Constructing a Memory of the Royal Lineage. The Notion of the Dynastic Pantheon in the Astur-Leonese Dynasty (9th-11th Centuries)

Abstract

The Kingdom of Asturias founded after the Muslim invasion developed a legitimizing ideological discourse in which “continuity” played a fundamental role. Continuity both with the lost Hispano- Goth ideal and with the dynastic line itself. Among the elements that would play an important role in the political vision and ideological construction of the fledgling kingdom is the design of a royal memory through the use of royal burial spaces as a propagandistic instrument for maintaining the stability of the lineage and for legitimising continuism. Constructing a royal pantheon dating back to early times contributes towards crystallising the idea of a “lineage” or “royal dynasty” that was conscious, stable and enduring. This makes the pantheon a material deposit of Astur legitimacy and a true monument to the lineage. The article focuses on architectural styles, models of behaviour for royalty and even types of art that would endure, subsequently repeating themselves and associating themselves in people’s minds with funerary memorial buildings, even surviving the court’s change of location (which would mean new pantheons had to be built) and the occupation of the throne by new dynasties.