Beatriz Galindo

Beatriz Galindo, sometimes spelled Beatrix, (c.1465 – 23 November 1534) was a Spanish Latinist and educator. She was a writer, humanist and a teacher of Queen Isabella of Castile and her children. 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. She was also known as "La Latina."

Beatriz Galindo
Beatriz Galindo
Born	c. 1465 Salamanca, Spain
Died	23 November 1534 Madrid, Spain
Occupation	Educator

Life

Statue to Beatriz Galindo in Madrid

Beatriz Galindo was born in Salamanca, into a family of Zamoran origin in the lower nobility of hidalgos; they had been wealthy but by the time of her birth were almost destitute.

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 grammar at one of the dependent institutions of 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. It is likely that she was at one time a student of the great Spanish scholar Antonio de Nebrija. [1]

She was nicknamed La Latina for her skill in Latin, and 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.[3]

She wrote in Latin, producing poetry, and a commentary on Aristotle.[3]

In December 1491 she married Francisco Ramirez de Madrid.[4] 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] She died in Madrid, aged about 70.

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. There is a Beatriz Galindo Secondary School in Madrid. In Salamanca there is an early education and primary school that also takes her name.

See also

• Francisca de Lebrija
• Isabella Losa
• Luisa de Medrano
• Juliana Morell

Novels inspired by her story

Falling Pomegranate Seeds: The Duty of Daughters by Wendy J. Dunn

Notes

1. Spanish Ministry of Education
2. The Biographical Dictionary of Women in Science
3. Women's History at About.com
4. Katharina M. Wilson; M. Wilson (1991). An Encyclopedia of Continental Women Writers. Taylor & Francis. p. 440. ISBN 978-0-8240-8547-6.

References

• The Biographical Dictionary of Women in Science by Marilyn Bailey Ogilvie and Joy Dorothy Harvey, Taylor & Francis 2000. ISBN 978-0-415-92039-1
• The Hidden Giants Women in Science by starlady. Accessed July 2008
• Women's History by Jone Johnson Lewis at About.com. Accessed July 2008
• Beatriz Galindo-Breve Reseña Biográfica De La Titular Del Centro Spanish Ministry of Education, In Spanish Google translation Accessed July 2008
• Arteaga, Almudena de (2007), Beatriz Galindo, The Queens Latin teacher, Algaba editions. ISBN 978-84-96107-89-2.