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The paper analyses the role that mineral objects and stones, described in medieval sources as votive offerings, play in the construction of a significant world. To do this, it evaluates the relationship that they establish, in the miraculous context, with the devotees, which configures them in a rank of entity equivalent or superior to that of the properly human due to the purpose and the way in which each actant uses them, and especially by the sensory aspect that defines such contacts allowing us to recognize specific characteristics of a sensorium that we qualify as devotional. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the process of revitalisation of Diplomatic there is an area that has hardly been dealt with, although it is known and studied from other perspectives. It is the set of gestures and signs that used to be reflected some documentary typologies, rarely analysed in relation to the document itself, to which they are associated: touching with the hands, the ceremonial of taking possession; some relevant signs, such as the key, the book or the tree; privileged spaces; cutting the document to indicate multiple originals or their cancellation, and the materiality of the details. In this paper we seek to examine some of these gestures in the medieval documentation of the kingdom of Valencia. The reading of these gestures, together with the documents they accompany, allows us to improve the understanding of the meaning of the document in a specific society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to make a sociological study of the Castilian episcopacy in the reign of Enrique IV (1454-1474). We will analyse differents sociological aspects of the bishops, such as their number, appointment age, social and regional origins, education or their pre-episcopal careers. The ultimate goal is to move towards a better knowledge of the bishops as an ecclesiastical and power elite in late medieval Castile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lesser nobility in the Kingdom of Valencia in the Late Middle Ages is a topic that offer vast possibilities to research, which would enable us to further an better understand the political evolution and relations of power in the aforesaid kingdom during the 14th and 15th centuries. Therefore, in this paper we'll try to examinate the origins and familiar composition of the city of Valencia lesser nobility at the end of the 14th century and to recognize the problematics of feud and elite unrest in this period through questions such as the wealth management and kinship or affinity relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the Castilian lanza, making a proposal on its origin, and reveals our stance on an underlying issue regarding this topic: it has been discussed by many Historians from different perspectives that, far from removing all doubt, have generated some confusion. One of these is the time frame. While the available data allow to determine a specific point in time for the emergence of the lanza in Castile, some authors have formulated different hypotheses as a result of either tracking semantic records in all kinds of texts -mainly literary-or following evidence in a military-organizational context. Another research line, also military-related, has been focused on finding equivalents in other late medieval European territories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work raises the possibilities of study offered by the repartimientos to deepen into the knowledge of the Andalusian fanādiq, the Castilian alhóndigas, and the Aragonese alfondechs. The repartimientos information found for the cities of Valencia, Murcia, and Seville, have been deeply analyzed. The aim is to identify the alhóndigas and the alfondechs of these cities to approach to the fanādiq of al-Andalus through the quantification, location and characteristics gathered. In this paper, after a brief presentation of the repartimiento system and its characteristics, we focus and develop the relationship between these three types of buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to study the role of music and entertainment at the Court of the kings of Aragon. For this purpose, we analyse the Ordenacions de la Casa i Cort, a normative text commissioned by King Pedro the Ceremonious and consider the phases of composition of this text and the rules relating to the musicians and singers of the Royal Chapel to consider the reasons for the differences that can be observed between text and practice, and how these are reflected in the archival documents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By considering in the first place Rodrigo of Cerrato's hagiographic compilation, this paper aims to analyze the Commemoratio Anuntiationis and the representation of Ildephonsus of Toledo, the saint to whom the creation of this Marian celebration is ascribed. In connection with the Vitae sanctorum, we will also take into account other compilations, both in Latin and Romance languages, in order to find their sources, their combination and inclusion into the text, as well as the different ways they are handled in each case. This will contribute to verify the continuity of this visgothic Marian feast up to 13th century as well as to show the hesitations regarding its aim. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses architecture semantics at the end of the Middle Ages, starting mainly with Catalonian and Valencian examples. First of all, we examine terms such as mestre d’obres, mestre de cases, and imaginaire, which are often used as synonyms. On the other hand, the study of many other less common ones, such as architect and builder, can help us to clarify a rather complex building reality. The analysis of the documents allows us to strengthen our understanding of the versatility of the medieval master builders, the prestige that some of them acquired, and the relationships that they established with other related professions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to analyze the existing tensions within the wool carders’ guild of Murcia regarding the annual election of their main authorities – the so-called veedores – from the second half of the fifteenth century to the early sixteenth century. In this period, the guild´s elite sought to monopolize the designation of these authorities, with the resistance of several guild members. As a consequence of this conflict, the local council interceded several times by changing the election system with the aim of calming the tensions, although with no success. Our objective is to identify the interests of the main actors involved in the conflict, in order to analyze the social nature of this dispute. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to reconstruct the organisation chart of the Taula de Canvi of Barcelona, from its inception in 1401 until the end of the 15th century. More specifically, it takes a look at the officers who worked in the bank during that period of time, in order to establish what their roles were and how that roles evolved over the 1400s. Likewise, the changes documented in their number and salaries are analysed, both aspects closely connected to their labor-related claims to the municipality. Al last, some of the main problems that affected the correct functioning of the Taula during that century are also shown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to study the features of the military command that was exerted by the kings of Castile in Late Middle Ages with respect to its performance during the campaigns against the Muslims, particularly from the reign of king Alfonso XI to the conquest of Granada by the Catholic Kings. These military traits were strongly associated to the notions of 'the recovery of Spain' (restauratio Hispaniae, 'Reconquista'), Crusade and Chivalry. From its analysis through 14th-15th centuries chronistical texts, we propose the hypothesis that this medieval model of monarchical military leadership, linked to the aforementioned ideological framework, could have been reflected in the narrative of the 'Crónicas de Indias' and concurrently have been assumed by the Spanish captains of the Conquest of America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to offer a first approach to the trips and journeys - both daily and exceptional -, in which medieval noblewomen took part. Particularly, we analyse their motivations for traveling to different places within the kingdom of Galicia and abroad. The main causes to be considered include access to marriage, joining a monastery or the wish to pilgrim. Apart from this, we must take into account their trips throughout the different places that constituted their vast and scattered land, owned by them and their families, as well as the trips meant for leisure, for attending ceremonies or for fleeing from complicated situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to make a review from a diplomacy perspective of the municipal ordinances, which are some of the most important documents among those belonging to the medieval chancellery, despite there is little knowledge about them as studies have been few. The analysis has been limited to the oldest municipal norms of Guadalajara, due to their antiquity, the way they were managed by the crown and due to their interesting content about urban supply. The main contribution consisted in their documentary exploration. Likewise, perspectives for future diplomatic reasonings through comparative research have been specified. Our proposal will therefore allow a deeper knowledge about the installation and evolution of the municipal ordinances in the 14th and 15th centuries in the kingdom of Castile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to demonstrate, through the analysis of the fourth issue of the Duodenarium written by Alonso de Cartagena, his participation in the Woman Question. In order to do so, I analyse the themes addressed by the author, who pretends to refute those who criticize women, and I compare his ideas to those of other authors participating in the debate, such as Giovanni Boccaccio, Juan Rodríguez del Padrón, Diego de Valera, Álvaro de Luna, and Teresa de Cartagena. I finally carry out an assessment of Alonso de Cartagena's thought through the various ways of understanding the concept of woman enunciated by Prudence Allen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we reconstruct little-know aspects about the biography of the Spanish medievalist Claudio Sánchez-Albornoz (1893-1984). At the same time, we analyse the personal causes and the historical circumstances that led one of the most important Spanish historians from the first half of the 20th century to emigrate to Buenos Aires, and in what way that experience resulted in the foundation of the Cuadernos de Historia de España. We highlight the intellectual and historiographic significance of this foundation for Hispanic medievalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through this paper it is review of the contributions that have been developed on two important issues closely related: rural settlement and landscape. In view of the extensive existing historiographical production, the analysis has been geographically limited to Andalusia and chronologically circumscribed to the Late Medieval period. By explaining the main research approaches and the results of this study, it has been able to globally appreciate the interest shown in the topic and the acquired knowledge in this thematic field. It concludes by suggesting present and future lines of research, some of which are already being developed, that may contribute to improve these results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the first military campaigns of the War of Castilian Succession, contested from 1475 to 1479. From a traditional perspective, investigation had focused on the conflicts around the Douro, although in this work we aim to highlight the importance of Castilian peripheral territories during the first stages of the war, especially in the border between Portugal and Extremadura, one of the most violent fronts between 1475 and 1477. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Works contracts are a cornerstone for a proper understanding of the History of construction. Although scarce, works contracts possess a wealth of information, and that is why documents of this type have become an object of desire for many specialists interested in this emerging line of research. This work presents an approach to an excellent copy of one of these documents, dated from the mid-sixteenth century in Morón de la Frontera. This document was drawn up on the occasion of the construction of the butcheries of the 4th Count of Ureña in the village of Morón. Far from any conceptual or methodological pretension, this paper is of an informative nature, and aims to put the document in context and thus provide the reader with its correct comprehension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Manuel Acién Almansa had been a pioneer researcher in Medieval Studies in Spain, since he played a decisive role in the integration of al-Andalus into this academic field. Given his ability to revive the historiographical debate on Andalusian society characterization, he must also be considered as a real innovator of Andalusian studies. In this paper I analyse his professional career in the context of the renewal of the aforementioned studies. I also make an assessment of the historiographical projection of his ideas, reviewing both the trends that have welcomed his proposals and the critical reactions to such proposals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we study two documents inserted into the manuscript 13.110 from the National Library, concerning the reign of Henry IV, within their historical context without which they would be impossible to understand. The first document is a writ of the year 1468 by which new Christians were excluded from public office. The second text dates from 1471, and by it, it was returned to neophytes everything that had previously been taken from them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper tries to prove the presence of jewish converts at the head of jobs in relationship with medicine in Cordova at the end of the 15th century. For this purpose we have consulted inquisitorial and notarial sources carrying out a detailed prosopographic analysis firstly of professionals of Medicine -physicians and surgeons-, some of them with university degree and eminent doctors in the sanitary sector of Cordova. Secondly, we have also taken into account the barbers, who had performed medical tasks as it's well known, and finally the apothecaries, for their close relation with health. Such an analysis allowed us to bring out a large amount of information unknown before, like for instance a documentary evidence about Miguel de Cervantes' converted jewish extraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the circumstances that led John of Beaumont to take ofice as prior of the Hospitaller order of St John of Jerusalem in Navarre in 1435, as well as his irst actions undertaken as governor of the priory, until the outbreak of the Navarrese civil war in 1451. The Hospitaller documentation, guarded in the National Historical Archive of Madrid and in the National Library of Malta, complemented by relevant information from collections of the General Archive of Navarre, reveal that a period of intense changes in the guidelines of the Hospitaller order took place throughout these ifteen years. Considering the political context of the irst three decades of the ifteenth century, not only in Navarre but also in the rest of the Peninsula, it is of interest to focus on the effort made by one of the noble factions of the Kingdom of Navarre, namely the Beaumonts, to control the management and the organization of the priory of St John. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to analyze the social signiicance of post-Roman inscribed slates (5th-7th centuries). The study of the archaeological contexts of those slates uncovered in the central areas of the Iberian Peninsula has been carried out to better understand their function. As a result, we can see there is a clear tendency of linkage between the concentration of slates and those places controlled by local elites. However, some slates have also been uncovered in rural settlements inhabited by peasants. The analysis of four case studies --with particular emphasis on the site of La Genestosa (Casillas de Flores)-- concluded that these slates must be considered as signs of power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the process of compilation of legal dispositions corresponding to the huerta of Murcia during the reign of the Catholic kings. The creation of a body of laws for irrigation in Murcia Region was a time-consuming task due to conlicts of economic interests between the Council oligarchy and the Granada campaigns. Since 1470, the critical situation of the huerta, affected by natural factors (loods and droughts) and social (corruption in the institutional framework and non-compliance) was a reality. Legislative reforms undertaken by the kings ended at the beginning of the 16th century with the enactment of the ordinances or laws for the irrigation in Murcia Region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to analyse the role played by construction workers, that is to say carpenters and masons, throughout the Germanías (brotherhood) conflict. This revolt took place in Majorca between 1521 and 1523 and it is used as a milestone that ends the Late Middle Ages. It also marked a turning point in the political and social evolution of the island. This article deals with the extent of the involvement of construction workers in the conflict, taking into account the subversive actions they committed, as well as the positions held by them during the revolt. Our work focuses on how these craftsmen dedicated their expertise and professional services to the Germanian cause, in order to demonstrate not only the varied building activity there was, but also how this activity managed to adapt to a time of crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]