Published 2015
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Biografía de Don Fadrique, Maestre de la Orden de Santiago (1342-1358).
Description
- Title: Biografía de Don Fadrique, Maestre de la Orden de Santiago (1342-1358)
- Author: Govert Westerveld
- Publication Date: 2015 (Original edition 2008 / Extended edition 2015)
- Publisher: Academia de Estudios Humanísticos de Blanca (Ricote Valley) / Lulu Editors
- ISBN: 978-1-326-47359-4 (ISBN-10: 84-923151-6-4)
- Legal Deposit: MU-1334-2007
- Dedication: Prof. Dr. Juan Torres Fontes (Emeritus Professor of Medieval History at the University of Murcia; Academician of the Real Academia Alfonso X el Sabio)
- Cover Artist: Luis Molina (Blanca)
Description (for the "Description" field in Zenodo)
This volume provides a comprehensive biographical and historical investigation into Infante Don Fadrique Alfonso of Castile (1332–1358), illegitimate son of King Alfonso XI and Eleanor de Guzmán, and Grand Master of the Military Order of Santiago (Maestre de la Orden de Santiago). The research examines Don Fadrique’s political, military, and institutional role during the mid-fourteenth century, leading up to his tragic execution in Seville in 1358 under the command of his half-brother, King Pedro I of Castile ("The Cruel").
Grounded in rigorous archival documentation—including royal charters, papal bulls, seigneurial records, and visitation accounts from the Order of Santiago preserved in the National Historical Archive (Archivo Histórico Nacional) and the General Archive of Simancas—the book reconstructs the territorial governance and feudal administration under Don Fadrique’s tenure. Special emphasis is placed on the Kingdom of Murcia and the Ricote Valley (including Blanca, historically known as Negra), highlighting the strategic, economic, and social significance of these Mudéjar enclaves under Santiago jurisdiction.
The study offers valuable contributions to fourteenth-century Castilian medieval history, dynastic conflict, the administration of military orders, and the local history of the Segura river valley in southeastern Spain.