Le vingt et deuxieme livre d’Amadis de Gaule [The twenty-second book of Amadis of Gaul].
Paris: Olivier de Varrenes, 1715.
Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (78)
Tales that Inspired Conquistadors
Amadis of Gaul, the most famous romance of Spanish chivalry, may have originated as early as the mid-fourteenth century. The handsome, virtuous knight Amadis achieves incredible feats of arms, in which he is undefeated. The earliest extant printed version, from 1508, is by Garci Ordónez (or Rodríguez) de Montalvo (ca. 1450-ca. 1505). Montalvo’s avowed purpose was to inspire Spanish youth to imitate Amadis. Numerous sequels appeared, and the work was translated into other languages. Bernal Díaz del Castillo refers to Amadis in his account of the conquest of New Spain, and the name “California” appears in another work by Montalvo.