Yo la reyna. Studio e edizione del registro di cancelleria della regina Isabella la Cattolica (1484-1497)

Abstract

This book presents the palaeographic and diplomatic study and edition of Royal Chancellery Register No. 3687, preserved in the Archive of the Crown of Aragon. This register is unique in that it is the only surviving document from the chancellery of Isabella of Castile in her capacity as Queen Consort of Aragon. The documents it contains are of great significance, as they relate entirely to the administration of the Catholic Queen’s lands in Sicily and Catalonia. Tàrrega, Vilagrassa, Sabadell, Syracuse, Lentini, Mineo, Vizzini, Francavilla, San Filippo d'Argirò, the ports of Brucoli and Agnone, and later Augusta, were granted to Isabella of Castile as a dower by virtue of her marriage to Ferdinand of Aragon—soon to become King Ferdinand II—according to the marriage capitulations of Cervera (1469). This patrimony constituted a crucial base of power for consolidating her status, rewarding her officials, and enhancing the prestige of her household. The register has been fully transcribed, with all 281 documents (162 in Latin, 113 in Spanish, 6 in Catalan, and 1 in Sicilian) identified individually, each accompanied by its respective date and regestum. In addition to the edition, an introductory study examines the register’s diplomatic and palaeographic features, as well as the various types of documents it comprises.