Season 1, Episode 102
Joan instructs his treasurer to give Maria of Sicily’s treasurer 500 gold florins.
Episode 102
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ACA CR R1971 f81r Source: PARES
Today’s Document
- Subject: documenting the transfer of 500 gold florins to Maria of Sicily
- Date: April 5, 1387
- Day of the Week: Friday
- Language: Latin
- Archival Reference Number: ACA CR R1971 f81r
- Link to PARES
- Place: Barcelona
- Sender: Joan
- Recipient: Maria of Sicily
Historical Thinking Notes
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Sourcing: Joan and Maria of Sicily might have been married to each other if Joan’s father had gotten his way in 1378; that Maria of Sicily had her own treasurer within the bureaucracy of the Crown of Aragon reveals that she was considered a part of the state
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Contextualization: the Crown of Aragon had ruled Sicily since 1282 but faced intermittant rebellions and resistance; Constance of Aragon, Pere’s daughter from his first marriage had married the king of Sicily, Frederick III. Frederick III was a direct descendant of the famous and powerful Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor who ruled from Sicily, from 1220-1250
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Corroboration: the role of Sicily in the disagreement between Pere the Ceremonious and Joan about Joan’s second marriage was also discussed in Episode 7; Episode 40 included some additional historical context about Sicily
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Close-Reading: the last line of the probata, ‘vidit eam dominus Rex,’ might indicate that Joan took special actions regarding this transfer of funds
What is this document doing?
- This document produces the transfer of funds between two financial entities within the state.
- The document refuses to acknowledge any familial relationship beyond the transaction of funds.
Questions
- Was there anything unusual about this document or was it typical of money transfers within the royal family?
- Where was Maria of Sicily at this time?
- Had Martí the Younger already been betrothed to Maria of Sicily at this time?
- What exactly did the additional information in the probata signify about the production of this document?
Shadow, a great friend of the podcast
Additional Notes
A great friend of the podcast, our cat Shadow, passed away in her sleep in the early morning hours of April 4, 2026. She was 17 years old and had a great cat life. I’m very glad that I let her contribute the podcast and did not re-record over all those times that her meows made it into an episode.
AI Usage
Since this document was super short, I did a transcription myself and then used Google Translate and Claude to produce a translation into English.
Bibliography
- Girona y Llagostera, Daniel. “Itinerari de l’Infant En Joan, Fill Del Rei En Pere III. 1350-1387.” III Congreso de Historia de La Corona de Aragón (Valencia), Hijo de F. Vives Mora, 1923, 169–592. Available on Google Books, accessed December 26, 2025.
- Roca, Josep M. Johan I d’Aragó. Barcelona: Institució Patxot, 1929.
- Silleras Fernández, Núria. “Money Isn’t Everything: Concubinage, Class, and the Rise and Fall of Sibil.La de Fortià, Queen of Aragon (1377-87).” In Women and Wealth in Late Medieval Europe, edited by Theresa Earenfight. Palgrave Macmillan, 2010.