Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra was a world-famous Spanish writer.

He was born in Alcalá de Henares. His father, Rodrigo de Cervantes, was a modest surgeon, and his mother was Leonor de Cortina; their large family lived in constant poverty, which did not leave the future writer throughout his sorrowful life. Very little is known about the early stages of his life.

Miguel de Cervantes took part in military campaigns in Italy (he was in Naples), at Navarino (1572), in Tunis, in Portugal, in naval battles (Lepanto, 1571), and also made service trips to Oran (in the 1580s); he served in Seville.

There are several versions of his biography. The first, commonly accepted version states that “at the height of Spain’s war with the Turks he entered military service under the banners. In the Battle of Lepanto he was everywhere in the most dangerous place and, fighting with truly poetic inspiration, received three wounds and lost an arm.” However, there is another, unlikely, version of his irreparable loss. Owing to his parents’ poverty, Cervantes received a scant education and, having found no means of livelihood, was forced to steal. It was for theft that he was deprived of his hand, after which he had to leave for Italy. However, this version does not inspire confidence — if only because thieves were no longer having their hands cut off at that time, since they were being sent to the galleys, where both hands were needed.

The Duke of Sessa, presumably in 1575, gave Miguel letters of recommendation (lost by Miguel at the time of his capture) for His Majesty and the ministers, as he reported in his testimony of July 25, 1578. He also asked the king to show mercy and assistance to the brave soldier.

On the return journey to Spain from Naples he fell into Algerian captivity, where he spent 5 years (1575-1580), attempted to escape four times, and only narrowly avoided execution. In captivity he was often subjected to various tortures.

According to a petition of March 17, 1578, Rodrigo de Cervantes stated that his son “was taken prisoner on the galley ‘Sun’