Chronicle of San Juan De La Pena

By the end of the 14th century, the Crown of Aragon had reached the height of its power and was the most powerful Christian state in the region. Under the rule of King Pedro IV, its navies controlled the western Mediterranean and held the balance of power in the East; at the same time, its poets, artists, scholars and musicians were admired and respected throughout Europe. Commissioned and supervised by King Pedro IV, and compiled some time around 1380, "The Chronicle of San Juan de la Pena" was long valued as the earliest complete history of the Crown of Aragon. In the period following its composition, it was considered the official history of the realm; even into modern times, virtually every Aragonese historian has relied heavily, and often uncritically, upon the text. A mixture of fact, fantasy and royal propaganda, it is the sole source of many of the most famous episodes of Aragonese history. This translation includes an introduction which sets the historical context within which the text was written and suggests various approaches to the work. Extensive notes provide explanations of critical passages and point out historical inaccuracies.