The Culture of the Pact in Portuguese-Castilian Diplomatic Relations during the Trastámara Period (1369-1504)

Abstract

The Trastámara period shaped and consolidated a culture of the pact in the framework of political relations among royal medieval courts, manifested in a growing interest in diplomacy and in the impulse towards the notion of a just war. From the specific perspective of diplomatic relations between the Castilian and Portuguese courts between 1369 and 1504, this study examines the reality of the culture of the pact through an analysis of the lexicon of negotiation and agreement, the spaces, practices and instruments of negotiation, as well as the legitimating arguments of such practices and their representation in connection with the diverse forms of address and ceremonies.