ANTONIO DE VILLEGAS, LIFE AND LITERATURE

Abstract

This work offers the first documented biography of Antonio de Villegas, the poet from Medina del Campo, which has been made possible by the documentation found recently in the historical records of Valladolid. Supported by this information, Villegas can be linked to the political opposition which, in the middle of the 16^th century, constituted a possible alternative solution to the most intransigent court factions that had been hegemonic in the Court of Charles V since 1530. Said perspective formed the basis for the compositions in Inventario, the personal ballad that flowed from his pen, which included the version of Abencerraje most highly valued by critics today.