2. 2
Baltasar Melchor Gaspar María de Jovellanos was
born in Gijón on the 5th January 1744, within one
of the best known families in the town. There he
studies latin grammar. At the age of 13 he moves
to Oviedo to study Philosophy. Then, he would go
to Avila in 1759.
3. 3
Casa Natal de Jovellanos
abierta como museo el 6 de
agosto de 1971
4. 4
• In 1761 he gets the certificate
in Canons by Osma University,
wich Gaspar himself would
make fun of, done to its facility
to grant certificates.
• In 1764, he joined a very
influential social group in San
Ildefonso School.
COLEGIO DE SAN
ILDEFONSO
(Madrid)
5. 5
In 1767, Jovellanos is offered a post in Seville’s Court and he
accepts. He soon started to stand out in his job, due to his
original measures, such as his refusal to wear the typical wig or
to get the taxes wich were within his rights. He also tried to
abolish torture.
6. 6
In Seville, he meets Pablo
de Olavide, who had a
great influence on him,
and gets to know the most
important works written in
Europe about laws,
economy and philosophy.
7. 7
Jovellanos writes several
literary genres: poetry,
tragedy (“LA MUERTE DE
MUNUZA”) and drama (“EL
DELICUENTE HONRADO”),
very successful, even abroad.
8. 8
In 1778 he arrives in Madrid, where he works as a judge. He
will be president of the Economic Society in Madrid and an
outstanding member of the Royal Academy of History.
9. 9
In 1782, he returns to
Asturias and he works
in the reform of
university studies, coal
mining and the
improvement of
infrastructures in
Pajares and Gijón
10. 10
Back in Madrid he lives an
intense social life defending
the Enlightenment ideas. With
the law for the "Reforma
Agraria" he defends the
increase in the number of
owner peasants
11. 11
One of his best friends there is Goya, who
would paint two portraits of him.
12. 12
After the French Revolution in 1789 problems begin for
the Spanish Enlightened. In 1790, one of his friends,
Cabarrús is imprisoned and Jovellanos is devoted to
help him. Within such a complicated situation he was
forced to abandon Madrid,
13. 13
Once in Asturias again, he
tried to train mine engineers
and ship pilots. He wanted to
develop Asturias economy, so
he opens a high school: the
Real Instituto Asturiano de
Náutica y Mineralogía
14. 14
In 1797 Jovellanos is appointed
ambassador of Russia. This could
be an attempt to keep him far from
Spain, since his advanced ideas
were uncomfortable and annoying
for that time.
Jovellanos turns the offer down,
but he is appointed Minister of
Grace and Justice. He tried to
reduce the influence of Inquisition
and he works in the new university
studies
15. 15
However, his enemies increase
and he is expelled in 1798, so he
comes back to Asturias.
Jovellanos was an influencial,
honest and wise man, and Godoy
(the prime minister of Carlos IV)
wanted to finish off with all the
important Enlightened in Spain.
That’s why in 1801 he was
arrested and taken to prison in
Mallorca.
16. 16
He was imprisoned in the Cartuja of Valldemossa and in
the Bellver Castle: the castle will end up being his home;
there he has a cook, a butler, a secretary and he could
even have visits.
17. 17
During that time he
doesn’t stop writing.
His books are the
“MEMORIA SOBRE
EDUCACIÓN
PÚBLICA”, “EPÍSTOLA
A POSIDONIO” (a
biographical) and the
“MEMORIAS
HISTÓRICO
ARTÍSTICAS DE
ARQUITECTURA” (he
studies the Bellver
castle).
18. 18
The Aranjuez riot takes Ferdinand VII to
throne and after seven years in prison
Jovellanos is set free.
At the start of the french invasion, José
Bonaparte offers him a new post as a
Minister, buy he refuses. However he
accepts to fight against Napoleón in 1808.
19. 19
Back in Asturias in 1810, he feels
miserable when he realizes that
he has to wait in Galicia until the
French are expelled from Gijón.
Once in his city he notices the
disastrous consequences of war
and the ruins of his Institute,
used by the French as a
headquarters.
The French soldiers returns to
Gijón and Jovellanos has to flee
for his life. In 1811 he arrives in
Puerto de Vega.
20. 20
There, Antonio Trelles Osorio
puts him up, but he is seriously
ill and he dies 28th November
in 1811.
He was buried in the cemetery
wich he had promoted, but
from 1978 on Jovellanos
remains are in Los Remedios
Chapel, close to his house.
Monumento funerario de Jovellanos
en la
Capilla de Los Remedios.
