The Pandemic of Tyranny

This chapter deals with some of the dangers of the “pandemic” of tyranny that can be made worse during a time of a medical pandemic. In any event, it can result in an attempt to subvert a democratic regime towards more conservative and reactionary political forms. The author studies the case of the Thirty Tyrants of Athens (a result of Athens´s defeat by Sparta in the Peloponnesian War and after the death of Pericles during the pandemic that decimated Athens when it was sieged by Sparta) who substituted democracy with an oligarchy. A fierce repression ensued in which Socrates died, a symbol of the free thought of democratic Athens. The author analyzes the effects of tyranny on people and the Renaissance humanists´ desire to always be vigilant about tyrannical government. He focusses on the civic humanists Francesc Eiximenis (Valencian Kingdom, Crown of Aragon) and Coluccio Salutati (Florence).

Cholera Epidemics in Valencia in the 19th Century

The world crisis created by COVID-19 invites us to find some precedents to it by examining past periods and situations in which our society has suffered similar circumstances. In this regard, one of the periods that show more similarities from a social and sanitary perspective is the Valencia of the 19th century, where between 1834 and 1890 there were a total of nine cholera epidemics that resulted in dozens of deaths and determined the future development of one of the main regions of the old Crown of Aragon. The author analyzes the social and cultural impact of cholera in Valencia during the 19th century and especially in the intellectual and literary world.

Les activitats econòmiques dels jueus del comtat d'Empúries (1321-1325)

The county of Empúries was undoubtedly one of the wealthier and more dynamic lands in the Crown of Aragon, and its capital, Castelló, enjoyed a period of splendour from the mid-13th century. The Jews were one of the groups that contributed to the economic and commercial growth, as this article analyses, focus-ing in particular on the Jewish community of Castelló and their role in the trade in cereals and coral. The data presented underlines the economic importance of this group, as well as their integration into the so-cial life of Castelló.

Por real i reial por: el temor a morir emmetzinat a les corts reials mallorquina i catalana

A widespread fear of dying from poison seized the upper classes of European society in the 14th cen-tury, as the inventories of the wealthy and a growing number of treatises on this subject attest. This arti-cle surveys the social context that probably gave rise to this fear and the contents of specialised works on this subject. It also examines the range of precautions against an attempt to poison the king contained in the ordinances that ruled domestic life in the royal courts of Mallorca and the Crown of Aragon.

The Anglo-Catalan Connection: The Cult of Thomas Becket at Terrassa—New Approaches

The wall paintings adorning the south transept apse of Santa Maria at Terrassa are among the most notable surviving items pertaining to the iconography of St. Thomas Becket. Recently found documents in which diplomatic archives reveal English connections are essential for understanding the quick reception of the Becket cult in the Crown of Aragon. The presence of an Anglo-Norman canon—Arveus or Harveus (Harvey)—and his position of scribe during the second half of the twelfth century when Reginald, probably also of English origin, was prior there—seem to be the likely source of inspiration for this project. These English connections, which are essential for understanding the quick reception of the Becket cult in the Crown of Aragon, stemmed from the endeavours undertaken some years earlier south of the Pyrenees by the abbot of Saint-Ruf at Avignon, Nicholas Breakspear, who subsequently became Pope Adrian IV.

Wkład Alfonsa V Wspaniałomyślnego w upowszechnienie katalońskich zwyczajów kulinarnych w Królestwie Neapolu w XV wieku

Contribution of Alfonso V the Magnanimous to the Popularization of Catalan Culinary Customs in the Kingdom of Napl es in the 15th century The wars for Naples ended in 1442 with the victory of Alfonso V the Magnanimous, the ruler of the Crown of Aragon (1416–1458). The emergence of foreign authority in southern Italy entailed the transfer of the Catalan culture, language and customs to the area of Italian Mezzogiorno. In this process, Catalan culinary traditions which developed at the end of the fourteenth century also occupied an important place. One of them was a separate sweet snack, referred to by the Catalan term col·lació (collatio in Latin). The organization and celebration of col·lació became an important form of ostentation for the Catalan ruling and financial elites. In this article, the author discusses excerpts from historical sources whose authors include, among others, Antonio Beccadelli, Jordi de Centelles, Vespasiano da Bisticci, Giovanni Pontano, as well as the ambassadors of Barcelona and Portugal and other anonymous authors writing about the times of Alfonso V the Magnanimous. The data provided by these sources clearly indicate that this ruler followed the custom of eating sweet colazione known in Italy at this time and gave it a new meaning at least as early as in the 1440s. Thanks to this ruler of Aragon and new Neapolitan king, the sweet snack became one of the instruments of the ostentation of wealth and prestige for the new rulers of the southern part of Italy and soon after also for other princes and lords of the area.

reina María de Castilla y el patronazgo espiritual en Aragón bajo las directrices de la Observancia.

El patrocinio y soporte económico hacia las casas de religiosos fue uno de los métodos mediante el cual las reinas podían demostrar su poder o reforzar su linaje. La creación o reforma de conventos, monasterios u hospitales no cumplió una función meramente piadosa por parte de su promotor, sino que además jugó un papel fundamental con respecto al control político de sus reinos. Para María de Castilla (1401-1458), reina de Aragón, el respaldo hacia ciertos cenobios fue acompañado de la difusión de la Reforma Observante. En ese sentido, el artículo estudia a la reina como benefactora del convento de Santa María de Jesús y el Hospital de Gracia, en Zaragoza, y la iglesia de Magallón, además de destacar su aptitud y manejo en la resolución de los problemas de convivencia de ciertos monasterios aragoneses, a través de las noticias aparecidas básicamente en los registros de la Real Cancillería de la reina custodiados en el ARV y ACA. Palabras clave: María de Castilla, Reino de Aragón, Reforma franciscana observante, Convento de Santa María de Jesús de Zaragoza, Hospital de Gracia de Zaragoza, Iglesia de Magallón. Abstract: Patronage and financial support for religious houses was one of the methods by which queens could demonstrate their power or reinforce their lineage. The creation or reform of convents, monasteries or hospitals did not merely fulfil a pious function on the part of their promoter, but also played a fundamental role with regard to the political control of their kingdoms. For María of Castile (1401-1458), Queen of Aragon, support for certain monasteries was accompanied by the spread of the Observant Reformation. This article studies this monarch as benefactress of the convent of Santa María de Jesús and the hospital of Gracia in Zaragoza, and the church of Magallón as well as highlighting her aptitude and management in resolving the problems of coexistence of certain Aragonese monasteries, through the news that basically appeared in the records of the Queen’s Royal Chancery kept in the Archives of the Kingdom of Valencia and the Crown of Aragon. Keywords: María of Castile, Kingdom of Aragon, Observant Franciscan Reform, Convent of Santa María de Jesús de Zaragoza, Hospital de Gracia of Zaragoza, Church of Magallón.