Alonso de Ercilla Y Zunlga, a Spanish poet, born in Madrid, Aug. 7, 1533, died about 1594. He was a scion of an ancient Biscayan family, and after the death of his father, Fortunio Garcia, who was a member of the council of Charles V., he resided at the imperial court, where he was educated as one of the pages of the prince of Asturias, afterward Philip II. He accompanied him on his travels abroad, and went with him to England in 1554, when Philip married Queen Mary. About this time the Araucanians in Chili, whose territory had been invaded by the Spaniards in 1537, rose against them, and many Spanish knights then at the English court volunteered to serve in the war. Ercilla joined this expedition, distinguished himself, and in an interval of the war was involved in a duel during a tournament which was held in Imperial, a city of Araucania, in honor of the accession of Philip II. to the throne. The combatants were both sentenced to death, and it was not without difficulty that Ercilla's sentence was commuted to imprisonment. In 1562 he returned to Spain, in 1570 married Maria de Bazan, and was employed on different missions by Philip II. His literary fame rests upon La Araucana, the most celebrated of Spanish epics.

It is in 37 cantos, and celebrates the war with the Araucanians, in which the poet himself was engaged. Ercilla wrote the first and best part of this poem on the battle field, but left it unfinished. The first 15 cantos were published in Madrid in 1569, the second part of the poem in 1578, and the third part in 1590. A continuation of the poem in 33 cantos, written by Osorio, appeared in 1597. The best editions of the Araucana are those of Madrid, 1776 and 1828.