Las muertes en torno a los Reyes Católicos en el Romancero trovadoresco y tradicional

Abstract

Among the romances noticieros (news-bearing ballads) from the time of Fernando and Isabel -ballads which form part of the erudite, courtly cancioneril poetry when composed by known authors, and part of the popular tradition when we know of only anonymous traditional versions- the ballads that recount the deaths of princes and monarchs are especially noteworthy. Given the political importance and social ramifications of such events, it is not surprising that they inspired compositions which, at times, focus on the consequences for the realm (the problem of succession, political instability, the power vacuum); at other times, they eulogize the deceased and reflect the authors’ attempts to ingratiate themselves with the powerful and express their loyalty; and still others include the most personal touches: the loved ones’ grief over their loss, the dying ruler’s attitude toward death and his final arrangements. Although two of these ballads enjoyed such widespread appeal that they survived in the oral tradition of modern times, the present article focuses on the versions that are most closely contemporary with the events they relate. This study endeavours to compare the poetic treatments of death and the differences among the poets’ perspectives in five ballads that originate in the final decades of the fifteenth century and the first years of the sixteenth century; these five ballads recount the death of the crown prince of Portugal, the death of the royal heir of Castille and Aragon, and the death of the king of Castille, and the king of Aragon, respectively. With this focus, the present study undertakes to determine to what extent the different representations of the ruler’s death, and the erudite or traditional nature of a particular ballad, are related to the texts’ dissemination and survival.