En ració de cort

Abstract

This article examines the activities carried on and the sources generated by the escrivà de ració, the official of the royal household and court of Aragon responsible for overseeing the global expenditure of the personnel in its employ or service. The documentation generated by these officials is examined with a view to understanding their functions and the aspects of court life reflected in their writings. The documents they produced conform a record or official discourse of the courtly environment of the Aragonese monarchy, its components, who served and the nature and modes of such service. In classifying the types of documents produced from the day-to-day labours of the escrivà de ració we offer an appraisal of the possibilities these afford for examination of the day-to-day working of that courtly environment. The work is based on the available ordinances (of Pedro III in the late 13th century, of Pedro IV in the mid-14th century and later addicions) combined with documentation largely preserved in the Archive of the Crown of Aragon and with research into the government and military activity of the late mediaeval Aragonese monarchy.

Keywords

• Crown of Aragon
• escrivà de ració
• ordinances
• political and social history
• royal court
• royal household