«History’s stained canvas»: Uses and appropriations of medieval past in Enlightenment Historiography. The case of Peter «the cruel»

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to explore the political meanings of the medieval past in the historical understanding of individuals in the 18th century. Beyond the familiar Gothic myth, I will focus on the multilayered image of the monarch Peter of Castile (1334–1369), considered cruel, lustful and passionate in the eyes of enemies and historians. The aim is to analyse the different attitudes towards and uses of this historical figure (one that was quite problematic given the cultural values of the period), ranging from the most negative of connotations to the most passionate of defences and including some more ambiguous stances. For this analysis, I will explore certain Enlightenment debates that are useful for broadening the theoretical frameworks available for understanding representations of Peter of Castile. In doing so, I will establish a link between the controversies surrounding civilization, sensibility, masculinity, patriotism and «national characters». The varied appropriations of his personality and reign, found in different chronicles, compendiums, periodicals and tributes, are understood in the framework of the controversies surrounding critical history and the reliability of witnesses and historians. Their study highlights the diversity of processes through which the past, in its different forms, played a political role in 18th-century society and culture. And, ultimately, it reveals the tensions and disagreements that arise in the process of shaping historiographical practice.

Keywords

• representaciones del pasado
• historiografía
• civilización
• nación
• masculinidad