The Medrano Academy (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

: ''Academia Medrano''), also known as the Poetic Academy of Madrid, was a prominent ''

academia literaria The ''academia literaria'' ('literary academy') was a literary ''tertulia'' popular during Spain's Spanish Golden Age, Golden Age (''Siglo de Oro'') of literature and the arts, from the early sixteenth century to the late seventeenth century (c. 1 ...

'' of the

Spanish Golden Age The Spanish Golden Age (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Siglo de Oro'', , "Golden Century"; 1492 – 1681) was a period of literature and the The arts, arts in Spain that coincided with the political rise of the Spanish Empire under the Catholic M ...

, founded by Dr. Sebastián Francisco de Medrano. Active between 1616 and 1622 on Leganitos Street in

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

, the academy brought together many of the most celebrated poets and playwrights of the

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

period, including

Lope de Vega Félix Lope de Vega y Carpio (; 25 November 156227 August 1635) was a Spanish playwright, poet, and novelist who was a key figure in the Spanish Golden Age (1492–1659) of Spanish Baroque literature, Baroque literature. In the literature of ...

Francisco de Quevedo Francisco Gómez de Quevedo y Santibáñez Villegas, Order of Santiago, Knight of the Order of Santiago (; 14 September 1580 – 8 September 1645) was a Spanish nobleman, politician and writer of the Baroque era. Along with his lifelong rival, ...

Luis de Góngora Luis de Góngora y Argote (born Luis de Argote y Góngora; ; 11 July 1561 – 24 May 1627) was a Spanish Baroque lyric poet and a Catholic prebendary for the Church of Córdoba. Góngora and his lifelong rival, Francisco de Quevedo, are widel ...

Pedro Calderón de la Barca Pedro Calderón de la Barca y Barreda González de Henao Ruiz de Blasco y Riaño (17 January 160025 May 1681) (, ; ) was a Spanish dramatist, poet, and writer. He is known as one of the most distinguished Spanish Baroque literature, poets and ...

Luis Vélez de Guevara Luis Vélez de Guevara (born Luis Vélez de Santander) (1 August 1579 – 10 November 1644) was a Spanish dramatist and novelist. He was born at Écija and was of Jewish converso descent.Antonio Dominiguez Ortiz, "Los judeoconversos en Españ ...

, Alonso de Castillo Solórzano, and others. Founded by a rising poet of noble lineage, the Medrano Academy became one of Madrid’s most distinguished literary gatherings of the early seventeenth century, hosting contests, lampoons, and royal visits that shaped the poetic culture of Spain’s Golden Age.

Establishment

The Medrano Academy was among the most significant '' academias literarias'' ("literary academies"), a type of literary

tertulia A ''tertulia'' (, ; ; ) is a social gathering with literary or artistic overtones, especially in Iberian Peninsula, Iberia or in Spanish America. Tertulia also means an informal meeting of people to talk about current affairs, arts, etc. The word ...

that flourished during Spain's Golden Age of literature and the arts under the reign of the

Spanish Habsburgs Habsburg Spain refers to Spain and the Hispanic Monarchy, also known as the Catholic Monarchy, in the period from 1516 to 1700 when it was ruled by kings from the House of Habsburg. In this period the Spanish Empire was at the zenith of its in ...

. By the seventeenth century, these literary academies had become one of the most prominent features of literary life in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

.Robbins, Jeremy (1997)
''Love Poetry of the Literary Academies in the Reigns of Philip IV and Charles II'', pp. 1, 10–11. Tamesis.
''Google Books''. Retrieved 3 January 2025. According to Alonso de Castillo Solórzano, the Medrano Academy was known as "the most renowned Academy Madrid ever had." Mancelli-Leganitos-1623

A group of young poets had been gathering since 1615 in a

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

house. When the poets could no longer gather at this house, Dr.

Sebastian Francisco de Medrano Sebastián Francisco de Medrano (Madrid, 1590–1653) was a prominent nobleman born into the Medrano family, a poet and playwright of the Baroque, Baroque period, and the founder and president of the Medrano Academy, located on Leganitos street ...

established the Medrano Academy on Leganitos street in 1616, became its president, and dedicated space in his home to the poets until he was ordained a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

in 1622. A group of young poets had been gathering since 1615 in a Jesuit house. When they could no longer convene there, Dr. Sebastián Francisco de Medrano formally established the Medrano Academy on Leganitos Street in 1616. He became its president and dedicated part of his own home to host the academy’s meetings, a role he maintained until his ordination as a priest in 1622.. Jauralde Pou, Pablo (1979)
"Alonso de Castillo Solorzano, "Donaires del Parnaso" y "La fábula de Polifemo". ''Revista de Archivos, Bibliotecas y Museos''. LXXXII, no. 4, Madrid, October–December 1979, pp. 740 (footnote 35), 742.

Biblioteca Nacional de España The (National Library of Spain) is the national library of Spain. It is the largest public library in the country, and one of the largest in the world. Founded in 1711, it is an autonomous agency attached to the Ministry of Culture since 1 ...

. Retrieved 3 January 2025. The street of Leganitos, which runs from the Plazuela de Santo Domingo to the outskirts of the town between the North and West, is a long avenue of regular buildings, it is mainly used for private residences. Many of the most illustrious names of the Spanish Golden Age aspired to share their works at the literary gatherings of the Medrano Academy. These meetings often attracted nobles, with Medrano presiding as president and a prominent literary figure serving as secretary. Numerous poetic contests were held at the Academy. Each session typically concluded with a ''vejamen'' ( lampoon), a satirical prose critique considered "an integral part of any academy session." After Medrano’s ordination in 1622, the academy was directed by Francisco de Mendoza, with meetings continuing at his residence beginning in 1623. José Sánchez suggests that the academy may have originated as early as 1607 under the leadership of Félix Arias Girón, son of the Count of Puñonrostro, though details of this early phase remain obscure. Its most documented and influential period, however, took place between 1616 and 1622 at the residence of Dr. Sebastián Francisco de Medrano. This era coincided with the arrival of Alonso de Castillo Solórzano at court and culminated in the publication of his first work, ''Donaires''.. Jauralde Pou, Pablo (1979)
"Alonso de Castillo Solorzano, "Donaires del Parnaso" y "La fábula de Polifemo". ''Revista de Archivos, Bibliotecas y Museos''. LXXXII, no. 4, Madrid, October–December 1979, pp. 740 (footnote 35), 742.

. Retrieved 3 January 2025.

President of the Medrano Academy

According to Solórzano, the founder and president Sebastián Francisco de Medrano was born in

at the end of the 16th century, into the illustrious

Medrano Medrano is a Spanish surname of Basque language, Basque origin that means "abundance, to grow, to prosper, or to improve." It is a surname of high nobility established in the old Kingdoms of Kingdom of Navarre, Navarre, Kingdom of Aragon, Aragon, k ...

family. Medrano presided over numerous poetic contests "with great elegance and erudition, delivering judgments without offending anyone." The House of Medrano were well-known

patrons Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, art patronage refers to the support that princes, popes, and other wealthy and influential people ...

and participants of

literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...

and

the arts The arts or creative arts are a vast range of human practices involving creative expression, storytelling, and cultural participation. The arts encompass diverse and plural modes of thought, deeds, and existence in an extensive range of m ...

during the Spanish Golden Age; in 1622, Medrano became a

and commissioner of the

Spanish Inquisition The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition () was established in 1478 by the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, Catholic Monarchs, King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile and lasted until 1834. It began toward the end of ...

, serving as the official censor of '' comedias''.Urzáiz, Héctor. Catalog of theatrical authors of the 17th century. Madrid, FUE, 2002. Alonso de Castillo Solórzano writes:

To an academy founded in Leganitos, I came to become a poet, although by novice layman. Medrano was a teenager when he founded the Academy ... the most celebrated Academy of Madrid, where he was Most deserving President ... the prince of the most renowned Academy Madrid ever had.

Notable members and royal involvement

Medrano presided over a distinguished circle of

poets A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

and

playwrights A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between characters and is intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. Ben Jonson coined the term "playwrigh ...

who helped define the literary culture of the

Baroque period The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from the early 17th century until the 1750s. It followed Renaissance art and Mannerism and preceded the Rococo (in ...

, though many remain unnamed. In his '' Favores de las Musas'', he alludes to the scope of participants by addressing Solórzano directly:

... I summoned so many flourishing minds to the academies ... heseindividuals are famous in all poems and celebrated in all sciences, subjects, and faculties, and are supreme objects of admiration ... to those I acknowledge as my superiors, I ask forgiveness from those whom I have not named.

Some of the most illustrious figures of the Spanish Golden Age were associated with the Medrano Academy. An incomplete roster compiled by Sebastián Francisco de Medrano identifies numerous participants, many of whom were also linked to the contemporaneous Saldaña Academy. Among them were:Cañas Murillo, Jesús. "Court and literary academies in the Spain of Philip IV". ''Yearbook of Philological Studies'', 35, 2012, p. 15. *

Juan Ruiz de Alarcón Juan Ruiz de Alarcón (c. 1581 – 4 August 1639) was a New Spain, New Spanish writer of the Spanish Golden Age, Golden Age who cultivated different variants of dramaturgy. His works include the comedy ''La verdad sospechosa'' (:es:La verdad so ...

Antonio Mira de Amescua Antonio Mira de Amescua (January 17, 1577 — September 8, 1644), Spanish dramatist, was born at Guadix (Granada) about 1578. He is said, but doubtfully, to have been the illegitimate son of one Juana Perez. He took orders, obtained a canonry at ...

Juan Pérez de Montalbán Juan Pérez de Montalbán (1602 – 25 June 1638) was a Spanish Catholic priest, dramatist, poet and novelist. Biography He was born in Madrid. At the age of eighteen, he became a licentiate in theology. He was ordained priest in 1625 and appointed ...

* Alonso de Castillo Solórzano *Jerónimo de Villaizán *José Pellicer de Tovar *

Gabriel Bocángel Gabriel Bocángel y Unzueta (1603–1658) was a playwright and poet of the Spanish Golden Age. Born in Madrid, he studied at Alcalá de Henares and then served as librarian to Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand. He also served as bookkeeper and chron ...

* Guillén de Castro *Jiménez de Enciso *Gaspar del Ávila *Diego de Villegas *López de Zárate * The Prince of Esquilache *Valdivieso *Salas Barbadillo * Cristóbal de Mesa *Gabriel del Corral *

Antonio Hurtado de Mendoza Antonio Hurtado de Mendoza (158622 September 1644) was a Spanish dramatist. Biography Hurtado was born in Castro Urdiales, Cantabria. He became page to the count de Saldaña (son of the duke de Lerma), and was recognized as a rising poet by Mi ...

Tirso de Molina Gabriel Téllez, O. de M. (24 March 158320 February 1648), also known as Tirso de Molina, was a Spanish Baroque dramatist and poet, as well as a Mercedarian friar, and Catholic priest. He is primarily known for writing '' The Trickster of Sev ...

(1620).

Royal attendance

One notable session of the Medrano Academy was attended publicly by the monarchs of Spain, along with some of the most distinguished figures of the realm—eminent in both noble lineage and intellectual stature. Reflecting on the attendance of King Philip IV at one of the academy’s sessions,

later wrote:

On that beautiful spring night in the year 1622... the Academy of that night came to an end.Fernández-Guerra, cited work, p. 367.

In reference to Prince

Francisco de Borja y Aragón Francisco de Borja y Aragón, Prince of Squillace, Count of Mayalde (1581 – September 26, 1658) was a Spanish writer, official in the court of King Philip III of Spain, and, from December 18, 1615 to December 31, 1621, viceroy of Peru. Biogr ...

—himself a member of the academy—Medrano offered the following tribute:

I turned my attention to Francisco de Borja y Aragón, prince of Squillace, for whom heaven not only made him illustrious in blood but also equaled his genius, which was outstanding in all sciences and faculties.

The Medrano Academy, though short-lived, stood as a luminous convergence point for literary brilliance and noble patronage, leaving an enduring imprint on the intellectual and cultural fabric of Spain’s Golden Age.

Notable works

Tirso de Molina

One of the most enduring tributes to the legacy of the Medrano Academy appears in the 19th-century play ''Desde Toledo a Madrid'', originally authored by

, who was a documented member of the Medrano Academy during its early 17th-century flourishing. Refashioned and performed in 1847 by Manuel Bretón de los Herreros and Juan Eugenio Hartzenbusch, the play notably includes a character named Medrano, serving as a literary homage to the academy’s founder, Sebastián Francisco de Medrano. This appearance reflects the Medrano Academy’s long cultural memory and the symbolic persistence of its name within Spanish letters. That a Medrano character appears in a theatrical lineage directly tied to Tirso reaffirms the academy’s formative role in Spain’s Golden Age and its continued influence in the national canon. Another copy of the comedic play ''Desde Toledo a Madrid'' is included in Volume VII of ''Teatro escogido'' (1840) by Fray Gabriel Téllez (better known as Tirso de Molina), the character Medrano appears as a lively and outspoken coachman. Throughout the journey from

Toledo Toledo most commonly refers to: * Toledo, Spain, a city in Spain * Province of Toledo, Spain * Toledo, Ohio, a city in the United States Toledo may also refer to: Places Belize * Toledo District * Toledo Settlement Bolivia * Toledo, Or ...

, Medrano provides comic relief through sarcastic remarks and animated exchanges with passengers, contributing to the play’s satire of travel, class tensions, and social pretensions. His presence exemplifies Tirso’s signature use of servant figures to critique and enliven courtly drama.

Lope de Vega

''La nueva victoria de Don Gonzalo de Córdoba'' is a historical drama by ''Academia de los Medrano'' alumnus

, dramatizing the Spanish victory at the Battle of Fleurus, one of the early and decisive engagements of the

Thirty Years’ War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine, or disease, while ...

. The play centers on

Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba (1 September 1453 – 2 December 1515) was a Spanish general and statesman. He led military campaigns during the Conquest of Granada and the Italian Wars, after which he served as Viceroy of Naples. For his e ...

, dramatized as a patriotic emblem of Spanish military valor. It was preserved in autograph manuscript (''Fondo Osuna'') at the ''

'' and was reissued in a critical paleographic edition by Henryk Ziomek in 1962 through the Hispanic Institute in the United States, incorporating variant readings from the 1637, 1641, 1777, and 1902 editions. Among the ''dramatis personae'' is ''Capitán Medrano'', a military character accompanied by his

squire In the Middle Ages, a squire was the shield- or armour-bearer of a knight. Boys served a knight as an attendant, doing simple but important tasks such as saddling a horse or caring for the knight's weapons and armour. Terminology ''Squire'' ...

Esteban. The pairing reflects Lope's characteristic use of noble-master and clever-servant archetypes, contributing to the play’s tonal alternation between solemn military pageantry and agile comic dialogue. Medrano's inclusion situates the character within the broader tradition of Lope's dramatization of loyalty, service, and martial discipline in the context of Spain's imperial wars.

References

{{reflist Spanish Golden Age 17th century in Spain Renaissance literature Baroque literature Early modern history of Spain Culture of Spain