An illustrated life of Antonio de Nebrija
Learn about some key moments in the life of Antonio de Nebrija through a series of illustrations by Agustín Comotto.
Elio Antonio de Nebrija
Antonio Martínez de Cala y Xarana (1441–1522) was the first Spanish Humanist. Best known for his Castilian Grammar (1492), he was also responsible for introducing Italian Renaissance Humanism to the Iberian Peninsula as long ago as the 1470s.
Picture of the comic "Nebrija" (2022) by Agustín ComottoFundación Antonio de Nebrija
1. Birth in Lebrija, 1444
Antonio de Nebrija was born in the town of Lebrija, in the south of the province of Seville, to a family of well-off farmers. He took the surname by which he became known from the town of his birth, which was formerly known as Nebrissa.
Picture of the comic "Nebrija" (2022) by Agustín ComottoFundación Antonio de Nebrija
2. Arrival in Salamanca, 1458
Nebrija left his home town and took the ancient pilgrimage route of the Via de la Plata (the Silver Way) to reach the University of Salamanca, where he studied for an undergraduate degree in the Arts. His studies included Logic, Natural Philosophy, and, in particular, Latin grammar and literature.
Picture of the comic "Nebrija" (2022) by Agustín ComottoFundación Antonio de Nebrija
3. The beginning of his studies in Italy
In 1465, at the age of 19, Nebrija traveled to Bologna to continue his studies. He studied theology at the Royal Spanish College, an institution linked to the University of Bologna.
Picture of the comic "Nebrija" (2022) by Agustín ComottoFundación Antonio de Nebrija
4. Return to Spain
On his return to Spain in 1471, Alonso de Fonseca, Archbishop of Seville, took him on as a tutor for his nephew, Juan de Fonseca, until 1473. After this first period of employment in Spain, Nebrija accepted a post as a lecturer at the University of Salamanca in 1475.
Picture of the comic "Nebrija" (2022) by Agustín ComottoFundación Antonio de Nebrija
5. The arrival of the printing press in Spain, and a new method of teaching
Nebrija had learned a new method of teaching while in Italy, and he was critical of the traditional teaching methods used in Salamanca. As a response to what he saw, he published a Latin textbook. This coincided with the arrival of the printing press in Spain.
Picture of the comic "Nebrija" (2022) by Agustín ComottoFundación Antonio de Nebrija
6. The publication of Introductiones Latinae
Nebrija's Introductiones Latinae was a guide to learning Latin that quickly became popular with students and teachers. The book's success attracted the attention of the Grand Master Juan de Zuñiga. A deluxe edition of the book, printed in 1485, was dedicated to Zuñiga and included an illustration of the author.
Picture of the comic "Nebrija" (2022) by Agustín ComottoFundación Antonio de Nebrija
7. Translation into Spanish
The textbook became so famous that Queen Isabel I of Castile requested that Nebrija translate it into Spanish so that her ladies-in-waiting could use it to learn Latin. The result of this translation was the publication entitled Introducciones Latinas Contrapuesto el Romance al Latín (Latin Introductions With Spanish Alongside Latin).
Picture of the comic "Nebrija" (2022) by Agustín ComottoFundación Antonio de Nebrija
8. Lecturer in Salamanca
As a university lecturer, Nebrija complied with the demands of universities of the time: he had to give repetitio (repetition) lectures. His early years as a university lecturer earned him immediate recognition.
Picture of the comic "Nebrija" (2022) by Agustín ComottoFundación Antonio de Nebrija
9. Leaving teaching
As a result of his patronage by Juan de Zúñiga, Nebrija was able to leave university teaching and devote himself fully to his own research. He spent almost two decades in Extremadura, which were his most productive years. His seven children were born there.
Picture of the comic "Nebrija" (2022) by Agustín ComottoFundación Antonio de Nebrija
10. Publication of his Castilian Grammar.
In 1492, the same year that Columbus set sail for the Americas, Nebrija published his Castilian Grammar. One of the greatest achievements of this grammar book was that it was the first time the Spanish language had been given its own grammatical terminology. However, the book did not receive widespread recognition at first.
Picture of the comic "Nebrija" (2022) by Agustín ComottoFundación Antonio de Nebrija
11. Return to the University of Salamanca
Nebrija returned to the University of Salamanca in 1505, as Professor of Grammar. The university's programs had undergone some changes, and Salamanca's faculty now boasted the best Latinists, some of whom had been taught by Nebrija himself.
Picture of the comic "Nebrija" (2022) by Agustín ComottoFundación Antonio de Nebrija
12. Conflict with the Inquisition
While theologists believed that the text of the Vulgate should not be modified, Nebrija argued that changes needed to be made to it. This brought him into conflict with the Inquisition, and he became embroiled in a legal battle with the Inquisition between 1506 and 1507.
Picture of the comic "Nebrija" (2022) by Agustín ComottoFundación Antonio de Nebrija
13. Lecturer at the new university in Alcalá de Henares
Following the appointment of Cardinal Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros as Inquisitor, proceedings against Nebrija were dropped by the Inquisition. Cisneros introduced him to a new university, which would be the last post he would hold. In 1514, Nebrija was appointed Professor of Rhetoric.
Picture of the comic "Nebrija" (2022) by Agustín ComottoFundación Antonio de Nebrija
14. Nebrija's final years
Faithful to his commitment to knowledge, Antonio de Nebrija continued working until his death in Alcalá de Henares on July 2, 1522. Nebrija was buried in the university's Capilla de San Ildefonso, to honor the fact that he was a distinguished professor there.
Picture of the comic "Nebrija" (2022) by Agustín ComottoFundación Antonio de Nebrija
"And because my thoughts and wishes were always to elevate the things of our nation and to give to the people of my language works in which they can best employ their leisure."
Illustrations taken from the comic book Nebrija, by Agustín Comotto.
With information taken from the workbook, Antonio de Nebrija: Lengua y Verdad (Antonio de Nebrija: Language and Truth).
