Conquesta, repartiment i organització militar de Mallorca. Els cavalls armats (1229-1350)

Abstract

The thesis is structured in five chapters. The first explains the Repartimiento processes that inevitably occurred in all the feudal conquests of al-Andalus and describes the three phases of the process: the occupation of the territory, the management of victory and the colonization process. The second chapter is dedicated to the analysis of the different copies of the “Llibre del Repartiment” of Mallorca, both the royal part and the noble portions. The problems generated by the interpretation of its content are valued, as well as the possibilities they offer for the study of the al-Andalus society prior to the conquest. The third describes the process of conquering the City of Mallorca in the hands of the Almohads and the occupation of the territory by the feudal host of Jaume I, although ignoring the account of the warlike actions. He cites some of the problems posed by the operation, especially those referring to the effective forces of both sides in conflict and the origin of the conquerors. Finally, pays special attention to the chronology, with the intention of fixing the correct sequence of events and subsequent actions. The fourth chapter is applied to analyze the management of victory. Carries out the study of the distribution of movable and semi-mobile loot, with a special section dedicated to the fate of the vanquished. He then explains how the island’s real estate distribution was carried out, trying to discover its different phases, its temporal sequence and the agents who intervened in it. Starting with a first distribution between the king and the magnates, the distribution of each of the portions is individualized, the particular process that they followed to remunerate the respective beneficiaries and the conflicts that were generated around that issue. As a special section, the program of colonization and agrarian promotion impulsed by the monarch in the city’s alfoces under the name of “Llibre de les Quarterades” is analyzed, as well as the results obtained. Next, the territorial and legal nature of the lordships originated as a result of the distribution of the island is examined, and the trace that left on these lordships the infeudation of the kingdom at the hands of the Infante Pedro of Portugal and the creation of the Majorcan diocese, as a preliminary step to evaluate the degree of success or failure of colonization. The last chapter studies the defense system articulated by the feudal host with the aim of preventing a theoretical reoccupation of the island by the Almohads, in which armed horses acquire great importance. Starting from the analysis of the Memorial of Cavalry and Armed Horses provided by the “Llibre del Repartiment”, the constitution of the insular armed cavalry by the magnates, the different modalities of rendering the military service, the rhythm of creation of the armed cavalries is studied, the evolution along the limited chronology and their subsistence until the beginning of the XIX century. Next, an attempt is made to decipher the modifications and innovations that are being introduced into the island’s defense system over time. Ultimately, it is interesting to capture the relationship between the holders of the cavalries and the Majorcan ruling elites of the late Middle Ages.

Date of Award	23 Apr 2021
Original language	Catalan
Supervisor	Helena Kirchner Granell (Tutor)