ERCILLA Y ZUNIGA, e thoo nyega, Alonzo de, Spanish soldier and epic poet : b. Madrid, 7 Aug. 1533; d. there. 29 Nov. 1594. He was of noble family and was a close friend of the prince who afterward became Philip XI of Spain. His father died when the boy was less than a year old, and his mother, who had charge of the family es tates and who was related to the royal families of several of the European countnes, made visits to Germany, Austna, Hungary and other European courts, taking Alonzo with her. She also succeeded in getting him appointed page at the court of Spain. Before he had reached man's estate he had seen much of the court and was one of the most traveled persons in Spain. At the age of 22 Ercilla sailed for South America on the Spanish squadron sent out at the king's command. In 1557 he ac companied the new governor of Chile, Garcia Hurtado e Mendoza from Panama to Lima. An insurrection breaicing out among the Arau canian Indians of Chile, Ercilla joined an expe dition sent against them. The difficulties the Spaniards had to encounter, the heroic resist ance of the natives, and the multitude of gallant deeds by which the war was signalized, inspired the young and brave Ercilla with the idea of malang it the subject of an epic poem, to which he gave the name 'La Araucana.) While on this campaign Ercilla and a fellow officer, Pineda, were arrested by the commanding officer and condemned to death. They spent the night in the death chapel; and in the morning their sentence was commuted to imprisonment while the expedition lasted and final banishment from the country. Ercilla recovered his liberty after a short time and frequently distinguished him self for bravery in the remaining part of the campaign. Returning to Spain in 1562, during a two years' journey, he visited Germany for the third time, Hungary, France and Austria.
He was lmighted and made Duke of Lernia on his return to Spain. In 1575 he went to Italy and was received by the Pope. Later he again visited Germany, became a friend of the Em peror Maximilian and attended his coronation as King of Bavaria. Later he was sent on diplo, matic missions by the ICing of Spain. He seems to have lost many of his friends and much of his property in his old age. He returned to Spain after having finished the first part of his epic. In 1570 he had married Maria Bazan at Madrid, whose charms and virtues are cele brated by him in various passages of his poem. In 1569 the first 15 cantos of his poem appeared; in 1578 a second part, and in 1590 a third part were added, making in all 37 cantos. The (Aran cane is an historical epic in the octave measure in which the author confines himself, with the exception of some episodes and a few fictions, to the exact historical course of events. Hence the poem often assumes almost the character of a chronicle. In addition to its poetic merits, which are not few, 'La Araucana' is very valu able for the information it gives of the condi tions in the Spanish colonies of America. Ercilla is impartial even to his Indian enemies whom he admires. His literary work is good and his descriptions of times, manners and personages are vivid and bear the stamp of truth. His battle pictures are especially vivid. Consult Barros Arana, (Historia General de Chili) (Santiago 1884). Lope de Vega has taken from the epic of Ercilla the materials for his piece (Araucana Conquered.' The best editions are those published at Madrid in 1776 and 1876 and 1828. It has been translated into Italian, and twice into French. See ARAUCANA, LA; ARAU CANIANS.