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Bartolomé Leonardo de Argensola
1562–1631
A Spanish Golden Age poet and historian, he paired classical restraint with sharp wit and went on to become one of Aragón’s leading chroniclers. His life moved between church service, court circles, and literary company that included some of the best-known writers of his age.
1 Audiobook
The Discovery and Conquest of the Molucco and Philippine Islands.
by Bartolomé Leonardo de Argensola
About the author
Born in Barbastro in 1562, Bartolomé Leonardo de Argensola studied in Huesca, Zaragoza, and at the University of Salamanca, where he pursued canon law and theology. He was ordained as a priest while still very young and began writing poetry early, developing a style shaped by the classics.
His career joined religion, letters, and public service. He served as chaplain to Empress María of Austria, later moved in court and literary circles in Valladolid and Madrid, and published Conquista de las Islas Molucas in 1609. He also spent time in Naples in the entourage of the Count of Lemos and was associated with important writers of the period, including Cervantes and Lope de Vega.
After the death of his brother Lupercio Leonardo de Argensola, he took on a larger official role in Aragón, becoming chronicler of the kingdom and later its chief chronicler. He died in Zaragoza in 1631. His poetry, published after his death together with his brother’s work, is remembered for its clear classical manner and its distance from the more ornate fashions of the age.