Season 1, Episode 19

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Joan summons Esperandeu Cardona, an advisor, to come to Granollers.

Today’s Document

• Subject: Summons to an advisor to come to Granollers
• Date: January 12, 1387
• Day of the Week: Saturday
• Language: Latin
• Archival Reference Number: ACA CR R1952 f8r
• Link to PARES
• Place: Granollers
• Sender: Joan
• Recipient: Esperandeu Cardona

Historical Thinking Notes

• Sourcing: notice that in a range of about 20 folios in this register the letters are out of chronological order and May letters are included in between January letters - possibly a reflection of increased chaos in the transition of power and/or the effects of Joan’s illness on the chancery processes; Esperandeu Cardona later appears as a principal advisor to Joan in the criminal case brought against the advisors after his death in 1396; other sources, such as a charter from Joan in 1388, connected to Esperandeu Cardona identify him as a significant figure in the Jewish community of Barcelona

• Contextualization: in this era, as in many others, any delay or sign of trouble in succession invites trouble-making from adversaries and so Joan must be vigilant about projecting an image of stability and control; Ernst Kantorowicz’s theoretical framework of ‘the king’s two bodies’ fits very closely with what we see emerging from Joan’s letters, as well as others in the royal family

• Corroboration: Juame Riera i Sans has described the scene on January 16th, 1387 as a formation of the governing council of Joan’s reign, taking place in Granollers due to the new king recovering from a severe illness ¹ ; other letters in this register summon officials to Granollers; Violant mentions Esperandeu Cardona on ACA CR R1819 f77r in a letter dated January 28, 1387

• Close-Reading: the phrase ‘ardus negocis’ in the first line is the first time I’ve seen Joan admit in writing that there has been trouble in the succession process

What is this document doing?

• By issuing a summons with such urgency, this document admits that the succession has run into trouble.
• This document demonstrates the interfaith character of the corporate monarchy of the Crown of Aragon in the fourteenth century.

Questions

• How did Joan go about choosing who he would summon to Granollers for this initial organizational meeting?
• As of January 12th, is Joan firmly in the recovery stage of his illness, showing increasing strength as each day passes?
• Which, if any, trusted advisors are already with Joan in Granollers?
• Did the chancery staff place this letter underneath the January 4th letter because they knew it would fit in the remaining space on the page or is that just a coincidence?

AI Usage

This time, the AI chatbot led me astray. ChatGPT informed me of the name of the Count of Cardona and I confirmed Hug II’s basic biographical information in other sources. Later, working on a different question, I happened to remember that another advisor of Joan’s was named Esperandeu Cardona. The addressee line in the document clearly indicates a name like Esperandeu, even though the letter spacing is counterintuitive.

Bibliography

• Gampel, Benjamin R. Anti-Jewish Riots in the Crown of Aragon and the Royal Response, 1391-1392. Cambridge University Press, 2016.
• Kantorowicz, Ernst H. The King’s Two Bodies: A Study in Mediaeval Political Theology. Princeton University Press, 1957.
• Lord, Alana. ‘‘Our Servants Say Scandalous Things about You:’ Royal Households in the Fourteenth-Century Crown of Aragon.’ In Royal and Elite Households in Medieval and Early Modern Europe: More than Just a Castle, edited by Theresa Earenfight, 225-247. Brill, 2018.
• Mitjà, Marina. ‘Procés contra els consellers domèstics i curials de Joan I, entre ells Bernat Metge.’ Butlletí de la Reial Acadèmia de Bones Lletres de Barcelona, 1958, 375–417.
• Riera i Sans, Jaume. ‘El Dalfinat de Girona (1387-1388).’ Annals de l’Institut d’Estudis Gironins 29 (1987): 105–28.

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