Jorge Manrique (c. 1440 – 1479) was a major Spanish poet, whose main work, the Coplas a la muerte de su padre (Stanzas about the Death of his Father), is still read today. He was a supporter of the great Spanish queen, Isabel I of Castile, and actively participated on her side in the civil war that broke out against her half-brother, Enrique IV, when the latter attempted to make his daughter, Juana, crown princess. Jorge died in 1479 during an attempt to take the castle of Garcimuñoz, defended by Marquis of Villena (a staunch enemy of Isabel), after Isabel gained the crown.
Manrique was a great-nephew of Iñigo López de Mendoza (marquess of Santillana), a descendant of Pero López de Ayala, chancellor of Castile, and a nephew of Gómez Manrique, corregidor of Toledo, all important poets of the late fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. He was, therefore, a member of a noble family of great consequence.
"Nuestras vidas son los ríos, que van a dar en la mar, que es el morir"
La obra de Jorge Manrique es preciosa a la par que fácil de leer. Me parece impresionante la sencillez con que transmite sentimientos de amor o duelo (destacando las famosas 'Coplas a la muerte de su padre'), especialmente considerando que estamos hablando del siglo XV.
Recomiendo encarecidamente que le echeis un vistazo a su obra, ya que es muy breve. Por lo menos, lean las famosas coplas. Merece la pena