Season 1, Episode 3

Another recommendation letter for Bernardo Maloll

Episode 3

Today’s Document

Subject: Violant recommends Bernardo Maloll for an ecclesiastical post
Date: December 27, 1387
Day of the Week: Thursday
Language: Catalan
Archival Reference Number: ACA CR R1822 f118r
Link to PARES
Place: Girona
Sender: Violant, Duchess of Girona
Recipient: Juan Fernández de Heredia, Master of Rhodes, head of the Hospitallers

Sourcing: written by the duchess one day after Joan’s letter; purpose is to support a job candidate for an ecclesiastical post; Violant adds no new information in this letter and it’s possible that its actual composition is not hers, that she told the scribes to simply copy Joan’s letter and send it under her name; her connections to French authorities augment her influence with the Avignon papacy, led by a pope, Clement VII born and educated in France.
Contextualization: Western Schism of 1378, Pere attempted neutrality and Joan sided with Avignon; Violant also favored Avignon due to her French background; the monasteries in the letter are in Catalonia (Santa Creus) and Aragon (Santa Fe is near Zaragoza); Hospitallers have a lot of clout in the Mediterranean;
Corroboration: mentions Joan’s letter to the pope; language follows closely to Joan’s letter; corroborates Maloll’s worthiness for the new post
Close-Reading: we can see here how secular elites deploy honorifics and the language used to indicate competence; the word choices mention Joan, ‘el senyor duch nostro senyor e marido’ in the standard way ‘the lord duke our [my] lord and husband’ but this should not be read as submissive – it’s just his titles

This document deploys Violant’s authority in support for Maloll, places herself as a follow-up supplement to Joan’s support
This document further iterates the presumption that secular authorities influence ecclesiastical appointments in the Crown of Aragon

Did Violant compose this letter or direct the scribe to compose a copy of Joan’s letter to the Master of Rhodes?
How did Violant’s background as a member of the royal family of France affect her clout with the Avignon Pope Clement VII and the Master of Rhodes?
Did Violant frequently supplement Joan’s recommendation letters with follow-up letters of her own or was this not so frequent?
All the questions about Joan’s letter from Episode 2.