Granting of services in cortes for the Strait War, and episcopal endorsement of the Castilian Monarchy

Abstract

Castilian kings were always aware of the need to count on their bishops’ support upon initiating, managing, or solving an array of tasks. Throughout the reigns of Alfonso X, Sancho IV, Fernando IV, and Alfonso XI, the so-called War of the Strait, one of the most relevant warlike endeavors of the Reconquista period, was carried out against Islam. On this war, Castilian prelates developed the most diverse duties, both personally and on behalf of the mentioned kings, who remained always conscious of the formers’ special ascendency. The following pages will specifically analyze the role, which some members of the Castilian episcopate rendered in defense of the extraordinary services for the maintenance of war, as requested by the monarchy to the urban representatives in Cortes.