Unpublished Document of Rodrigo de Cervantes (Greatgrandfather of Miguel de Cervantes), Regarding the marriague of his son Juan de Cervantes, (Grandfather of Miguel de Cervantes)

Abstract

Did Miguel de Cervantes really come from a family without resources and without social positioning? The ascending genealogical line of Miguel de Cervantes to this day remains unknown. It is taken for granted that the paternal grandparents are Juan de Cervantes, a law graduate, married to Leonor de Torreblanca, and they come from Córdoba. The notarial document, coinciding in names, opens a line that will have to be investigated to interpret and explain issues in the life of the Cervantes that are not sufficiently clear. This article tries to make a call on the documentation located for its study and evaluation by the Cervantists.

In the Provincial Historical Archive of Seville of Notarial Funds there is a document referring to Juan de Cervantes, grandfather of Miguel Cervantes. The document is a letter of promise of marriage establishing the amount of the dowry and deposit, and payment term before the celebration of the marriage, dated its granting in Seville on April 11, 1503, this document confirms the ancestors of Miguel de Cervantes as paternal grandparents in the persons of Juan de Cervantes and Leonor de Torreblanca.