Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 12.djvu/154

* LEON. 13G LEON. cent HI. pliiiod the whole country under an jnlerdiol. For seven years the couple remained lirui, but finally separated, and a long series of wars between Leon and Castile began. In 1217 Berengaria became Queen of Castile in her own right, but immediately abdicated in favor of the eldest son of }ier union with Alfonso of Leon, Ferdinand. In 1230 lie also succeeded to the tlirone of Leon, ruling the two countries as Fer- dinand 111. Leon and Castile were never again separated. LEON. The capital of the Spanish province of the same name, situated near the confluence of the rivers Bernesga and Torio, in a beavitiful wooded plain SI miles northwest of Valladolid, and on the railroad from the latter place to Gijon (Map: Spain, C 1). Part of the old Roman wall, twenty feet thick, is still standing and outside of this is another wall Iniilt in the fourteenth century. The streets are crooked and narrow: but there are a number of interesting old buildings. The cathedral is a masterpiece of Gothic art. It was begun in the thirteenth century and finished at the beginning of the sev- enteenth, but. owing to a defect in its construction which threatened its ruin, an extensive restora- tion was begun in 1843. The interior is rich in sculptures and mural jjaintings and contains the tomb of King Orduno 11. of Leon. The two other architectural monuments of Leon are the Church of Saint Isidore, in the Byzantine style of the twelfth century, containing the tombs of most of the kings of Leon, and the Convent of San ^Marcos, also dating from the twelfth century, but rebuilt in 1514. The latter has a beautiful and richly sculptured fagade, and is the principal seat of the Order of Santiago; a i>art of it is now occupied by the municipal arch;eological mu- seum. Besides this museum Leon has a number of educational institutions, such as the provin- cial library, the institute for secondary education, a normal school, and a veterinary school. The industry and trade of the citv are unimportant. Population, in 1887. 13,446; "in 1000. 17.022. Leon was founded by the Romans as a military garrison and called Legio Sept i ma Geinhui, the word legio being later confused with l(6n. It was twice captured and held by the Arabs in the ninth century, but recaptured, first by Alfonso I., and the second time by Ordono I. In the begin- ning of the tenth century Ordono II. made it the capital of the Kingdom of Leon. Even after that it was continually threatened, and once nearly destroyed by the Arabs. In 180S the city was sacked by the French. LE'ON. A town and the county-seat of Deca- tur County, la., 70 miles south of Des Moines; on the Keokuk and Western and the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy railroads (Map: Iowa, D 4). It has considerable trade as the centre of a fertile agricultural and stock-raising district. Population, in 1890, 1422; in 1900, 1905. LEON, la-on'. A town of Panay, Philippines, in the Province of Iloilo, situated about 15 miles northv.est of Iloilo (Map: Philippine Islands, G 9). Population, in 1898, 13.9.50. LEON, IsLA DE. A long, narrow island on the southwest coast of Spain, containing the cities of Cadiz and San Fernando (^lap: Spain. B 4). It is ten miles long and two broad, and is sepa- rated from the mainland by the narrow deep channel of San Pedro, spanned by two bridges, one carrying a railroad. The surface of the island is Hat, and covered with .sand-dunes and salt marshes. LEON, AxTOKio ( 1794-1847). A Mexican sol- dier, born in Huajuapam. He was at first a Royalist, but afterwards joined the insurgent forces and did valuable service for their leader Iturbide, who made him lieutenant-colonel as a reward for his capture of Tehuantepec in 1821. But when Iturbide took advantage of the plan of Iguala and proclaimed himself Emperor, Leon supported General Bravo and the Republican opposition. Afterwards he served in the Con- stituent Congress of 1824,as Dejiuty from Oajaca. He took an active part in suppressing the numer- ous insurrections that followed the proclamation of the Republic and afterwards fought in the war with the United States at Padierna and Molino del Rev, where he was killed. LEON, Fray Luis de (1527-91). A Spanish poet and mystic, born at Belmonte in La JIancha. He early entered the Augustinian Order, was trained at the University of Sala- manca, and w-as there elected to the chairs of Thomistic philosophy and of theology. His abili- ties as a theologian and as a linguist soon gained him great repute. In 1572, however, he was accused of having impugned the validity of the Vulgate and of having violated the ecclesiastical law which forbade the publication of unauthor- ized translations of the Bible. It seems that he had rendered the Song of Songs ( Song of Solo- mon) into Spanish for the benefit of a certain nun, but the publication had been brought about by an enemy without Leon's knowledge or con- sent. He was detained in prison at Valladolid until 157(5, when he was discharged. He em- ployed the period of his imprisonment in writing. When released he was reinstated with honor in his post at Salamanca. He continued at .Sala- manca for sometime, became vicar-general of his Order, and finally provincial of the Augustin- ians of Castile. Besides works in Latin, Leon produced much in Spanish prose and verse. Of his works in prose the most important are: The X ombres de Oristo, discussing the various appellations given to the Saviour in the Scrip- tures; the Expos<ici4ndel lihro de Job; a Spanish translation of his Latin commentary on the Song of Solomon; and a treatise on wifely duties, the Perfecta Casada. In all these he displays the humanistic bent of one well acquainted with the Greeks and Latins. His poetry has an undying charm. Besides his original lyrics, his verse in- cludes tran.sIations of classics (e.g. from Hor- ace. Vergil. Tibullus, Pindar. Euripides. Seneca), modern works (co?i^o?!) of Bembo and CJiovanni della Casa and imitations of Petrarch), and translations from sacred sources (the Psalms, .Job, Proverbs, the Panqe Linguam. the Song of Solomon). Consult the edition of Leon pub- lished at Madrid, 1804-16, by Merino; J. Gonzales de Tejada, Vida de Fran Luis de Lcdn (Madrid, 1863) ; C. A. Wilken-s, Fray Luis de Ledn (Halle, 1866) ; .1. D. M. Ford. Luis de Leon, the ffpaiiish Poet, Humanist, and Mystic (in the Publications of the Modern Language Association of America, vol. xiv.. No. 2). Henry Phillips (Philadelphia. 1883), Bryant, and others have made English verse renderings of some of Le<5n's lyrics. An edition of the Perfecta Casada appeared at Chicago in 1903.