Eleanor of Castile and the Circulation of Illuminated Manuscripts between England and Castile: A Comparative Analysis between the Chronica Majora and the Estoria de Espanna

• Grant number: 23/12603-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: February 01, 2024
• End date: November 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - History - Ancient and Medieval History
• Principal Investigator: Maria Cristina Correia Leandro Pereira
• Grantee: Beatriz Cristine Honrado
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 21/02912-3 - A connected history of the Middle Ages: communication and circulation from the Mediterranean Sea, AP.TEM

Abstract

The circulation of objects and people can be deeply interconnected, as is particularly evident in the case of matrimonial alliances among members of different courts, which involve exchanges of gifts, transfers of property, inheritances, and so forth. An example of this phenomenon can be observed in the exchanges of manuscripts and mutual artistic and literary influences between Eleanor of Castile, queen of England, and her brother Alfonso X, known as the Wise, king of Castile. Thus, this research aims to analyze three manuscript copies of Matthew Paris's work, 'Chronica Majora' (Corpus Christi College, Parker Library, MS 26; Corpus Christi College, Parker Library MS 16I and 16II; and BL Royal MS 14 C VII), comparing their images with those in a manuscript of the 'Estoria de Espanna' (Escorial Y-I-2), produced on commission by Alfonso X and that made its way to England through the manuscript exchanges between the king and Eleanor.