The Duke of Rivas | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Ángel de Saavedra; byGabriel Maureta y Aracil (1832–1912) | |
| Prime Minister of Spain | |
| In office 18 July 1854 – 19 July 1854 | |
| Monarch | Isabella II |
| Preceded by | Fernando Fernández de Córdova |
| Succeeded by | Baldomero Espartero |
| Seatc of theReal Academia Española | |
| In office 24 February 1847 – 22 June 1865 | |
| Preceded by | Seat established |
| Succeeded by | Antonio Cánovas del Castillo |
| Director of theReal Academia Española | |
| In office 20 February 1862 – 22 June 1865 | |
| Preceded by | Francisco Martínez de la Rosa |
| Succeeded by | Mariano Roca de Togores |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ángel de Saavedra y Ramírez de Baquedano (1791-03-10)10 March 1791 Córdoba, Spain |
| Died | 22 June 1865(1865-06-22) (aged 74) Madrid, Spain |
| Resting place | Saint Isidore Cemetery |
| Political party | Realista Moderado |
Ángel de Saavedra y Ramírez de Baquedano, 3rd Duke of Rivas (Spanish:Ángel de Saavedra y Ramírez de Baquedano, Duque de Rivas; 10 March 1791 – 22 June 1865) was a Spanishpoet,dramatist andpolitician who was Prime Minister of Spain in 1854. He is best known for his playDon Álvaro o la fuerza del sino (Don Álvaro, or the Force of Fate) (1835), the firstromantic success in the Spanish theater.
De Saavedra fought in the war of independence and was also a prominent member of the advanced Liberal party from 1820 to 1823. In 1823, Rivas was condemned to death for his liberal views and fled to England. He lived successively inItaly,Malta andFrance, until the death ofFerdinand VII in 1833 and the amnesty of 1834, when he returned to Spain, shortly afterwards succeeding his brother asDuke of Rivas.[1]
In 1835 he became minister of the interior underIsturiz, and along with his chief had again to leave the country. Returning in 1837, he joined the moderate party, became prime minister, and was subsequently ambassador atParis andNaples[1] and director of theReal Academia Española.[citation needed]
In 1813 he publishedEnsayos poéticos, and between that time and his first exile several of his tragedies (the most notable beingAlatar, 1814, andLanuza, 1822) were put upon the stage. Traces of foreign influence are observable inEl Moro expósito (1833), a narrative poem dedicated toJohn Hookham Frere; these are still more marked inDon Álvaro o la fuerza del sino (first played on 22 March 1835 inMadrid),[1] a drama which emerged from heated literary controversy.[citation needed]
Don Álvaro is of historical importance inasmuch as it established the new Frenchromanticism inSpain.[1] The play was used as the basis ofFrancesco Maria Piave'slibretto forVerdi's operaLa forza del destino (1862). As a poet, Rivas's best-known work isRomances históricos (1841), adaptions of popular legends in ballad form.
He married María de la Encarnación de Cueto y Ortega (1806–1885) and had 9 children, including :
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Saavedra, Angel de".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 23 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 954.
