Luisa de Medrano

Luisa de Medrano
Portrait of Luisa de Medrano by Juan Soreda
Born	(1484-08-09)9 August 1484 Atienza, Spain
Died	1527
Nationality	Basque-Castilian
Known for	First female university professor Latin, poetry and philosophy
Awards	"Luisa de Medrano" gender equality award in Castilla–La Mancha
Scientific career
Fields	Latin philosophy poetry
Institutions	University of Salamanca
Patrons	Queen Isabella I of Castile

Luisa de Medrano y Bravo de Lagunas (Atienza 9 August 1484 – 1527) was a Basque-Castilian poet, philosopher, professor, and scholar from the Kingdom of Castile, she became the first female professor in Spain and Europe at the University of Salamanca.^[1] Luisa de Medrano belonged to the group of Renaissance women called by their contemporaries "puellae doctae" (learned girls). The Hall of Cloisters of the Higher Schools of the University of Salamanca is named "Lucía de Medrano" in honor of her, and the Castilla-La Mancha Community Board created the Castilla-La Mancha International Award for gender equality called "Luisa de Medrano” in 2015.^[2]

It is thought that Luisa de Medrano is the First Sibyl, Samia, in Juan Soreda's "The Sibyls", painted sometime between 1527 and 1532, exhibited in the Museum of Religious Art of San Gil, in Atienza. Juan Soreda excelled in Sigüenza painting landscapes and returned to the previous fashion of golden backgrounds for Medrano's painting. Since gold does not rust, it better expresses the eternal. In front of that background, as if emerging from beyond, appears the powerful gaze of the academic Luisa de Medrano.^[3]

Luisa de Medrano's intellectual abilities and solid formation enabled her to teach Latin at the University of Salamanca. Her brother Don Luis de Medrano was the Rector of Salamanca University during her time. She received the chair left by Antonio de Nebrija (Antonio Martínez de Cala) in 1508 (Poetry and Grammar), although it is not known how long she maintained the post.^[4]

It was Queen Isabella of Castile who ultimately enabled Luisa de Medrano to teach Latin at the University of Salamanca.^[5] Luisa de Medrano wrote poems and philosophy, though her work has been lost. She benefited from living in the climate of tolerance and advancement for women that Queen Isabella of Castile actively cultivated in her court. Luisa de Medrano not only received a privileged and nurtured education with the royal daughters, Isabel and Juana, she undoubtedly benefited from living in the climate of tolerance and advancement for women that Isabella I actively cultivated in her court, and which disappeared after her death. Under the protection of Queen Isabella I, Luisa de Medrano learned history, culture and humanist philosophy alongside children of the royal family.^[1]

Isabel I's grandson, Emperor Carlos I of Spain, Karl V of Germany, tried to rid the world of the memory of his mother Joanna I and of other women as well, including Luisa de Medrano.^[6] He had one of Lucio Marineo Sículo's books censured, "De Rebus Hispaniae Memorabilibus (Alcalá de Henares, 1530)" which was published in Castilian, along with his "Cosas memorables de España (Alcalá de Henares, 1530)," a kind of encyclopedia that covered different subjects. There are very few copies of the first edition from 1530 because the Emperor ordered it to be removed, but it contained a chapter that mentions and praises Luisa de Medrano.^[6]

The German author Otto von Corvin writes:

"Distinguished ladies studied Greek and Latin... Lucía (Luisa) de Medrano, professor of Latin in Salamanca."^[7]

Bernardo Dorado (b. 1710), priest, historian and professor of theology,^[8] said:

"Doña Luisa de Medrano, if she did not equal, exceeded the first (B. Galindo), since she not only knew Latin perfectly, but also publicly spoke in this University in Divine and Human Letters. This is affirmed by Marineo Siculo, who heard her, and brings it among the memorable things he saw in Spain."^[9]

The news about Luisa de Medrano appears throughout history over and over again, referenced from two main sources: a note by Pedro de Torres,^[10] and Lucio Marineo Siculo, chaplain and historian of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella I of Castile.

In 1508, Luisa de Medrano was twenty-four years old. In the Chronicle Registry of Salamanca in 1513, a testimony by Pedro de Torres says:

On November 16, 1508, Medrano's daughter reads in the chair of Canons.[4]

The scholar Lucio Marineo Siculo misspelled her name, using Lucia, instead of Luisa. Marineo Sículo recorded Luisa de Medrano's extraordinary talent in his work "Cosas Memorables de España" (1530) and in one of his letters that compose his "Opus Epistolarum" (1514), also in both the Latin edition and in the Castilian edition of 1530, and in a Letter addressed to Luisa herself:

"Lucius Marineus Siculus to Lucía (Luisa) de Medrano: Your fame for your great studies and your eloquence had reached me before I had seen you, my dear and illustrious Clara. And now that I have had the privilege of seeing you in person and hearing you speak so elegantly, I have been even more impressed. You are not only learned and eloquent, but also beautiful and charming, surpassing all the Spanish men in eloquence in the Latin language. O happy parents who have given birth to such a daughter! You, my dearest girl, owe much to the Almighty God, who has bestowed great talents upon you, and also to your parents, who have not assigned you to the ordinary duties of women, nor to the unpleasant toils of the body, which are quickly destroyed, but have freed you for the pursuit of the most illustrious studies and arts, and have consecrated you to eternal memory. Debent and they owe you, for you have surpassed them all in hope and opinion with your singular virtue and great zeal.

The whole of Spain owes you, as you illuminate it with the glory of your knowledge and steadfastness. As for myself, a most worthy young lady, I certainly owe you more than I can repay. Indeed, thanks to you, I envy neither the muses nor the Sibyls of past ages, nor the Pythian prophets, nor the female philosophers among the Pythagoreans. Now, what was previously in doubt, I easily believe that in Rome there were daughters of Lelius and Hortensius, and in Sicily, the daughters of Sthesicorus, and other most eloquent women. And now I know that nature has not denied women genius, which is especially proven in our time by you, who have raised your head higher than men in letters and eloquence. You, a tender and young girl in Spain, handle not wool, but books, not a spindle, but a pen, not a needle, but a stylus, with diligence and zeal. Farewell, and if there is anything in which you wish to use my help, know that I am always at your service. Farewell again, and please inform me of your health and the course of your life through letters."^[6]

The famous Spanish explorer and conquistador Gil González Dávila, in his Ecclesiastical Theater of the Metropolitan and Cathedral Churches of the Kingdoms of the Two Castiles, says:

"Doña Luzía (Luisa) de Medrano: Marineo Siculus speaks of her as having heard her teach in the University of Salamanca and seen her pray in public, and that she was a woman of rare and admirable eloquence."^[11]

In various historical accounts, the scholarly contributions of Doña Luisa de Medrano to the University of Salamanca are noted with significant admiration. In the "Memoirs of the Royal Academy of History" (1821), Clemencín praises her erudition and eloquence, noting that Marineo Sículo described her as publicly explaining the classics in Latin at the University of Salamanca.^[12] Don Manuel Hermenegildo Dávila, in his "Historical Review of the University of Salamanca" (1849), refers to documents that affirm Doña Luisa de Medrano's role as a professor, lecturing on pure Latin authors.^[13] Vidal y Díaz, in his "Historical Memoir of the University of Salamanca" (1869), mentions her contributions in a chapter dedicated to the university's notable figures, stating that she taught in Latin.^[14] Villar y Macías, in the "History of Salamanca" (1887), volume II, quotes Marineo Sículo, who heard her lectures and admired her rare eloquence.^[15] Menéndez y Pelayo, in his "Anthology" (1896), volume VI, acknowledges her as a professor, citing her inclusion in the letters of Lucio Marineo and the "Gynaeceum Hispanae Minervae" by Don Nicolás Antonio, recognizing her as a distinguished female scholar dedicated to the Latin classics.^[16]

The Book of the University's Claustro for the year 1668-1669 describes the relationship between the Medrano family of San Gregorio and the University of Salamanca. For at least about one hundred and sixty years, they were linked to the University: in 1508, her brother Luis de Medrano was rector of the University, and in 1669, Domingo and García de Medrano y Mendizabal, her fourth nephews, were rectors of the University of Salamanca.^[17] The author Therese Oettele described the House of Medrano as "a family that combined nobility of blood with nobility of spirit".^[6] Princes and members of the royal household used to visit the university of Salamanca, sometimes giving lectures there. Clemencín in his Eulogy of Queen Isabel, page 48 reads:

"...the heir of the Constable of Castile explained on one side the Natural History of Pliny, while on the other side the echoes of the illustrious Doña Luisa de Medrano, who taught in Salamanca".^[18]

Luisa de Medrano came from a family of Castilian high nobility who were protected by King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella of Castile.^[19] Luisa de Medrano lived in Atienza and was the daughter of the ricohombre Diego López de Medrano y Vergara, Lord of San Gregorio in the Kingdom of Castile, and a member of the 12 ancient lineages of Soria. Her father was from the prestigious Medrano family, one of the most ancient and noble lineages from the Kingdom of Navarre and Castile.^[20]

Luisa de Medrano's mother Magdalena Bravo de Lagunas came from Berlanga de Duero and Atienza in the Kingdom of Castile and was the daughter of Garci Bravo de Lagunas, Alcaide of Atienza and Sigüenza, and his wife Catalina Núñez de Cienfuegos. Luisa's mother Magdalena Bravo de Lagunas was the great-great-granddaughter of Alonso Pérez de Guzmán el Bueno (progenitor of the Dukes of Medina-Sidonia). Luisa's mother was also the first cousin of the comuneros captain of Segovia, Juan Bravo de Lagunas y Mendoza.

Diego López de Medrano y Vergara and Dona Magdalena Bravo de Lagunas married in 1476.^[6] Nine children were born from the marriage, including Luisa de Medrano on 9 August 1484 in Atienza. Her father built the Castle of San Gregorio (Casa Fuerte de San Gregorio), located in Almarza, Spain, 17km away from the city of Soria, on the land of their ancestral mayorazgo established in 1394.^[21]

The deaths of her maternal grandfather Garci Bravo and her father Diego López de Medrano during the siege of Granada in 1487 are well-recorded. The history of Diego López de Medrano and Magdalena Bravo's children is traced through Magdalena's will, dictated in Atienza on December 1, 1527, and preserved in the Archive of the Dukes of Villahermosa. This document reveals that at least three of their children went to Salamanca. By that time, Luisa had already passed away, as had her brother Luis, who served as the rector of the University of Salamanca.^[22]

On September 1, 1552, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, issued the Carta Ejecutoria de Hidalguía to confirm the noble status of the Medrano family. Detailed genealogical records are presented to support her family's claim to nobility. The document, created in Valladolid and Arenas, Spain, concludes with official signatures and seals, affirming the noble status.^[23]

The House of Medrano was one of the most powerful in the Sierra de Cameros [es] and in Soria. Their livestock grazed in those lands, and hundreds of times they walked to the pastures of Extremadura or the royal valley of Alcudia, in La Mancha.^[24][25] Luisa's father Diego López de Medrano also belonged to the Twelve Lineages of Soria (The Diputación de Caballeros Hijosdalgo de los Twelve Linajes) and therefore received royal privileges in Soria. The Lineages of Soria are an ancient historical corporation, which used to control the urban government for centuries. It was one of the three institutions that governed the city of Soria from the Middle Ages to the liberal reforms of the 19th century.^[26]

Luisa de Medrano's maternal grandfather, Garcí Bravo de Lagunas, migrated from Soria (or Sigüenza) to establish an estate in Atienza. When Garcí Bravo assumed responsibility for the Alcaidia of Atienza Castle, his relocation was not solitary; he brought his entire family, including his wife, children, and sons-in-law. Among those accompanying Garcí Bravo de Lagunas were his daughter Magdalena Bravo de Lagunas and her husband, Diego López de Medrano, along with at least three sons and two daughters—Diego, Garci, Luis, Catalina, and Isabel. Subsequently, in Atienza, the marriage bore at least four additional children, among them Luisa. Garcí Bravo de Lagunas made a military testament in the royal style, which was later legally recorded on May 31, 1570, by Juan Sánchez Canales, a notary in Toledo. Through this disposition, he established a trust for a third and a fifth of his assets and the perpetual alcaidía (wardenship) of Atienza in Garci Bravo de Medrano, his grandson, the second son of his daughter Magdalena and Diego López de Medrano. This marked the origin of the Bravo estate in Atienza.^[27]

Luisa's father Diego López de Medrano and her maternal grandfather, Garcí Bravo, died in the Queen's service at the Siege of Málaga in 1487. The Chronicle of the Catholic Monarchs by Juan M. Carriazo confirmed the news that Garci Bravo de Lagunas and Diego López de Medrano had died in battle. Juan Bravo's wife Catalina Núñez de Cienfuegos, on the occasion of the death of her husband and son-in-law in that action, received a heartfelt letter of condolences and gratitude from the Catholic Monarchs on June 7, 1487.^[28] Mosén Diego de Valera writes about this battle:

"And the Christians had received very great damage at the beginning and more than fifty of them were killed and others wounded. Among them, three principal men were killed: Garci Bravo, governor of Atienza; Diego de Medrano, his son-in-law; and Gabriel de Sotomayor, brave knights of noble lineage."^[6]

• Diego López de Medrano, heir to the paternal estate, and to the fortress of San Gregorio, near Soria. He was born on July 30, 1477. He died after 1531.
• Garcí Bravo de Medrano, heir to the maternal estate, was born on November 20, 1478.
• Francisco de Medrano, born on May 15, 1481, the date of his death unknown.
• María Bravo de Medrano, born on May 9, 1492, a nun in Soria, according to the will of her sister Catalina.
• Leonor de Medrano, the other nun sister, was born on June 14, 1483.
• Luis de Medrano, rector of the University of Salamanca around 1507–1511, born on November 9, 1485, and died before 1527.
• Isabel Bravo de Medrano, born on January 6, 1487, and died after 1531.
• Catalina de Medrano, born on October 31, 1479, and died without children, in Atienza, on December 2, 1541, being buried in San Francisco.

Her sister Catalina de Medrano was a lady of the court of Isabel la Católica, married to Hernando de Sandoval y Rojas, commander of Huélamo in the Order of Santiago, brother of Bernardo de Sandoval y Rojas, II Marquis of Denia, count of Lerma, great seneschal of Sicily, mayordomo of Kings Fernando the Catholic and Juana la Loca and a direct ancestor of Francisco de Sandoval y Rojas, 1st Duke of Lerma, a close relative of Tomas Fernandez de Medrano through his wife Isabel Ibáñez de Sandoval and their children Maria and Juan Fernández de Medrano y Sandoval. Luisa's sister Catalina took charge of resuming the construction of the convent of San Francisco in Atienza, where her mother had already been buried in 1531.

Luisa de Medrano's brother Garci Bravo de Medrano (b. November 20, 1478) was the perpetual Alcaide of the Atienza castle and lord of the house of Bravo in Atienza, linked to him by his mother and grandfather Juan Bravo de Lagunas. Luisa's brother was the great-grandfather of García de Medrano y Castejón, the great-great-grandfather of García de Medrano y Álvarez de los Ríos and the great-great-great-grandfather of García de Medrano y Mendizábal, I Count of Torrubia. Her brother Garci Bravo de Medrano married Catalina de Mendoza, daughter of Íñigo de Molina, III lord of the towns of Embid, Santiuste and El Pobo in the Molina lordship. Catalina was the granddaughter of Pedro Carrillo de Mendoza, second Count of Priego, and María de Quiñones, his wife was the sister of Diego Fernández de Quiñones, the first Count of Luna, chief merino of León and Asturias. Garci Bravo de Medrano and Catalina de Mendoza were the parents of Garci Bravo de Medrano y Mendoza who married Ana Sarmiento de Ayala y Rojas, and Diego López de Medrano y Mendoza, the second son, was the lord of San Gregorio and married Francisca de Vinuesa. They inherited many lands in Soria, and their son succeeded them. From them, the counts of Torrubia are descended.

On 23 April 1943, the Ministry of National Education of Spain granted, at the proposal of the Cloister of the National Institute of Secondary Education of Salamanca, female, that this Institute be called "Lucía de Medrano," and on October 12, 2015, the Rectorate and the University of Salamanca agreed that the Hall of Cloisters of the Higher Schools of the university be named "Lucía de Medrano" to honour the first female professor in Spain and Europe.^[1]

In 2015, the Castilla-La Mancha Community Board created the Castilla-La Mancha International Award for Gender Equality "Luisa de Medrano,” which has been awarded annually since 2016 by the Castilla-La Woman Institute in La Mancha with the aim of distinguishing those people, groups, entities or institutions that have stood out or stand out in the defense of equality between women and men.^[2]

On August 9, 2022 Google celebrated Luisa's 538th birthday.^[29]

There is also a book titled "Luisa de Medrano: The First Professor - Biographical Notes" by Tomas Gismera Velasco.^[30]

• Beatriz Galindo
• Francisca de Lebrija
• Isabella Losa
• Juliana Morell
• Juan Martínez de Medrano