Francisco de Sá de Miranda
Francisco de Sá de Miranda (1481-1558) is a pivotal figure in Portuguese literature, known for introducing Renaissance ideas and forms into his country's poetic tradition. Born as the illegitimate son of an archdeacon and a single aristocrat, he received his early education in Coimbra before studying law at the University of Lisbon. His career as a teacher and poet flourished during his time at the court of King Manuel I, where he began to develop his literary voice.
Between 1521 and 1526, Sá de Miranda traveled extensively in Italy, where he encountered new literary styles and made influential connections with Italian poets. Upon returning to Portugal, he produced significant works, including "Os Estrangeiros," recognized as the first classical prose comedy in Portuguese, and "Fábula do Mondego," which marked his initial foray into Renaissance verse. His later years were spent in the Minho region, where he created renowned pieces such as the eclogue "Basto" and various satires that criticized materialism.
Sá de Miranda's legacy is notable for promoting higher literary standards and inspiring future Portuguese writers, including Luis de Camões. Although he passed away in 1558, his oeuvre was published posthumously, solidifying his role as a foundational figure in the development of Portuguese literature.
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Francisco de Sá de Miranda
Poet
- Born: August 28, 1481
- Birthplace: Coimbra, Portugal
- Died: May 17, 1558
Biography
Francisco Sá de Miranda, widely credited with bringing the Renaissance to his country of Portugal, was the illegitimate son of Gonçalo Mendes de Sá, the archdeacon of Coimbra, and Inês de Melo, a single aristocrat. Indeed, he was one of the couple’s twelve illegitimate sons, eight of whom, Francisco included, their father legitimized in 1490.
Sá de Miranda’s early education took place in Coimbra, and he then enrolled at the University of Lisbon to somewhat indifferently study law. With his degree he became a substitute fellow in jurisprudence at his alma mater, and he continued a successful teaching career there through 1520. During these years, he and Bernardim Ribeiro, a friend and fellow writer, spent much time at the court of King Manuel I and there engaged in poetry discussions. His first poems confirm this early contact with the court, as they appeared in Resende’s Concioneiro general in 1516.
Sá de Miranda then traveled throughout Italy between 1521 and 1526, visiting Milan, Venice, Florence, Rome, Naples, and Sicily, and familiarizing himself with Italian forms of poetry. On this trip, he met and befriended Giovanni Ruccellai, Lattanzio Tolomei, and Jacopo Sannazzaro. Upon his departure for Portugal, he took with him the new literary forms that he had been exposed to in Italy and had come to appreciate.
Around 1527, de Sá de Miranda wrote Os Estrangeiros (the foreigners), the first Portuguese comedy written in classical prose form, and he produced his first effort at Renaissance verse forms in 1528 with the canzoneFábula do Mondego (fable of the Mondego), composed in Spanish. Over half of his poetry was written in Castilian.
In 1530 Sá de Miranda married and departed Lisbon for a country home in Minho, in rural northern Portugal, where he composed what are considered his finest works: the eclogue Basto, his Cartas, and numerous satires, which often made a clear stance against the growing trend toward materialism. The influence of these satiric works can be seen in later writers, including Diogo Bernardes and Luis Camoes. His 1550 play Cleopatra, which exists only in an excerpt about twelve lines long, is considered the first Portuguese classical tragedy.
Sá de Miranda was significant in Portuguese poetry not only because he introduced Renaissance forms and meters of poetry and drama, but also because he more generally encouraged higher standards in and appreciation of literature. Additionally, in writing his Cartas and eclogues, despite having been greatly influenced by the classical styles he discovered in Italy, Sá de Miranda retained the use of medida velha, Portugal’s national meter. All of Sá de Miranda’s works were published after his death in 1558.