The Queen and her consort : succession, politics and partnership in the kingdom of Navarre, 1274-1512
This thesis draws attention to an exceptional group of sovereigns and demonstrates the important role that these women and their spouses played in the political history of Western Europe during the Late Middle Ages. It also highlights the particular challenges of female rule and offers new modes of analysis by focusing on unique areas of investigation which have not been previously examined
The Symbolic Meaning of Sword and Palio in Late Medieval and Early Modern Ritual Entries: The Case of Seville
If I have spend some time establishing the semantic field in which these terms appear, it is because I wish to emphasize the malleability of concepts such as symbols and rituals, particularly when applied to the articulation of powers Moreover, these meanings and intents depend often on the context, temporal and geographical location.
Delivering stability: Primogeniture and autocratic survival in European monarchies 1000-1800
Although the dominating position of primogeniture at the end of the period might seem natural given primogeniture’s many advantages for the monarch and the ruling elite it was first rather late in history that the principle came to dominate Europe.
Licit and Illicit Sexuality in Medieval Iberia: A Survey of Las Siete Partidas
This thesis examines Las Siete Partidas, a thirteenth-century Castilian legal code of laws, including on marriage and illicit sexual behaviors.
The Price of Alfonso’s Wisdom. Nationalist Translation Policy in Thirteenth-Century Castile
First, how can we say where and when translation began in any country? The origins of translation are surely to be associated with the first evidence of trade, and trade was certainly carried out in the Spain of the Romans, the Visigoths, and of course the centuries of Islamic domination.
Thieves of Pleasure: A vicious fraternal war rewards Alfonso VI with the artistic and poetic treasures of al-Andalus
As the balance of power began to shift from Muslim to Christian, a power struggle erupted among Christian rulers that would continue for generations, even as the light of Arabic poetry burned bright enough to influences centuries of Western verse.
Sacrificial and Un-sacrificial Epics: An Examination of El Cid
I want to focus my attention here in another text, the Lay of el Cid, the only fully preserved Castilian epic poem.
Translators, Interpreters and Cultural Mediators in Late Medieval Eastern Iberia and Western Islamic Diplomatic Relationships
Although linguistic competence and language knowledge were essential, rulers often looked for the cultural aptitudes of their official translators to guarantee the success fo the diplomatic missions.
King João II of Portugal “O Príncipe Perfeito” and the Jews (1481-1495)
King João II of Portugal, who reigned over the Portuguese from 1481 un- til 1495, has enjoyed a rather positive posthumous reputation in Portugal and in Portuguese historiography…In Jewish historiography, however, the ruthlessness of King João II has earned him considerable infamy.
Jewish Collaborators in Alfonso’s Scientific Work
What is remarkable about the Jewish translators whose work was sponsored by Alfonso, following an already old tradition of Jewish translation activity, was their concentration almost exclusively on scientific literature and their significant contribution to the development of the Spanish language.
Patronage and indebtedness: Portugal, Castile and the papal Court around the year 1300
At the time of Nicholas IV’s election in February 1288, for thirteen long years the king and kingdom of Portugal had been suffering the consequences of excommunication and interdict, as specified in ‘De regno Portugalie’, Gregory X’s ‘constitution, ordinance and provision’ of September 1275.
Templars and Confraternities: Organizational Competition in Thirteenth Century Iberia
The undoing of the Templars was in part a result of their own over-reaching, but it also came because they opened up an organizational arena that other military orders and confraternities came to fill.
Vicente Ferrer and the Kings’ Jews: Reassessing the Modern Image of a Medieval Dominican
This investigation of his sermons will provide insight into Ferrer’s goals, his lasting impact on Jewish communities, and will provide a new lens through which to view Ferrer’s place in the history of the Sephardim.
Deviant Women in Courtly and Popular Medieval Castilian Poetry
The ideal comportment of woman in the Middle Ages is decreed by the Church and the aristocracy. However, woman is wont to rebel against the strict norms of patriarchy laid down for her.
The parliamentary calendar of Spanish and English assemblies in the twelfth century
This analysis will concentrate on the rhythm experienced by royal assemblies from the 1150s to the 1180s, thus challenging the traditional dates for so long believed to mark the beginning of parliaments in England and the Christian kingdoms of Spain.
The Comunero uprising in Castile, 1520-1521: a case study for early modern revolution
This thesis argues that scholars have ignored the Comunero rebellion’s importance as an instance of early modern revolution and that this uprising anticipates the revolutionary movements of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
The Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa: The Culture and Practice of Crusading in Medieval Iberia
This battle was both a major Christian victory over the Almohad Empire of Morocco and its Andalusian allies, and the most successful crusade of the papacy of Innocent III. As such, it serves as an ideal case study for the practice and culture of crusading in the early thirteenth century.
The Muslim/Mudejar in the Cantigas of Alfonso X, el Sabio
A great deal of current interest has been sparked regarding Alfonso X’s attitudes towards the various minorities which comprised his dominions. An excellent place to begin any serious re-assesment of alfonsine ideas of tolerance and intolerance is provided by the Cantigas of Santa María, the king’s greatest contribution to medieval art and letters.
The Kingdom of León-Castilla under King Alfonso VI, 1065-1109
The reign of Alfonso VI was also to be the setting within which León-Castilla joined in the emergence of a new western Europe and itself also assimilated the new norms and structures that were being erected everywhere there.
The Art of a Reigning Queen as Dynastic Propaganda in Twelfth-Century Spain
This study, however, will focus on Urraca of Leon-Castile (reigned 1109-26) to examine the unusual role of a reigning queen, that is, the king’s daughter and heir to his throne, whose position carried a greater dynastic weight than did a queen consort’s.
Polish Pilgrimages to Santiago de Compostella: Way of St. James in Poland
It is very difficult to estimate the exact scope of Polish pilgrimages to Santiago de
Compostela in the Middle Ages on the basis of preserved historical sources. The presence of pilgrims from Poland was mentioned in the Pilgrim Records of the Middle Ages found in the archive of the Kingdom of Aragon in Barcelona…
Faction and civil strife in late Medieval Castillian towns
Faction and civil strife in late Medieval Castillian towns By Angus Mackay Bulletin of the John Rylands Library, Vol.72:3 (1990) Introduction: The social…
Disposable alliances: Aragon and Castile during the War of the Two Pedros and beyond
By tracing the diplomatic developments between Aragon and Castile during this time frame, one is struck not only by the Pere III’s attainments in double-dealing, but also by how deeply the major contenders in the Hundred Years War, France and England, were effected by the political and martial affairs of the “minor” states of Spain.
Ssegunt natura de los cielos e de las otras cosas spirituales: Alfonso X, Astrology, and Kingship
This thesis uses Alfonso’s scientific texts to analyze how and why astrology was particularly useful to a thirteenth century king.
MUSLIM AND JEWISH “OTHERNESS” IN THE SPANISH NATION-BUILDING PROCESS
MUSLIM AND JEWISH “OTHERNESS” IN THE SPANISH NATION-BUILDING PROCESS THROUGHOUT THE RECONQUISTA (1212-1614) TÜRKÇELİK, EVRİM M.A. Thesis (Science), Middle East Technical University, August…