dramatist whose play El trovador (1836; “The Troubadour”) was the most popular and successful drama of the Romantic period in Spain. It formed the basis for the Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi's opera Il trovatore (performed 1853).

After studying medicine briefly, he walked to Madrid, hoping to gain success as a playwright, but, because he was penniless, he enlisted in the army and travelled extensively. His last years were spent in various governmental posts, and he died while director of the Museum of Archaeology.