Authoring the Past : History, Autobiography, and Politics in Medieval Catalonia

Authoring the Past surveys medieval Catalan historiography, shedding light on the emergence and evolution of historical writing and autobiography in the Middle Ages, on questions of authority and authorship, and on the links between history and politics during the period. Jaume Aurell examines texts from the late twelfth to the late fourteenth century—including the Latin Gesta comitum Barcinonensium and four texts in medieval Catalan: James I’s Llibre dels fets , the Crònica of Bernat Desclot, the Crònica of Ramon Muntaner, and the Crònica of Peter the Ceremonious—and outlines the different motivations for the writing of each. For Aurell, these chronicles are not mere archaeological artifacts but rather documents that speak to their writers’ specific contemporary social and political purposes. He argues that these Catalonian counts and Aragonese kings were attempting to use their role as authors to legitimize their monarchical status, their growing political and economic power, and their aggressive expansionist policies in the Mediterranean. By analyzing these texts alongside one another, Aurell demonstrates the shifting contexts in which chronicles were conceived, written, and read throughout the Middle Ages. The first study of its kind to make medieval Catalonian writings available to English-speaking audiences, Authoring the Past will be of interest to scholars of history and comparative literature, students of Hispanic and Romance medieval studies, and medievalists who study the chronicle tradition in other languages. This book surveys medieval Catalan historiography, the emergence and evolution of historical writing and autobiography in the Middle Ages, on questions of authority and authorship, and on the links between history and politics during the period. The author examines texts from the late twelfth to the late fourteenth century—including the Latin Gesta comitum Barcinonensium and four texts in medieval Catalan: James I's Llibre dels fets , the Crònica of Bernat Desclot, the Crònica of Ramon Muntaner, and the Crònica of Peter the Ceremonious—and outlines the different motivations for the writing of each. For the author, these chronicles are not mere archaeological artifacts but rather documents that speak to their writers' specific contemporary social and political purposes. He argues that these Catalonian counts and Aragonese kings were attempting to use their role as authors to legitimize their monarchical status, their growing political and economic power, and their aggressive expansionist policies in the Mediterranean. By analyzing these texts alongside one another, the book demonstrates the shifting contexts in which chronicles were conceived, written, and read throughout the Middle Ages Contents 6 Acknowledgments 8 Introduction 14 Part 1: Historical Writings and Historical Authors 32 1. Gesta Comitum Barchinonensium as Genealogy 34 2. King James I and His Chivalric Autobiography 52 3. Bernat Desclot: The Historian and His Chronicle 68 4. Ramon Muntaner: Ruler, Knight, and Chronicler 84 5 King Peter’s Llibre and Royal Self-Representation 104 Part 2: Theories and Interpretations 122 6. The Shift in Historical Genres 124 7. The Dawn of Catalan Autobiography as Chronicle 146 8. The Authorial Logic of the Historical Text 168 9. Catalan Chroniclers and Poetic License: History, Epic, Fiction 190 10. The Emergence of Political Realism 212 Conclusion 234 Notes 242 Index of Names 324 Introduction Part 1: Historical writings and historical authors Gesta Comitum Barchinonensium as genealogy King James I and his chivalric autobiography Bernat Desclot: the historian and his chronicle Ramon Muntaner: ruler, knight, and chronicler King Peter's Llibre and royal self-representation Part II: Theories and interpretations The shift in historical genres The dawn of Catalan autobiography as chronicle The authorial logic of the historical text Catalan chroniclers and poetic license: history, epic, fiction The emergence of political realism. Surveys medieval Catalan historiography, shedding light on the emergence and evolution of historical writing and autobiography in the Middle Ages, on questions of authority and authorship, and on the links between history and politics during the period. The author examines texts from the late twelfth to the late fourteenth centuries.