Miguel de Cervantes: Difference between revisions

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[[Image:Alcala de Henares, Spain, Plaza de Cervantes.jpg|thumb|250px|right|The ''Plaza de Cervantes'', shown here in the winter, is the social center of [[Alcalá de Henares]]. Visible is the statue of Miguel de Cervantes, the city's most famous native.]]

Miguel de Cervantes was born at [[Alcalá de Henares]], [[Spain]]. The exact date is unknown, but since he was named Miguel, it is possible he was born on the feast day of [[St. Michael]] (Sept 29) in [[1547]]. He was baptized on October 9, 1547.
Although Cervantes' reputation rests almost entirely on his portrait of the gaunt country gentleman, ''[[El ingenioso hidalgo]]'', his literary production was considerable. [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]], Cervantes' contemporary, had evidently read ''Don Quixote'', but it is unknown if Cervantes had ever heard of Shakespeare.

It should be remarked that in the remaining signed documents, he writes his name as ''Miguel de Cer'''b'''antes Saavedra'' while his books are attributed to ''...Cer'''v'''antes...''.

Also [[Shakspere|Shakespeare signed in several variants]].

Cervantes was the son of a surgeon who presented himself as a nobleman. Little is known of his early years, but it seems that Cervantes spent much of his childhood moving from town to town, while his father sought work. After studying in [[Madrid]] ([[1568]]-[[1569]]), where his teacher was the humanist [[Juan López de Hoyos]], Cervantes went to [[Rome]] in the service of [[Guilio Acquavita]]. Once in [[Italy]], he began to familiarize himself with [[Italian literature]], which manifested itself in his own later writings. In [[1570]], he became a soldier, and fought on board a vessel in the [[Battle of Lepanto (1571)|battle of Lepanto]] in [[1571]], where he was shot through the left hand in such a way that he permanently lost use of it.