Garcilaso de la Vega (poet)

Garcilaso de la Vega
Portrait of Garcilaso de la Vega
Born	1498–1503 Toledo, Spain
Died	October 14, 1536(1536-10-14) (aged 33–38) Nice, Duchy of Savoy (present-day France)

Garcilaso de la Vega (c. 1501 – 14 October 1536) was a Spanish soldier and poet. Although not the first or the only one to do so, he was the most influential poet to introduce Italian Renaissance verse forms, poetic techniques, and themes to Spain. He was well known in poetic circles during his lifetime, and his poetry has continued to be popular without interruption until the present. His poetry was published posthumously by Juan Boscán in 1543, and it has been the subject of several annotated editions, the first and most famous of which appeared in 1574.

Garcilaso was born in the Spanish city of Toledo. Born in 1501 or 1503. His father, Pedro Suárez de Figueroa, was a nobleman in the royal court of the Catholic Monarchs. His mother's name was Sancha de Guzmán.

Garcilaso was the second son which meant he did not receive the mayorazgo (entitlement) to his father's estate. However, he spent his younger years receiving an extensive education, mastered five languages (Spanish, Greek, Latin, Italian and French), and learned how to play the zither, lute and the harp. When his father died in 1509, Garcilaso received a sizeable inheritance from his father.

After his schooling, he joined the military in hopes of joining the royal guard. He was named "contino" (imperial guard) of Charles V in 1520, and he was made a member of the Order of Santiago in 1523.

There were a few women in the life of this poet. His first lover was Guiomar Carrillo, with whom he had an illegitimate child. He had another suspected lover named , who was a lady-in-waiting of Isabel of Portugal, but this is today regarded as mythical. In 1525, Garcilaso married Elena de Zúñiga, who served as a lady-in-waiting for the King's favorite sister, Leonor. Their marriage took place in Garcilaso's hometown of Toledo in one of the family's estates. He had six children: Lorenzo, an illegitimate child with Guiomar Carrillo, Garcilaso, Íñigo de Zúñiga, Pedro de Guzmán, Sancha, and Francisco.