Living saints, prophecy and politics in 16th-century Spain

Abstract

At the beginning of the 16th century, the Iberian Peninsula is crisscrossed by a large number of prophecies. The announcements are made by men and women who believe they are inspired by God, and whose words both reflect and shape the fears and hopes of their contemporaries. This phenomenon is much studied, but some interpretive issues remain unresolved. What was the relation between prophecy and power? What prophetic authority did women have? What function did the prophecies have? The article addresses these issues through three case studies: the Spanish conquest of Oran (1509), prophesied by some living saints; the doubts that circulated at court about one of these saints, María de S. Domingo, despite the protection accorded to her by Ferdinand and Cardinal Cisneros; the mysterious figure of the converso fray Melchor, who in 1512 presented himself as a messiah by relying on the authority of some living saints close to the king and Cisneros, even though his prophecies painted a very sinister portrait of both.

Keywords

• Prophecy
• Living saints
• Franciscan Order
• Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros
• Ferdinand II of Aragon
• María de Santo Domingo