Fifteenth-Century Spain: Politics, Thought and Lyric Poetry

Fifteenth-Century Historical Events in Spain

Fifteenth-century historical events in Spain reflect a period of political turbulence. The nobility fueled multiple social revolts. Key events include:

• The marriage of Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon (1469).
• The end of the Reconquest (1492).
• The economy experienced a crisis in the early fifteenth century caused by social conflicts in the crowns of Castile and Aragon.

Thought and Culture

Thought and culture. In the 14th century a surprising flowering of artists and a renewal of ideas began to take shape in Italy. The most important factors were:

• Rediscovery of Classical Antiquity: Petrarch (Francesco Petrarca) and Dante were at the base of the resurgence of classical models. From classical antiquity thinkers found support for an optimistic vision of the world based on human dignity, intelligence, morality, confidence and interest in nature.
• Influence on humanist ideas: These authors influenced humanist ideas, promoting a new moral and intellectual conception.
• Printing press: The ideas and writings of humanists spread quickly through the printing press (Gutenberg), giving greater reach to books.

Lyric Poetry in the Fifteenth Century

The lyric in the fifteenth century. Poetry in this age received a boost thanks to the protection of courts that supported the arts and humanities.

Examples of court patronage:

• Castile: John (Juan II) provided means to humanists and writers to celebrate their deeds.
• Aragon: Similar royal patronage existed in Aragon; Alfonso V also supported literary activity.

During the fifteenth century poetic production developed various streams:

Court Poetry or Songs

Court poetry or songs—learned poetry composed to be read, recited or sung at court—was the most common characteristic of the fifteenth century. Its features include:

• A wide variety of topics and stanzas: the troubadour song often treated the theme of love.
• Works addressed moral, philosophical and political issues.
• Gloss: Various verses discuss and broaden the content of an initial short poem.
• Origin and popular finish: Some poems have a popular final refrain that is repeated one or more times.
• Expression of ingenious thoughts, playful language and rhetorical devices.
• Language: The language of court poetry is characterized by its artificiality: play with meanings, abundant use of figures of speech and hyperbaton.
• Metric: Verses of arte mayor, typically 12 syllables.
• This poetry was collected in many songbooks among which are the "Cancionero de Baena", the Cancionero de Estúñiga and the Cancionero General.

Within the court circle the Marqués de Santillana (Íñigo López de Mendoza) became an important figure. His work mixes cheerful and simple tones, medieval moral tradition, popular wisdom, the influence of Dante and Petrarch, and metric innovation. Juan (John) of Castile wrote in honor of John II a laberinto of fortune in couplets of high art, with an artful style and Latinate syntax.

The Critical and Satirical Poetry

The critical and satirical poetry flourished in the tense situation in Castile. Examples and features include:

• Castilian versions of critical works such as the Dance of Death (danza de la muerte), which carry satirical intent and the message that all are equal before death.
• Satirical pieces aimed against the nobility, including coplas with an anti-noble sense.
• Popular voices and moral critique often appear in these compositions.

Traditional Medieval Poetry

Poetry that reflected the traditional medieval heritage shows characteristic motifs. This poetry is characterized by:

• Use of diminutives and possessives.
• Repetition of words, phonemes and structures.
• The persistence of medieval themes adapted to fifteenth-century contexts.