tattooman
04-23-2008, 12:23 PM
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra born at Alcala de Henares (Madrid) born 1547and died 23 april 1516, like Shakspeare.
Quoted from wikipedia:
By 1570, Cervantes had enlisted as a soldier in a Castilian infantry regiment stationed in Naples (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naples), then a possession of the Spanish crown. He was there for about a year before he saw active service. In September 1571, Cervantes sailed on board the Marquesa, part of the galley (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galley) fleet of the Holy League (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_League_%28Mediterranean%29) (a coalition of the Pope (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Pius_V), Spain (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spain), Venice (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Venice), Republic of Genoa (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Genoa), Duchy of Savoy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duchy_of_Savoy), the Knights of Malta (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_Hospitaller) and others under the command of John of Austria (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_of_Austria)) that defeated the Ottoman (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottoman_Empire) fleet on October 7 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_7) in the Gulf of Lepanto (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Lepanto) near Corinth (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_of_Lepanto). Though taken down with fever, Cervantes refused to stay below, and begged to be allowed to take part in the battle, saying that he would rather die for his God and his king than keep under cover. He fought bravely on board a vessel, and received three gunshot wounds – two in the chest and one which rendered his left arm useless, resulting in amputation. In Journey to Parnassus, he was to say that he "had lost the movement of the left hand for the glory of the right" (he was thinking of the success of the first part of Don Quixote). Cervantes always looked back on his conduct in the battle with pride: he believed that he had taken part in an event that would shape the course of European history (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_history)
After the battle of Lepanto (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Lepanto_%281571%29) Cervantes remained in hospital for around six months, before his wounds were sufficiently healed to allow his joining the colors again.[8] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miguel_de_Cervantes#cite_note-F33-7) From 1572 to 1575, based mainly in Naples, he continued his soldier's life; he participated in expeditions to Corfu (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corfu) and Navarino (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pylos), and saw the fall of Tunis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunis) and La Goleta (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=La_Goleta&action=edit&redlink=1) to the Turks (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottoman_Turks) in 1574.[9] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miguel_de_Cervantes#cite_note-G220-8)
On September 6 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_6) or 7 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_7) 1575 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1575) Cervantes set sail on the galley (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galley) Sol from Naples to Barcelona (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barcelona), Spain, with letters of commendation to the king from the duke de Sessa (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sessa) and Don Juan himself.[10] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miguel_de_Cervantes#cite_note-F41-9) On the morning of September 26 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_26), as the Sol approached the Catalan coast, it was attacked by Algerian (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algeria) corsairs. After significant resistance, in which the captain and many crew members were killed, the surviving passengers were taken to Algiers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algiers) as captives.[11] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miguel_de_Cervantes#cite_note-G236-10) After five years spent as a slave (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slave) in Algiers, and four unsuccessful escape attempts, he was ransomed by his parents and the Trinitarians (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinitarians) and returned to his family in Madrid. Not surprisingly, this period of Cervantes' life supplied subject matter for several of his literary works, notably the Captive's tale in Don Quixote and the two Algiers El trato de Argel (The Treaty of Algiers) and Los baños de Argel (The Baths of Algiers), as well as episodes in a number of other writings, although never in straight autobiographical form.
http://www.revistanaval.com/armada/batallas/Lepanto5.jpg
Quoted from wikipedia:
By 1570, Cervantes had enlisted as a soldier in a Castilian infantry regiment stationed in Naples (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naples), then a possession of the Spanish crown. He was there for about a year before he saw active service. In September 1571, Cervantes sailed on board the Marquesa, part of the galley (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galley) fleet of the Holy League (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_League_%28Mediterranean%29) (a coalition of the Pope (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Pius_V), Spain (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spain), Venice (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Venice), Republic of Genoa (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Genoa), Duchy of Savoy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duchy_of_Savoy), the Knights of Malta (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_Hospitaller) and others under the command of John of Austria (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_of_Austria)) that defeated the Ottoman (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottoman_Empire) fleet on October 7 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_7) in the Gulf of Lepanto (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Lepanto) near Corinth (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_of_Lepanto). Though taken down with fever, Cervantes refused to stay below, and begged to be allowed to take part in the battle, saying that he would rather die for his God and his king than keep under cover. He fought bravely on board a vessel, and received three gunshot wounds – two in the chest and one which rendered his left arm useless, resulting in amputation. In Journey to Parnassus, he was to say that he "had lost the movement of the left hand for the glory of the right" (he was thinking of the success of the first part of Don Quixote). Cervantes always looked back on his conduct in the battle with pride: he believed that he had taken part in an event that would shape the course of European history (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_history)
After the battle of Lepanto (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Lepanto_%281571%29) Cervantes remained in hospital for around six months, before his wounds were sufficiently healed to allow his joining the colors again.[8] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miguel_de_Cervantes#cite_note-F33-7) From 1572 to 1575, based mainly in Naples, he continued his soldier's life; he participated in expeditions to Corfu (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corfu) and Navarino (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pylos), and saw the fall of Tunis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunis) and La Goleta (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=La_Goleta&action=edit&redlink=1) to the Turks (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottoman_Turks) in 1574.[9] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miguel_de_Cervantes#cite_note-G220-8)
On September 6 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_6) or 7 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_7) 1575 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1575) Cervantes set sail on the galley (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galley) Sol from Naples to Barcelona (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barcelona), Spain, with letters of commendation to the king from the duke de Sessa (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sessa) and Don Juan himself.[10] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miguel_de_Cervantes#cite_note-F41-9) On the morning of September 26 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_26), as the Sol approached the Catalan coast, it was attacked by Algerian (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algeria) corsairs. After significant resistance, in which the captain and many crew members were killed, the surviving passengers were taken to Algiers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algiers) as captives.[11] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miguel_de_Cervantes#cite_note-G236-10) After five years spent as a slave (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slave) in Algiers, and four unsuccessful escape attempts, he was ransomed by his parents and the Trinitarians (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinitarians) and returned to his family in Madrid. Not surprisingly, this period of Cervantes' life supplied subject matter for several of his literary works, notably the Captive's tale in Don Quixote and the two Algiers El trato de Argel (The Treaty of Algiers) and Los baños de Argel (The Baths of Algiers), as well as episodes in a number of other writings, although never in straight autobiographical form.
http://www.revistanaval.com/armada/batallas/Lepanto5.jpg