La reina Violante de Aragón, Jofré de Loaysa y la Crónica de Alfonso X. Un gran fragmento cronístico del siglo XIII reutilizado en el XIV

Abstract

Violante was about six years old in 1243, when her father, Jaime I of Aragon, sent her to Castile as betrothed to the future Alfonso X. During the following five years she was raised in Valladolid by Don Jofré de Loaysa and his wife, faithful servants of Jaime I. Married to Alfonso in 1249 and elevated to the throne with him in 1252, the Loaysas prospered beside her. One of their children, also named Jofré, became the queen's chancellor in 1271. This article focuses on the next two years, when King Alfonso faced a rebellion described in the Crónica de Alfonso X. Although compiled towards 1340 by order of Alfonso XI, the Chronicle is based on earlier narratives. The chapters devoted to the rebellion seem to closely follow an account penned soon after the events of 1272-73. A detailed reading of those chapters and related documents reveals the queen's central role in the resolution of the conflict and her interest in offering a suitable narrative, which was most likely drafted by her chancellor using official documents.