En la España Medieval

Introduction. Ambassadors and female mediators: Agents of Diplomacy in the Construction of International Relations During the Middle Ages (12th-15th centuries)

Diana Pelaz Flores — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Introducción. Mandaderos y mediadoras: Agentes de la diplomacia en la construcción de las relaciones internacionales en la Edad Media (ss. XII-XV)

Diplomacy, family ties and divided loyalties: Joan of Navarre as a queenly diplomat

Elena Woodacre — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This article examines the diplomatic agency of Joan of Navarre (c. 1369-1437) as queen consort and queen dowager of England. It focuses particularly on the period between 1403 and 1419 and her role as a key pivot point between England and Brittany, as the wife and stepmother of English kings and the mother of Jean V of Brittany. The case study demonstrates key strategies that Joan used to engage in diplomatic relations, both formal aspects such as gift giving and informal “back-channel” methods of influence using her familial networks and trusted courtiers. It offers a reconsideration of the important role that Joan, like other queens and royal women, played in diplomacy which has often been overlooked as the focus has been on male actors and formal negotiations.

“Great Affection, True Friendship, and Indissoluble Love”: Bonds, Actors, and Diplomatic Mechanisms between Queen Violante de Bar and Charles III of Navarre

Lledó Ruiz Domingo — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This article examines the diplomatic mechanisms employed by Queen Violante de Bar in her relationship with Charles III of Navarre, focusing on how their kinship and mutual trust consolidated strategic and political alliances between the Crown of Aragon and Navarre during the Late Middle Ages. Through communication networks, envoys, and symbolic gifts, the queen played a pivotal role in diplomacy, addressing marriage negotiations, territorial agreements, and the resolution of border conflicts. The research reveals the active role of queens consort in medieval diplomacy, highlighting how Violante, through a combination of familial relationships and political intervention, contributed to the establishment of a strong collaboration between the two territories.

From Pawn to Queen: Female Power and the Diplomacy of Queen Catherine of Lancaster

Óscar Villarroel González — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In terms of diplomacy, a queen could play a variety of roles, from being a mere agent used for a particular policy, to directing this foreign policy. This paper analyses the case of Catherine of Lancaster and whether her origin was used by the royal power (whether she ruled or not) to achieve specific diplomatic objectives, focused in the relations with England and Portugal.

The Ambassador to the Queen. Instructions, Mediation, and Diplomatic Ceremony around Castilian Queens and Infantas (13th-15th centuries)

Diana Pelaz Flores — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Diplomatic praxis in medieval courts encompasses a diverse range of profiles. The exchange of messages and the selection of individuals tasked with furthering specific political interests pertains not only to ambassadors but also to various officials in royal service and, importantly, to the women of the royal family. Their roles as mediators and their essential presence during diplomatic gatherings are crucial for understanding their specific relevance, whether due to familial, political, or protocol-related factors. This paper seeks to explore the participation of women in diplomatic activities, with a particular focus on the Castilian context in the late medieval period.

Tempering the king’s anger. Beatrice of Aragon’s role in foreign relations

Patrik Pastrnak — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The wedding of Matthias Corvinus, king of Hungary and Bohemia, and Beatrice of Aragon in 1476 marked a high point of diplomatic relations between Central Europe and Italy, which strengthened an already strong interest of King Matthias in Italian matters. Although the highly educated Aragon princess has traditionally been viewed as a prominent intermediary of foreign influences in Hungary, most notably for bringing Renaissance art and Italian culture, her role in diplomacy is still not fully appreciated. By a close reading of the relations of papal legate Angelo Pecchinoli (1488–1490) and other sources, this paper examines the important role of Queen Beatrice in foreign relations. Given her familial connections and gender, Beatrice heavily complemented her husband’s goals and efforts, adding a feminine component to the rulership. Using a whole set of tools, such as gifts, affective performance, or correspondence, she was able to act as a proper diplomatic agent.

The here and the hereafter in the will of the Bishop of Coimbra Egas Fafes de Lanhoso

João Cunha Matos, Leontina Ventura — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Not without crossing it with other sources, the testament of bishop Egas Fafes de Lanhoso, the source par excellence, because it is extensive and detailed, allows us to follow the life path of this XIII^st century prelate, in the family, in the career, in having and in being. The variety of documentation reflects his origin and family, marriage alliances and family sociability networks, the constitution of his patrimonial power, through legitimate means or usurpation, but also the ecclesiastic in the full exercise of his episcopal office. In it, made in Montpellier when he was on his way to take possession of the archdiocese of Santiago de Compostela, in its breadth and detail, from the initial harangue to the order and invocations, from the dispositive clauses linked to the good of the soul to the choice of burial place — in a tomb already carefully prepared by him —, to the countless material determinations with enumeration of executors, heirs and legatees, distribution of movable, immovable and animals, payment and collection of debts, we reveal a lot about the personal character of Egas Fafes, his concept of family, of kinship, of the episcopal “house” and of private life, of friendship and affection, of protectionism and gift, and, deep down, his attitude towards life, death and the afterlife.

The Houses of Unmarried Infantas: The Cases of Juana, Violante, and Isabel of Aragon (1375-1392)

Stefano M. Cingolani — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The purpose of this study is to examine the formation, composition, and functioning of the households of three unmarried princesses (infantas) of late fourteenth-century Crown of Aragon; to consider the relationship between mothers and daughters and the purposes of the households, the personnel who compose those households, their fidelity of service and their familiar relation with other members of the same or other households. All arguments are supported by a very rich documentary sources

The Mudejar Communities of the Kingdom of Castile in the 15th Century: A Review of the Current State of Research

Luis Araus Ballesteros — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The last century of existence of the Mudejar communities is the best known by historians thanks to the greater abundance of documents. In this work, issues such as spatial distribution, institutions, society, culture and economy of the Muslims of the North of the Crown of Castile, are reviewed, pointing out their main characteristics.

Following Hippocrates’ Advice: Fleeing the Plague in 15th-Century Portugal

Iria Gonçalves, Alice Borges Gago — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Known and feared in the Western world since ancient times, plagues, cyclical and devastating, left deep marks on society and in the memory of their survivors. Medical knowledge didn't allow for a cure, so rapid escape was the recommended practice. A practice that not all sections of the urban population, those most affected, could carry out.At the first sign of the plague, all those who could do so, left the city for places where the plague had not yet arrived. This is what happened to Prince João, who took refuge in the city of Beja around 1480, fleeing Lisbon. There, he tried to surround himself with all the conditions that would allow him to stop the plague entering Beja, following the example of what was normally done by the urban governments

The flour market in the orchard of 15th century Valencia

Enrique Cruselles Gómez — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The information from cereal flour transactions in the rural environment of Valencia provides information that contrasts with that obtained from the public cereal market, the Almudín. With a higher price of the merchandise, a homogeneous and differentiated typology of consumers, the bakers, and a more differentiated offer in which predominated the owners of small manors and owners of proprietary mills integrated into the social elite of the city, not importers merchants, this extramural area shows the need to reconsider a cereal market that is more complex than the one considered by historiography so far.

Two place names, the same city: Segontia and Medinaceli in historical and documentary sources between the years 589 and 1121

Gabriel Bartolomé Bellón — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In a previous article we formulated the hypothesis of identifying the current town of Medinaceli (province of Soria) with the ancient roman city of Segontia Lanca. In this article we Will delve into the history of this city from the year 589, it is first mention in Hispano-Visigothic documents, until the year 1121, when the bishopric of Sigüenza is founded. To do this, we are going to analyze the documentary and historical sources that deal with this period of more than five centuries