Description
Book SynopsisExamines the scripting and performance of festivals in Spain between 1327 and 1620, offering a look at the different types of festivals that were held in Iberia during this crucial period of European history. This book focuses on the travels and festivities of Philip II, exploring the complex relationship between power and ceremony.
Trade ReviewOne of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2012 "Accomplished historian Ruiz examines festivals in Spain from approximately 1200 to the mid-17th century. Starting from the premise that these events conveyed social, political, and ideological content, the author argues effectively that a close analysis over time of various festivals and related traditions--e.g., those associated with royal entries and visits to major municipalities; royal births, weddings, and funerals; Corpus Christi and Carnival--improves historians' understanding of changes in political processes and culture... The book provides information and insight that anthropologists, students of Spanish literature, and historians of Spain and colonial Spanish America will draw upon for many years."--Choice "[O]ne may recommend the present study as a labour of love--a detailed and interesting introduction to that colourful world of chivalry which, as he confesses, has captivated the author since his youth."--James Casey, European History Quarterly "Ruiz is ... a master storyteller. The chroniclers who originally recounted these festivities and processions in loving detail intended to recreate for their readers a complete vision of the clothing, music, food, decorative arches, dances, and jousts that constituted them, and Ruiz has done the same service for us."--Jodi Campbell, English Historical Review "This study brings to the forefront the Iberian Peninsula, a geographical area usually neglected in the studies of these celebrations, while it informs, enlightens, and entertains. A great read."--Candelas Gala, European Legacy
Table of ContentsPreface ix Abbreviations xiii Chapter I: Festivals in Late Medieval and Early Modern Spain: An Introduction 1 Chapter II: The Meaning of Festivals: A Typology 34 Chapter III: Royal Entries, Princely Visits, Triumphal Celebrations in Spain, c. 1327-1640 68 Chapter IV: The Structure of the Late Medieval and Early Modern Royal Entry: Change and Continuity 113 Chapter V: A King Goes Traveling: Philip II in the Crown of Aragon, 1585-86 and 1592 146 Chapter VI: Martial Festivals and the Chivalrous Imaginary 193 Chapter VII: Kings and Knights at Play in Late Medieval and Early Modern Spain 210 Chapter VIII: From Carnival to Corpus Christi 246 Chapter IX: Noncalendrical Festivals: Life Cycles and Power 293 Conclusion 331 Appendix: The Feasts of May 1428 at Valladolid 335 Bibliography 339 Index 345
