Garcilaso de la Vega (1503-1536)

Spanish poet. A soldier, he was a member of Charles V's expedition in 1535 to Tunis; he was killed in battle at Nice. He is one of Spain's finest pastoral poets and his verse, some of the greatest of the Spanish Renaissance, includes eclogues inspired by Virgil, and sonnets, songs, and elegies, often on the model of Petrarch.

He was born in Toledo. At the age of 17 he joined Charles V's guards, and from 1532 to 1534 served Pedro de Toledo, Viceroy of Naples. Together with Juan Boscan Almogaver, Garcilaso de la Vega popularized Italian 11-syllable verse. His finest poems are the eclogues, which, despite their formal and conventional exterior, show a skill and sensuality in handling Spanish that assure him a lasting reputation as one of the country's greatest poets.