Catalina de Erauso

Catalina de Erauso , also known like Monja Alférez ( the Nun lieutenant ) (1592, Saint-Sebastien, Spain — 1650, Cuetlaxtla, News-Spain), was a personality semilégendaire of Spain and Spanish Americas of first half of the 17th century.

It was Basque, girl and sister of soldiers of the town of San Sebastian, intended to become nun, but it gives up this way after a brawl at age the fifteen years, right before pronouncing its wishes. She then even never saw a street, having entered with the convent at the four years age.

Departure of the convent

She gets dressed then as a man and takes the name of " Francisco of Loyola " , then San Sebastian for Valladolid leaves. Since there, she visits Bilbao where she enlists on a ship with the assistance of some Basque compatriots. She arrives to Spanish America and engages like soldier under the name of Alonso Díaz Ramírez de Guzmán . She is useful under the orders of several captains, of which, it, his/her own brother seems.

Soldier

It is used for the Chile during the war against the Indians Araucan S. It then acquires a reputation of courageous soldier, player and brawler. This animated military career culminates by its promotion with the rank of lieutenant, titrates who combined with his youth with the convent will be worth the nickname of to him the nun lieutenant (Monja Alférez).

It seems was a Duel baited list, responsible for died for dozen men. According to its autobiography, among them, his/her own brother whom it killed by inadvertency at the time of a night dispute. She claims to have recognized it before hearing her cries of anguish in the night.

Trading

She also makes trade, always with Basque business men. She continues her duels and kills indistinctly out of the soldiers, the civils servant or the officers of the Spanish Crown. She must on several occasions find refuge in churches, asking the Right of asylum, to prevent the soldiers to stop it. Its Basque origins always enable him to find an employment, in spite of its past criminel.
She on several occasions breaks promises of marriage with several femmes.
Although condemned to dead several times, she manages to flee Chile as regards today Argentina, Bolivia and Peru

After a duel with Cuzco at the time it kills a man, it is seriously wounded and confesses its sex on what it thinks of being its bed of death. She survives however and after a four months convalescence she leaves for Guamanga. Over there, to escape new troubles, she publicly confesses her sex to the bishop . To its invitation, it enters then to the convent and its tour continuous on the two sides of the ocean. In 1620, it works in the archbishop of Lima, then in 1624, it arrives to Spain.

It goes to Rome then in the remainder of the Italy where it obtains a notoriety such as it obtains from the Pope Urbain VIII a special exemption authorizing it to wear men's wears. Its carried, paints by Francesco Crescenzio will be lost.

Of return in Spain, Francisco Pacheco (the father-in-law of Velázquez) made its portrait in 1630.

It leaves Spain in again 1645, this time for News-Spain with the fleet of Pedro de Ursua, it becomes conducting mules on the road of Veracruz. Over there, it is made call Antonio de Erauso . She dies in Cuetlaxtla in 1650.

Physics

Pedro del Valle describes it, in 1626, in a letter sent of Rome to his/her friend Mario Schipano, el “Peregrino”, like amateur of conversations, large and strong with a male aspect and a childish chest thanks to the application of an Italian balsam. Its face pushing back, but is not marked by the age, resembling more a Eunuque that with a woman. She gets dressed like Spanish and rather carries the sword like a soldier than like a courtier.

Sexuality

It could have been a hypospadic hermaphrodite, according to a study of Dr. Nicolás León, and was regarded at its time as eunuque by some. Its autobiography uses for itself the male kind rather. It fantasmait on certain women and took part in the phantasms of some.

In the media

In 1625, Juan Pérez de Montalván (1602 - 1638) wrote the part Comedia famosa of the monja Alférez . The same year, a " True narration of these great facts… " is published in Seville, followed by a " Second narration… " and of a " Third and last narration… " in Mexico.

There exists a purified autobiography going back to 1626, which one finds the trace in a manuscript going back to 1794. The edition of 1838 of this book is available on line. Its life was also the topic of several news and studies by Dr. Nicolás León.

Emilio Gómez Muriel carried out in 1943 a film on its life with María Felix in the role of Erauso.
A film with Esperanza Roy as high-speed motorboat was carried out in Spain in 1987.

See too

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