Paper -a:
The Catalan Thalassocracy since early 13th to 14th century is sometimes considered under an proghibelline imperial point of view notwithstanding the internal division of the different branch of the comital-royal family; basically it is a set up according to the Llibre of Ramón Muntaner, tradesman, and adventureer all around the Mediterranean. However the Llibre is not only a sort of history nor chronicle, but also somekind of diary, courtly romance, storytelling, and work of royal propaganda. It is not immediately clear what Muntaner aimed to write for the generical title of his work. The paper is focusing on the meaning of empire in this oeuvre, wondering how much should be referred to the historical setting during the years of composition (1325-1328) in spite of the author's strong personal point of view.
Paper -b:
This paper centers on the images of empires as recorded by Ruy González de Clavijo in the travel account of his embassy from Castilian (Spanish) King Enrique III to the Mongol suzerain Timur in Samarkand from 1403-1406. My presentation will center on the generalizations or preconceived notions that underlie the travellers' beliefs about foreigners and then how the protagonists are affected by experiences along the road. I argue that Clavijo holds up the Asian civilization as a model of advancement, wealth, and sophistication in order to aggrandize Castile through its friendly ties with Timur.
Paper -c:
In June 1442 Alfonso the Magnanimous marched triumphantly into Naples, his victory securing Aragonese hegemony over Southern Italy and much of the Western Mediterranean. Against this background the chivalric romance Curial e Guelfa was composed. This paper seeks to examine the significance the romance and address the intriguing links that the author makes between Alfonso's conquests and those of King Pere III almost a century and a half earlier. The text represents a complex interweaving of history and myth in a way that challenges how we view the conquests in the reign of Alfonso and sheds more light on the importance of historical writing in mid 15th-century Aragon.
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