Building Charisma: The <i>Post-Mortem</i> Sanctity Attributed to the Prince of Viana (d. 1461)

Abstract

This article aims to address the issue of post mortem charisma from the case of Carlos de Viana, crown prince of the kingdom of Navarre (1421–1461). Although he did not have a reputation for sanctity in life, from the moment of his death, miracles attributed to his intercession transformed devotion to ‘san’ Carlos de Viana into a mass phenomenon. The alleged sanctity of the Prince of Viana was part of a complex political process in which agents of the different peninsular states were involved in the second half of the 15th century and which led to the opening of a canonization process that would never see the light of day. But, at the same time, it is a good example of the notion of the charismatic figure, the miracle being one of the clearest manifestations of charisma, and of how it is possible to ‘build’ a charism post mortem.

Keywords

• Charles
• prince of Viana
• kingdom of Navarre
• Évreux dynasty
• charisma
• holiness