Season 1, Episode 141

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Joan orders the bailiff of Lleida to help resolve a financial dispute for one of Violant’s house troubadours.¹

Today’s Document

• Subject: a Jewish troubadour’s financial dispute with a member of the Jewish aljama in Lleida
• Date: May 14, 1387
• Day of the Week: Tuesday
• Language: Latin
• Archival Reference Number: ACA CR R1827 f130r
• Link to PARES
• Place: Barcelona
• Sender: Joan
• Recipient: Bailiff of Lleida

Historical Thinking Notes

• Sourcing: while this document is sent in Joan’s name it is reasonable to imagine that actually Joan never participated in its composition; the troubadour, Jonas Samuel, might have taken his problem to the vice-chancellor, Francesc de Coste, or possibly Violant advocated for him

• Contextualization: the longstanding interfaith context of medieval Iberia furnishes the context for this document because we see a Jewish troubadour as a member of the Christian queen’s household and also the direct connection between the Lleida aljama and the king; there are many administrative and financial records of Jewish troubadours in the Crown of Aragon in the late fourteenth century, but not as much information about what type of music they played²

• Corroboration: most of the documents tagged with Jewish History provide corroboration for the direct governing relationship between the aljamas and the monarchy; it would be ideal to have a document from the other party in the case, Youssef al-Paperi to get another perspective on the conflict

• Close-Reading: the language of this document lacks any details about the origin of the dispute, but does include the specific amount of 11 pounds; the document also lacks information about why it is Joan’s vice-chancellor that is contacting the bailiff and not someone from Violant’s staff

What is this document doing?

• This document brings royal authority into a financial dispute between two members of the same aljama.
• The document blends the queen’s household and the king’s household in its topic and possibly also its chancery procedure.

Questions

• How did this financial dispute originate?
• How long had Jonas Samuel been with Violant as a house minstrel and when was the last time he was in Lleida?
• What were some of the ways that Jewish troubadours were distinct in their music or performance from Christian troubadours?
• Did Violant have a guiding role in the creation of this document?

AI Usage

No AI was used for this episode because a full transcription was available in the Trenchs Odena and Baijes i Jardí collection.

Bibliography

• Romano, David. “Mims, Joglars i Ministrers Jueus a La Corona d’Aragó (1352-1400).” In Studia in Honorem Prof. M. De Riquer, vol. 3, 133-150. Quaderns Crema, 1988.
• Trenchs Odena, José, and Ignasi J. Baiges i Jardí. ‘Documents sobre música, músics i instruments musicals a la casa reial catalano-aragonesa (segles XIV-XV): el regnat de Joan I.’ Estudis castellonencs, no. 9 (2000): 135–318.

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