Luisa de Medrano : Google doodle celebrates 538th birthday of Spanish scholar

The Google Doodle for today honours poet and philosopher Luisa de Medrano, who turns 538 today. She is regarded as Spain’s first female professor.

On this day in 1484, De Medrano was born at Atienza, Spain, which is now Guadalajara. During the Conquest of Granada, a conflict that would unify Spain under Catholic rule, her father, a member of the “Twelve Lineages of Soria” military order, was killed in action.

In honor of the family’s sacrifice, the Catholic Monarchs adopted Luisa and her brothers and nurtured them as honourable children. De Medrano studied alongside royal children while being instructed in history, culture, and humanist philosophy by Queen Isabella I.

De Medrano made history by becoming the first female professor at the University of Salamanca in the early 16th century, where it is thought that she taught Latin and when the majority of women were unable to pursue an education.

The Luisa de Medrano International Prize is presented to people who advance gender equality by the Spanish organisation Instituto de la Mujer, Castilla-La Mancha as a tribute to her legacy. In addition, she inspired the name of IES Lucia de Medrano, a high school in Salamanca.

We wish Luisa de Medrano a happy birthday! Your tale keeps inspiring and empowering women to break stereotypes.

Topics #538th birthday #Google Doodle #Luisa de Medrano #Spanish scholar