The Book of Deeds of James I of Aragon


Book Description

The 'Book of Deeds' is the first known autobiography by a Christian king. Its author was James I of Aragon (1213-76), known as 'The Conqueror', one of the great political figures of 13th-century Europe and a successful crusader. In his 'Deeds', James describes the turbulent years of his minority, the thrilling capture of Majorca, the methodical conquest of the kingdom of Valencia, the reconquest of the kingdom of Murcia after Castile had failed to hold it, and many of the important events of his reign. While crusade and conquest of Spanish territory from the Muslims and Christian-Muslim relations on the frontier are central features of the account, the 'Deeds' are also a treasure trove of information on the image, power and purpose of monarchy, loyalty and bad faith in the feudal order, the growth of national sentiment, and medieval military tactics. At the same time, the book presents a unique insight into the mind of a medieval ruler, the supreme example we possess of the fears and ambitions of a man at the very centre of events.




GenealogĂ­a De La Familia Montealegre


Book Description

El presente libro, "Genealoga de la familia MONTEALEGRE" es el Primer Tomo de tres, expone en sus pginas el origen del apellido, el lugar que dio origen al mismo, sus antepasados en Espaa, Francia, Inglaterra, Italia, Alemania y Kiev. Entre esos antepasados, entre los ms importantes, podemos mencionar al rey David, al Profeta Mahoma, a los Duques de Anjou y Aquitania, a los Plantegenet que son el origen de casi todas las monarquas europeas. Expone los antepasados del rey don Fernando III "el Santo" y su esposa Elizabeth Hohenstaufen, y sus descendientes, que a travs de sus hijos don Alfonso X "el Sabio" y el Infante don Manuel, llegaron hasta Amrica. De los descendientes del rey David, por Theodoric Makhir I, principe de de Narbona y marqus de Tolouse, cuyos descendientes contrajeron nupcias con los descendientes de Carlomagno, el linaje se extiende hasta Nicaragua, Costa Rica y Guatemala. La familia cuenta entre sus antepasados importantes conquistadores, tal como Juan Vzquez de Coronado y Anaya, que dej descendencia en Costa Rica y Nicaragua. Al final del libro se ofrece una extensa iconografa de la familia, de todas sus ramas: Montealegre, Sacasa, Solrzano, Somoza, Rivera y otros miembros que pasaron a formar parte de la familia. Finalmente, ofrece una valiosa bibliografa de donde los lectores podrn ampliar sus conocimientos sobre esta familia importante en el desarrollo social, poltico, cultural y econmico en Nicaragua, Costa Rica y Guatemala.




Builders of Spain


Book Description




Mediterranean Encounters, Economic, Religious, Political, 11001550


Book Description

This third volume by David Abulafia looks at the interactions between territories, peoples and religions across the Mediterranean, and at the influence of the Mediterranean economy on the world beyond. Topics addressed are trade across the Christian-Muslim frontier; the relative importance of local and long distance trade in economic development; the policies of Frederick II and his successors towards the Jews and Muslims; and the complex political relationships within the western and central Mediterranean in the aftermath of the revolt of the Sicilian Vespers. Attention is also paid to Italian merchants and bankers as far afield as London and Southampton, and to the business affairs of Lorenzo de'Medici. Taken together, these papers present an original, Mediterranean, perspective on the economy, society and politics of central and late medieval Europe.







Coasts of Spain


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Jewish Economy in the Medieval Crown of Aragon, 1213-1327


Book Description

This is a seminal study of the economic history of the Jewish community of Aragon, covering a period of about 125 years from the beginning of the thirteenth century until 1327. Among other topics, the book deals with the policy of the Crown towards moneylending and commerce in the Jewish community; the community's control over its members' economic activities; the Jews' loans to the king, and their taxes and subsidies to the Crown. The book offers information on the Jews' contribution to economic history, that has been very little studied so far. It will be of interest to economic historians, historians of Jewish Middle Ages, hispanists, and medievalists in general.




Crusade, Heresy and Inquisition in the Lands of the Crown of Aragon, c. 1167-1276


Book Description

Based on extensive study of the primary and secondary sources, Damian J. Smith here provides the first full account of the combined influence of crusade, heresy and inquisition in and about the lands of the Crown of Aragon until the death of James I the Conqueror in 1276. This work deals with the gradual loss of influence of the Crown in Provence and Languedoc culminating in the treaty of Corbeil in 1258. It then investigates the extent of heresy in the lands of the Crown and in other areas of Christian Spain. In the final part, the origins and development of the Aragonese inquisition are discussed in detail with a particular emphasis on the role of Ramon de Penyafort.




La Conquistadora


Book Description

While most books about Mary emphasize her role as the compassionate mother of God, this book uncovers her significant role as an active and often belligerent patron of warfare, as seen from the mosques and castles of medieval Iberia to the cities and shrines of colonial Mexico and finally to present-day New Mexico. Amy Remensnyder explores Mary's prominence on and off the battlefield in the culturally and ethnically diverse world of medieval Iberia, where Muslims, Christians, and Jews lived side by side, and in colonial Mexico, where Spaniards and indigenous peoples mingled. As this array of peoples turned to her to articulate their identities, Mary was drawn into both hostile and peaceful cross-cultural encounters. Although Mary became an icon of the Christian conquest of Muslims, medieval Muslims and Christians shared her, sometimes even joining together in rituals of worship in her churches. In the New World, some indigenous peoples of the Americas appropriated from the Spanish the idea of Mary as Conquistadora, using it to reinforce the identity they fashioned for themselves as native conquistadors. Offering a ground-breaking look at the Virgin Mary, La Conquistadora connects medieval and early modern understandings of this iconic figure to reveal her enduring legacy.