| Beatriz Galindo | |
|---|---|
Beatriz Galindo |
|
| Born | c. 1465 Salamanca, Spain |
| Died | November 23, 1534 Madrid, Spain |
| Occupation | Educator |
Beatriz Galindo, sometimes spelt Beatrix, (born 1465? Salamanca – 23 November 1534 in Madrid) was a Spanish physician, and educator. She was a writer and humanist, preceptor of Queen Isabella of Castile and her children.[1] She was one of the most educated women of her time. There is uncertainty about her date of birth; some authors believe it is 1464 or 1474.
Beatriz Galindo was born in a family of Zamoranian origin in the lower nobility of hidalgos, formerly wealthy but almost destitute after the Civil Wars of Inheritance after Juan IV of Castile. Her family chose her among her sisters to be a nun, since she was fond of reading, so they allowed her to take more education in letters at the local Grammar School besides the University of Salamanca to help her career before taking the Orders, but her great skill in Latin set her on an academic career before she was twelve years old. Beatriz Galindo received her education in Italy where she took her degree in Latin and Philosophy from the University of Salerno.[2][3] Unusually for that time in Europe the Italian universities welcomed women students. It is likely that she was at one time a student of the great Spanish scholar Antonio de Nebrija. [4] She was nicknamed La Latina for her skill in Latin, and became a professor at the University of Salamanca , in her native Spain, where she taught rhetoric, philosophy, and medicine.[3] She was appointed tutor to the children of Queen Isabella of Castile.[2] She taught Catherine of Aragon, the future wife of Henry VIII of England, and Joanna of Castile, the future wife of Philip of Habsburg and later known as Juana the Mad.[5]
She wrote in Latin, producing poetry, and a commentary on Aristotle.[5]
In December 1491 she married Francisco Ramirez in Madrid. They had five children.
She was one of the first women to be active in public life during the renaissance. It is reported that she dressed in the habit of a nun or abbess.[2] She founded the Hospital of the Holy Cross (Santa Cruz de Madrid) in 1506 in Madrid, which still exists.[2]
The neighborhood in Madrid where she once lived is known today as La Latina from her nickname. There are statues of her in Salamanca and Madrid.