for the next seven years. His epic poem
was published in a pirated edition and for
the next several years Tasso revised the
work, finally bringing out his own edition
in 1580.
Tasso wrote hundreds of sonnets, mad-
rigals, dialogues, andcanzoni(songs) in
verse. His last years were spent traveling
from one Italian court to the next in search
of patrons and conditions that would al-
low him the necessary peace of mind to
work. He was nominated as the poet lau-
reate of Italy but died just before he was
to receive the honor in an official cer-
emony. In 1600,Jerusalem Liberatedwas
translated into English; the poem would
have an important influence on the works
of Edmund Spenser and John Milton.
SEEALSO: Ariosto, Ludovico; Milton, John;
Spenser, Edmund; Virgil
Teresa of Avila .................................
(1515–1582)
A nun and patron saint of Spain, and an
author of important religious and auto-
biographical works, Saint Teresa was born
in Avila, Spain, as Teresa Sanchez Cepeda
Davila y Ahumada. She was the daughter
of Beatriz de Ahumada and Alonso de
Cepeda, a wealthyconverso,orconverted
Jew. Believing his daughter had few pros-
pects for a successful marriage, he sent her
to the Convent of Saint Mary of Grace for
her studies. She joined the Monastery of
the Incarnation but after falling ill traveled
to several towns to visit faith healers. Her
sickness worsened in 1539, when she be-
gan experiencing hallucinations and pa-
ralysis. Eventually she recovered, believing
that prayer and the saints had been re-
sponsible for her survival. Visions and the
conversations with phantoms continued,
putting her at the center of a controversy,
in which some believed her a witch and
others to be directly inspired by God. Vow-
ing to lead a life of prayer and self-denial,
she left the monastery, where the wealthier
nuns were free to lead a comfortable life
and enjoy material possessions and social-
ize with men.
Believing the order had grown too
worldly and needed reform, Teresa estab-
lished a more austere branch of the Car-
melites in 1560 and then the new Convent
of Saint Joseph in 1562. This Order ofDis-
calced(barefoot) Sisters, isolated itself
from the community and established strict
rules of poverty, silence, prayer, simple liv-
ing, and the most simple clothing
(including a ban on footwear, outside of
the simple sandals Teresa designed for
them). King Philip II of Spain saw such
reforms as vital to the task of combating
the Protestant movement, and called on
the monasteries of his kingdom to lead
the way.Saint Teresa of Avila. HULTONARCHIVE/GETTY
IMAGES.Teresa of Avila