Lucrecia's Dreams: Politics and Prophecy in Sixteenth-Century Spain

by Richard L. Kagan

Branded by the Spanish Inquisition as an "evil dreamer," a "notorious mother of prophets," the teenager Lucrecia de León had hundreds of bleak but richly imaginative dreams of Spain's future that became the stuff of political controversy and scandal. Based upon surviving transcripts of her dreams and on the voluminous records of her trial before the Inquisition, Lucrecia's Dreams traces the complex personal and political ramifications of Lucrecia's prophetic career. This hitherto unexamined episode in Spanish history sheds new light on the history of women as well as on the history of dream interpretation.

Charlatan or clairvoyant, sinner or saint, Lucrecia was transformed by her dreams into a cause celébre , the rebellious counterpart to that other extraordinary woman of Golden Age Spain, St. Theresa of Jesus. Her supporters viewed her as a divinely inspired seer who exposed the personal and political shortcomings of Philip II of Spain. In examining the relation of dreams and prophecy to politics, Richard Kagan pays particular attention to the activities of the streetcorner prophets and female seers who formed the political underworld of sixteenth-century Spain.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Spain

246 pages, Paperback

First published June 22, 1990

About the author

Richard Kagan is a professor of early modern European history and romance languages and literatures at The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD. His special interest is in the history of Habsburg Spain and Iberian expansion.

Reviews

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

Richard Kagan's exploration of 16th-century Spain through the 415-odd dreams of a middle class woman in Madrid is a lot of fun. It starts out seeming like just a bit of an oddity: a young woman who has increasingly strange dreams, winds up predicting the defeat of the Spanish armada and becoming increasingly explicit in her criticisms of King Philip II, and winds up creating quite a stir in the upper class court society of her day. The dreams themselves are fascinating and often unsettling. Most of the imagery comes from a mixture of traditional apocalyptic thought, current gossip, and the architectural surroundings of Madrid, but more than anything else they read like some kind of whacked-out Guillermo del Toro film. There are bulls and eagles and seven-headed dragons, and Lucrecia is often led through her dream visions by three men, particularly a guide who she just calls The Ordinary Man (yikes!).

One of the best aspects of the book is how Kagan ties these dreams to the current political atmosphere in Spain. Philip II was never as popular as his father and by the end of the 16th century he was coming increasingly under fire for his handling of the country which was trapped in foreign wars and economic stagnation. Lucrecia's dreams hit rather fertile ground and the context goes quite a distance in explaining why Madrid gave her such credence in the years leading up to 1590. It also raises another question: how much of Lucrecia's dreaming was honest, and how much was it made up as a political statement? And how much were the dreams her own, as opposed to the constructs of two clerics who recorded them for her, and who were wrapped up in anti-royal factions at the Spanish court?

Kagan never gives definitive answers to either (he can't, really, as it's a question that was never answered in Lucrecia's own day). He perhaps gives a bit more credence to Lucrecia's own initiative than I would, considering some of her testimony at her eventual Inquisition trial. There are also a couple of attempts at Freudian analysis that I could have done without. But she was certainly an interesting figure, and rather striking in how unique she sometimes seems. In any case it's a really interesting work, and worth a look if you're interested in prophecy, gender, or politics in early modern Spain. It also offers an interesting look at how information was disseminated at the time, even amongst those who were illiterate. It's easy to assume today that illiterate = uneducated, but there's a huge number of ways to learn and Kagan illustrates this clearly in a quick discussion of Lucrecia's impressive visual memory.

[James Rooney · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly fascinating account of a little-known sixteenth century clairvoyant, a young woman claiming to possess prophetic insight through her dreams.

Not only do we get a glimpse of who Lucrecia was, but we learn about her relationships with her parents, her prospective fiance, and with clerics who encouraged her gifts.

Kagan goes into some detail on the background of Mediaeval and Renaissance views of prophecies and dreams, which is an instructive introduction to the topic that can lead one down a rabbit hole.

We discover some aspects of life in Habsburg Spain, especially for women, and one cannot help but admire Lucrecia who was a wonderfully tenacious and clever girl.

It is remarkable that she confounded and mystified the Inquisition, who was not sure what to think of her. This gives us a window, too, on the proceedings of the Inquisition and its views on alleged prophets.

Simply reading the details of some of her dreams was a great pleasure, and would probably be a delight for anyone interested in Freudian analysis. I am very glad Kagan brought Lucrecia's story to light, and I hope more people discover her.

[Ernesto Priani saiso · Rating 5 out of 5]

excelente estudio sobre una visiónaria del siglo xvi español. en él uno aprecia con claridad las fuerzas y las ideas que participan en el cultivo de la profecía onírica

[John Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for my masters class, a little obscure but has some interesting tidbits.

[Rina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lucrecia’s Dreams: Politics and Prophecy in Sixteenth-Century Spain, written by Richard L. Kagan, is a fascinating exploration of an early modern female seer. However, it would possibly be more apt to include something concerning Freud in the subtitle rather than politics. Kagan explores the prophetic career of Lucrecia. A woman of humble Old Christian origins, Lucrecia dreamed constantly. These dreams were interpreted both by her and by her spiritual guide: Mendoza. Her dreams cover a wide range of topics: from politics to every day life. The Inquisition ultimately tried Lucrecia when she became a threat concerning a possibly political uprising. The importance of her failed career and life are explored by Kagan who asserts that she was educated concerning politics through her father, and through her contacts at the palace and in the city of Madrid itself. While Kagan does explore the political ramifications of Lucrecia’s prophecies in relation to Philip II of Spain, he spends an equal amount of time concerning the relationship she had with her fathers: spiritual, political and religious. Regardless, it is an important source concerning lay people’s conceptions of politics in early modern Spain, especially in response to disconcerting events such as the destruction of the Armada. Lucrecia’s experience and dreams, however, offer a detailed illustration of life in Madrid and Toledo during the late 16th century. Kagan starts with a great premise, especially since Lucrecia follows almost none of the unspoken rules of being a female religious visionary, however, by shifting the focus on to Freudian analysis, he loses the strong points amidst conjecture and modern psychoanalytical ideas. There are certainly issues surrounding the parental influence in Lucretia’s life, however, Kagan fails to explore fully the meanings behind Lucretia as a female seer who failed to follow even the most base expectations of a female religious. I think it is very difficult to assert that Lucretia sought to replace father figures in her life with an almost Oedipal complex. Ultimately, Lucrecia’s life and dreams offer the possibility of an exploration of a laypersons understanding of the political framework of Spain: especially that of a female. Perhaps others could take up the mantle started by Kagan.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating, short, really accessible glimpse of life and the Inquisition in sixteenth-century Spain. Plus, we know very little about women during this time period, except when they were put on trial by the Inquisition, and Lucrecia was particularly interesting. She was only a teenager when she started claiming that her dreams were predicting the downfall of the King, and the downfall of Spain itself, and eventually she went so far as to envision herself as a potential future Queen who would lead her followers to reconquest and glory.
Part of the fun of this book is getting involved in the story and trying to decide what was going on here: was Lucrecia really dreaming these complicated visionary dreams? Or making them up because they were making her into a celebrity? Or was she just a tool of these priests who paid attention to her and transcribed all of her dreams? Did they tell her what to say? But some of her dreams occurred before the priests started visiting her...there is a lot to debate here. Another interesting aspect is the portrait in this book of life in Spain in 1580 and what people were thinking about. Apparently the fear that Spain would be conquered by the English, or even reconquered by the Muslims provided a lot of anxiety for people. A large number of people had little respect for King Philip II, and in Lucrecia's dreams he is often portrayed as old, broken down, insecure, and ineffectual.
Anyway, the whole thing is fascinating and it is only about 160 pages, so you could get it at the library and be done with it in a jiffy.

[Courtney Homer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating mini-history about the life and trial of Lucrecia de Leon, a Spanish woman tried by the inquisition for her heretical and treasonous dreams. Kagan posits that Lucrecia, although claiming to be a naive and unknowing women under the control of more knowledgable men, was actually savvy and wise and knew exactly what she was doing. A fascinating story with great background on Spain in the late 16th century under Philip.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

While Lucrecia's Dreams is valuable for its information on Spainish politics and the Inquisition, it was not very interesting. Unless you love early modern Spanish history, I wouldn't really suggest this book.

[Adrienne Kiser · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting, but not fabulously engaging to a casual reader....some of this may be that I am a scholar of neither Spain nor the Inquisition, and as such I am not the target audience. Still, well-researched and does a good job of avoiding speculative conclusions.