 by dropping the Julian dates of 1–13 February 1918 , pursuant to a Sovnarkom decree signed 24 January 1918 (Julian) by Vladimir Lenin . The decree required that the Julian date was to be written in parentheses after the Gregorian date, until 1 July 1918. It is common in English-language publications to use the familiar Old Style or New Style terms to discuss events and personalities in other countries, especially with reference to

10593-518: Was in captivity, both Don John and the Duke of Sessa died, depriving him of two potential patrons, while the Spanish economy was in dire straits. This made finding employment difficult; other than a period in 1581 to 1582, when he was employed as an intelligence agent in North Africa, little is known of his movements prior to 1584. In April of that year, Cervantes visited Esquivias , to help arrange

10700-557: Was more comic, and had greater popular appeal. The second part is often considered more sophisticated and complex, with a greater depth of characterisation and philosophical insight. In addition to this, he produced a series of works between 1613 and his death in 1616. They include a collection of tales titled Exemplary Novels . This was followed by Viaje del Parnaso , Eight Comedies and Eight New Interludes , and Los trabajos de Persiles y Sigismunda , completed just before his death, and published posthumously in January 1617. Cervantes

10807-451: Was originally granted by Cardinal Cisneros, the building was still technically only a collegiate church , and not yet a cathedral within the ecclesiastical meaning of the term). The Cathedral of Alcalá is notable as one of only two churches in the world to be granted the special title "magistral" (along with St. Peter's Church in Leuven , Belgium ). The title reflects its former status as

10914-547: Was published in 1585, but he continued to work as a purchasing agent, and later as a government tax collector . Part One of Don Quixote was published in 1605, and Part Two in 1615. Other works include the 12 Novelas ejemplares ( Exemplary Novels ); a long poem, the Viaje del Parnaso ( Journey to Parnassus ); and Ocho comedias y ocho entremeses ( Eight Plays and Eight Interludes ). The novel Los trabajos de Persiles y Sigismunda ( The Travails of Persiles and Sigismunda ),

11021-495: Was published posthumously in 1616. The cave of Medrano (also known as the casa de Medrano) in Argamasilla de Alba, which has been known since the beginning of the 17th century, and according to the tradition of Argamasilla de Alba, was the prison of Don Miguel de Cervantes and the place where he conceived and began to write his famous work " Don Quixote de la Mancha ". Despite his subsequent renown, much of Cervantes' life

11128-458: Was reconquered by the Archbishop of Toledo Bernard de Sedirac at behest of Castile . Soon after, on 10 February 1129, Alfonso VII gave Alcalá to Raymond de Sauvetât , also Archbishop of Toledo, becoming an archiepiscopal property for centuries to come. Raymond granted the town an old fuero (charter) in 1135. The Christians preferred the Burgo de Santiuste ("Saint Just's borough") on

11235-548: Was rediscovered by English writers in the mid-18th century. The literary editor John Bowle argued that Cervantes was as significant as any of the Greek and Roman authors then popular, and published an annotated edition in 1781. Now viewed as a significant work, at the time it proved a failure. However, Don Quixote has been translated into all major languages, in 700 editions. Mexican author Carlos Fuentes suggested that Cervantes and his contemporary William Shakespeare form part of

11342-556: Was the case of Cervantes and his brother – held for ransom, if this would be more lucrative than their sale as slaves. Rodrigo was ransomed in 1577, but his family could not afford the fee for Cervantes, who was forced to remain. Turkish historian Rasih Nuri İleri found evidence suggesting Cervantes worked on the construction of the Kılıç Ali Pasha Complex , which means he spent at least part of his captivity in Istanbul . This

11449-577: Was Álvaro de Sande, a friend of the family, who gave Cervantes a commission in the Tercio of Sicily under the Marqués de Santa Cruz . At some point, he was joined in Naples by his younger brother Rodrigo. In September 1571, Cervantes sailed on board the Marquesa , part of the Holy League fleet under Don John of Austria , illegitimate half brother of Phillip II of Spain ; on 7 October, they defeated

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