Season 1, Episode 158

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Violant informs the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Majorca that they need to confiscate the property of Berenguer de Tornamira.

Today’s Document

• Subject: confiscation of the property of Berenguer de Tornamira
• Date: May 31, 1387
• Day of the Week: Friday
• Language: Catalan
• Archival Reference Number: ACA CR R2056 f16r
• Link to PARES
• Place: Barcelona
• Sender: Violant
• Recipients: the Lieutenant Governor and Governor of Majorca

Historical Thinking Notes

• Sourcing: this document looks like evidence of co-rule, in that we have Violant transmitting a command from Joan to the officials in Majorca; during the reign of Pere the Ceremonious, Berenguer de Tornamira had fought to help conquer Mallorca, later served as an ambassador to the Sultan of Morocco, and in the 1375 accompanied Joan’s sister Leonor to Castile as her chamberlain when she married Juan I of Castile¹; it is possible that the person mentioned in this document is the son of the Berenguer de Tornamira who fought in Majorca

• Contextualization: Majorca had been uncontested as a territory of the Crown of Aragon since the 1340s; Berenguer de Tornamira’s role in the conquest of Majorca had helped him become a trusted knight in the service of Joan’s father, Pere the Ceremonious

• Corroboration: a similar order to confiscate property as a punishment was commanded for some of the advisors of Sibilla da Fortià, as discussed in Episode 114; other governors had been ordered to confiscate properties of people associated with Sibilla, in documents examined in Episode 76, Episode 77, Episode 94, and Episode 119

• Close-Reading: the opening statement, that the reasons for the punishment are not necessary to explain, perhaps reflects that there was a widespread awareness of Berenguer de Tornamira’s transgression

What is this document doing?

• This document activates the bureaucratic and legal force of the state against the property of a prominent subject.
• The document enacts a punishment, perhaps for conspiring against the king.

Questions

• What had Berenguer de Tornamira done to deserve this punishment?
• Since the probata for this document lists the Treasurer as the one responsible for its creation, how involved were Violant and Joan in the discussions that resulted in this action?
• Would the officials in Majorca have found this order easy to carry out? Why/why not?

Letter to Berenguer Morey

I am currently in communication with the Archive of the Cathedral of Barcelona to get a digital copy of the letter sent to Berenguer Morey dated May 31, 1387. According to the modern historian Victor Hurtado, this letter contains a statement that Joan was not expected to survive his current illness.

AI Usage

The transcription and translation of this document was carried out by my OpenClaw pipeline. The general sense of the document is reflected in the AI output but the transcription of the names and places were full of inaccuracies.

Bibliography

• Pelaz Flores, Diana. “The Households of the Princesses: Service and Representation through the First Household of Infanta Leonor of Aragon (1366-1375).” Royal Studies Journal 10, no. 1 (2023).

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