Antonio de Nebrija
Antonio de Nebrija, born around 1441 in Andalusia, Spain, was a prominent scholar and educator known for his significant contributions to the Spanish language and education. He studied various disciplines, including classical languages and theology, at institutions like Salamanca and Bologna before returning to Spain in 1473. Nebrija became a professor at Salamanca and later at the Universidad de Alcalá de Henares, where he focused on advancing classical learning among his peers.
In 1481, he published the first serious Latin grammar book in Spain, followed by the groundbreaking "Gramática de la lengua castellana" in 1492, which was the first grammar book for the Spanish language and any Romance language. This work marked the official transition of Spanish as the language of scholarship and governance, replacing Latin. Nebrija also authored a Latin-Spanish dictionary that year, contributing to the lexicon of the emerging Spanish language.
His career, however, faced challenges in 1505 when he was accused by Catholic authorities of inappropriate associations and manipulations in his work, leading to the condemnation of some of his writings. Despite this controversy, he maintained his academic position until his death in 1522, leaving a lasting legacy in the fields of linguistics and law.
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Subject Terms
Antonio de Nebrija
Scholar
- Born: c.1441
- Birthplace: Lebrija, Andalusia, Spain
- Died: 1522
- Place of death: Alcalá de Henares, Spain
Biography
Antonio de Nebrija, the pseudonym of Antonio Martínez de Calá, was born around 1441 in the Spanish province of Andalusia. He studied classical languages, law, medicine, and theology first at Salamanca, Spain, and then at Bologna University, residing in Italy for ten years. He returned to Spain in 1473 with the objective of encouraging classical learning among his fellow Spaniards. He became a professor of poetry and grammar at Salamanca and later moved to the faculty of the Universidad de Alcalá de Henares.
Committed to the task of standardizing Spanish language and spelling, Nebrija published the first serious Latin grammar book,Introductiones latinae, in Spain in 1481. In 1492 he published Gramática de la lengua castellana, not only the first grammar book of the Spanish language but also the first grammar book of any Romance language. Nebrija presented this text to Queen Isabella I, as he had done with a Spanish translation of his 1481 text, and Spanish officially replaced Latin as Spain’s official language.
In the same year that Gramática appeared, Nebrija published a Latin-Spanish dictionary of 30,000 words, Interpretatio dictionum ex sermone latino in hispaniensem. Cardinal Ximénes de Cisneros de Alcalá gathered a committee of scholars in 1502 to create the Complutensian Polyglot Bible, and Nebrija was among the chosen scholars. The ambitious writer’s collection of legal writings, Iuris civilis lexicon, appeared four years later and included the first publication of Nebrija’s law dictionary; the book was published more than thirty times in the 1500’s and 1600’s, and the editions published after 1559 included his legal dictionary, Vocabularius utriusque juris.
In 1505 Nebrija’s career took a severe blow when he was accused by the Catholic authorities of inappropriate dealings with Jews and of manipulating his translations and scripture studies. His works were sweepingly condemned, and although Nebrija’s alliances with Cardinal Cisneros and the Catholic queen brought him some relief, his work and its availability were still closely monitored. Despite this controversy, Nebrija continued to lecture at the Universidad de Alcalá de Henares until his death in 1522.