Who was the famous rider who tilted at a windmill? Don Quixote. The amazing adventures of this poor Spanish gentleman were recounted by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (to give Cervantes'full name) in his book Don Quixote de la Mancha, which is today one of the most popular classics. Don Quixote is a poor gentleman living in the village of La Mancha. He is somewhat crazy due to reading too many books and tales of high chivalry. He fancies himself to be a knight errant and sets out on his old horse, Rosinante, to rescue gallant maidens in distress. He takes as squire a faithful peasant, named Sancho Panza. There follows a series of exploits, both perilous and amusing. The book ends with Don Quixote forsaking the path of adventure and resigning himself to the life of a shepherd back at La Mancha. Sadly, he falls ill soon after his return and dies. Miguel Cervantes' own life was as picturesque and dangerous as Don Quixote's. Cervantes was born (exact date is unknown) of a good but poor family - his father was a surgeon - and leaving home in search of fame and fortune, he joined' the army and fought at the Battle of Lepanto against the Turks. Badly wounded, he lost the use of his left hand. Even so, he continued his military career, fighting on both sides of the Mediterranean. He was in Italy in 1576 and set out on a ship from Naples in September of that year. The ship was attacked by pirates and Cervantes was captured and taken to Algiers where he was imprisoned until 1580. He suffered much at the hands of his jailers, before he was ransomed. Returning home, he commenced to write but always seemed to be in trouble for one reason or another, largely debt. Indeed, he was in prison for the third time when he wrote his masterpiece, Don Quixote de la Mancha. Miguel Cervantes died in Madrid, April 23, 1616, of dropsy. For Details
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