Season 1, Episode 154

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Violant updates the ambassadors in Avignon about a recent relapse that Joan suffered, causing him to not be able to sleep for five or six days.¹

Today’s Document

• Subject: Joan’s health has suffered another ‘accident’
• Date: May 27, 1387
• Day of the Week: Monday
• Language: Catalan
• Archival Reference Number: ACA CR R2053 f11r
• Link to PARES
• Place: Barcelona
• Sender: Violant
• Recipients: Ambassadors in Avignon

Historical Thinking Notes

• Sourcing: Violant has long had a tendancy to present the health news about Joan in the most optimistic manner, so this document’s pessimism stands out; at this moment, Violant might be seriously contemplating what she will do if Joan dies; the recipients

• Contextualization: the mention of the new moon brings up the close connection between astrology and medical practice in the Middle Ages

• Corroboration: at this point, a large number documents in the podcast should be considered alongside this one as corroboration, so browsing through the episodes tagged with illness will allow for a good comparison; this appears to be the first time that Violant mentions that Joan has had difficulty sleeping due to his condition

• Close-Reading: until now, I have been translation ‘accidents’ as misfortune, but perhaps it is better to translate it as something more active, such as ‘attacks of sickness’

What is this document doing?

• This document shows an intent to present an unvarnished and truthful picture about the king’s health.
• The document entrusts the recipients with highly sensitive information.

Questions

• Had Violant become pessimistic about Joan’s recovery?
• Why were the ambassadors in Avignon the ones Violant chose to send this sensitive information?
• Did Joan actually have days in May when he seemed fully recovered?
• What kinds of emotional support did Violant have during this anxious period?
• Should this letter be considered evidence that Joan had not really been involved in a lot of the documents issued in his name during the month of May?

AI Usage

The transcription and translation of this document was carried out by my OpenClaw pipeline.

Bibliography

• Lindberg, David C. The Beginnings of Western Science: The European Scientific Tradition in Philosophical, Religious, and Institutional Context, Prehistory to A.D. 1450. 2nd ed. University of Chicago Press, 2007.
• Lizondo, Mateu Rodrigo, and Jaume Riera i Sans. Col·lecció documental de la Cancelleria de la Corona d’Aragó: textos en llengua catalana, 1291-1420. Universitat de València, 2013.

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