Juan Rodríguez de la Cámara
Encyclopedia
Juan Rodríguez de la Cámara (1390–1450), also known as Juan Rodríguez del Padrón, was a Galician writer and poet, considered the last poet of the Galician school.
Born in Padrón
, he was born to a hidalgo
family. He may have served as a page
to Juan II of Castile, and may have attended the Council of Florence
in 1434 as secretary to the cardinal Juan de Cervantes, a respected jurist
and a friend of Pero Tafur.
He was exiled for reasons not completely known, but may have been connected with an illicit romance at court; Rodríguez's indiscreet revelations to a talkative friend apparently led to a romantic breach of some kind with a noble lady. James Fitzmaurice-Kelly writes that "the conjectures that make Rodríguez the lover of Juan II's wife, Isabel, or of Enrique IV
's wife, Juana
, are destroyed by chronology. None the less it is certain that the writer was concerned in some mysterious, dangerous love-affair which led to his exile, and some believe, to his profession as a Franciscan monk.” He became a Franciscan at Jerusalem in 1441 and gave up many of his profitable and numerous benefices. He returned to Spain
and entered into the Franciscan monastery of San Antonio de Herbón, situated in a village near Padrón. He died at San Antonio de Herbón. A probably apocryphal tale of Rodríguez's life, by an anonymous writer of the 16th century, states that the poet went to France
, became the lover of the French queen, and was killed near Calais
after trying to escape to England
.
of the work known as the Corbacho, by Alfonso Martinez de Toledo
. Rodríguez's work presents arguments for the superiority of women to men.
Some additional romances are attributed to him; these include Conde Arnaldos and Rosa florida. Also attributed to him is the Bursario, a partial translation of Ovid's
Heroides
.
Rodríguez is best known, however, for his poems. He is represented in the Cancionero de Baena
by a single cántica. Of the seventeen of his surviving songs, sixteen are erotically-themed, like those written by his countryman Macías
. One, however, the “Flama del divino Rayo,” concerns his spiritual conversion.
Born in Padrón
Padrón
Padrón is a concello in the Province of A Coruña, in Galicia within the comarca of O Sar. It covers an area of 48.4 km², is 95 km from A Coruña and, , had a population of 8968 according to the INE....
, he was born to a hidalgo
Hidalgo (Spanish nobility)
A hidalgo or fidalgo is a member of the Spanish and Portuguese nobility. In popular usage it has come to mean the non-titled nobility. Hidalgos were exempt from paying taxes, but did not necessarily own real property...
family. He may have served as a page
Page (servant)
A page or page boy is a traditionally young male servant, a messenger at the service of a nobleman or royal.-The medieval page:In medieval times, a page was an attendant to a knight; an apprentice squire...
to Juan II of Castile, and may have attended the Council of Florence
Council of Florence
The Council of Florence was an Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church. It began in 1431 in Basel, Switzerland, and became known as the Council of Ferrara after its transfer to Ferrara was decreed by Pope Eugene IV, to convene in 1438...
in 1434 as secretary to the cardinal Juan de Cervantes, a respected jurist
Jurist
A jurist or jurisconsult is a professional who studies, develops, applies, or otherwise deals with the law. The term is widely used in American English, but in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth countries it has only historical and specialist usage...
and a friend of Pero Tafur.
He was exiled for reasons not completely known, but may have been connected with an illicit romance at court; Rodríguez's indiscreet revelations to a talkative friend apparently led to a romantic breach of some kind with a noble lady. James Fitzmaurice-Kelly writes that "the conjectures that make Rodríguez the lover of Juan II's wife, Isabel, or of Enrique IV
Henry IV of Castile
Henry IV , King of the Crown of Castile, nicknamed the Impotent , was the last of the weak late medieval kings of Castile...
's wife, Juana
Joan of Portugal
Joan of Portugal was Queen consort of Castile as the second wife of King Henry IV of Castile and a Portuguese infanta, the posthumous daughter of King Edward of Portugal and his wife Eleanor of Aragon...
, are destroyed by chronology. None the less it is certain that the writer was concerned in some mysterious, dangerous love-affair which led to his exile, and some believe, to his profession as a Franciscan monk.” He became a Franciscan at Jerusalem in 1441 and gave up many of his profitable and numerous benefices. He returned to 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 entered into the Franciscan monastery of San Antonio de Herbón, situated in a village near Padrón. He died at San Antonio de Herbón. A probably apocryphal tale of Rodríguez's life, by an anonymous writer of the 16th century, states that the poet went 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...
, became the lover of the French queen, and was killed near Calais
Calais
Calais is a town in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras....
after trying to escape to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Works
His works include a sentimental, semi-chivalresque romance called Siervo libre de amor (1439), the moralistic treatise Cadira de Honor (1440), and another sentimental romance called Triunfo de las donas (1445), the latter of which includes 40 feminist arguments meant to counter the misogynyMisogyny
Misogyny is the hatred or dislike of women or girls. Philogyny, meaning fondness, love or admiration towards women, is the antonym of misogyny. The term misandry is the term for men that is parallel to misogyny...
of the work known as the Corbacho, by Alfonso Martinez de Toledo
Alfonso Martínez de Toledo
Alfonso Martínez de Toledo , known as the Archpriest of Talavera , was a Castilian poet and writer. Born in Toledo, Spain, he studied in that city, spent some time in Catalonia and Aragón, and served as a prebendary at the cathedral of Toledo...
. Rodríguez's work presents arguments for the superiority of women to men.
Some additional romances are attributed to him; these include Conde Arnaldos and Rosa florida. Also attributed to him is the Bursario, a partial translation of Ovid's
Ovid
Publius Ovidius Naso , known as Ovid in the English-speaking world, was a Roman poet who is best known as the author of the three major collections of erotic poetry: Heroides, Amores, and Ars Amatoria...
Heroides
Heroides
The Heroides , or Epistulae Heroidum , are a collection of fifteen epistolary poems composed by Ovid in Latin elegiac couplets, and presented as though written by a selection of aggrieved heroines of Greek and Roman mythology, in address to their heroic lovers who have in some way mistreated,...
.
Rodríguez is best known, however, for his poems. He is represented in the Cancionero de Baena
Cancionero de Baena
The Cancionero de Baena was compiled between around 1426 to 1430 by the Marrano Juan Alfonso de Baena for John II of Castile. Its full title is Cancionero del Judino Juan Alfonso de Baena....
by a single cántica. Of the seventeen of his surviving songs, sixteen are erotically-themed, like those written by his countryman Macías
Macías
Macías was a Galician troubadour and one of the last Galician medieval poets.-Life:Much is known about the life of Macías. His successor and compatriot Juan Rodríguez de la Cámara establishes that Macías was a native of Galicia. H. A...
. One, however, the “Flama del divino Rayo,” concerns his spiritual conversion.
Sources
- Obras Ed. Antonio Paz y Meliá. Madrid, 1884.
- Obras, ed. de César Hernández Alonso. Madrid: Ed. Nacional, 1982.
- Siervo libre de amor; edición introducción y notas de Antonio Prieto. Madrid: Castalia, 1976.
- Vicente Beltrán Pepió, "Los Gozos de amor de Juan Rodríguez del Padrón: edición crítica" en Studia in honoren Germán Orduna, 2001.