Coronica Del Illvstrissimo Principe Enriqve Qvarto Rey Deste Nombre En Castilla Y En Leon.
[Spain], 1542.
Folio (274 x 188 mm.). Contemporary foliation: [1], 136 leaves = Chapters 1-98.
CONTEMPORARY BLIND-DECORATED PARISIAN SHEEP (worn, some lacunae, base of spine with loss), multiple impressions of a roll of female heads, plinths, lyres and foliage (Gid, Catalogue des reliures françaises estampés à froid TMe3) and a roll of vases, foliage and acanthus leaves (Gid TMg1), three early paper spine labels (one with a manuscript title), evidence of four ties, manuscript fore-edge title, blue edges. In a purple cloth clamshell box.
With: Enríquez del Castillo, Diego. 1443-after 1503. Ad I-II: THIS CODEX COMBINES SIGNIFICANT PORTIONS OF TWO OPPOSING INDEPENDENT EYE-WITNESS CHRONICLES TO CREATE A SINGLE HISTORY of the turbulent reign of Henry IV of Castile (1425-74; r. 1454-74).
[Crónica de Enrique IV]. [Spain] c. 1542. Folio. Contemporary foliation: 43, [23] leaves = Chapters 99-119.
COMPOSITE MANUSCRIPT of two distinct codicological units executed in two different contemporary Humanistic cursive hands; annotations in two slightly later hands, nineteen pasted-in manuscript slips correcting chapter numbers.
Covering the events of 1454-68, the first 98 chapters are an anonymous Spanish adaptation of parts of Palencia’s Latin Gesta Hispaniensia, known as Crónica castellana de Enrique IV. The events of 1468-74 are treated in 21 chapters (99-119) from Enríquez del Castillo’s Crónica.
Palencia was a sworn enemy of Henry IV, whom he accuses of, i.a., homosexuality and sympathy for the Moors. Palencia also questions the legitimacy of Henry’s daughter and heir, while mixing palace intrigue, street rumors and the supernatural into his vitriol. This sharply contrasts with the royally authorized chronicle of Enríquez del Castillo, Henry IV’s loyal partisan.
While both chroniclers wrote full histories of Henry’s reign, this combination of two partial narratives circulated in the 16th and 17th century due to the fraught history of Enríquez del Castillo’s Crónica. The manuscript for 1454-68 was stolen and destroyed, so his chapters dealing with the years 1468-74 circulated independently before he rewrote the purloined part. In the intervening period, Palencia’s Crónica castellana chapters filled the lacuna.
OUR CODEX IS THE ONLY IN WHICH THE TWO TEXTS ARE TWO DISTINCT CODICOLOGICAL UNITS WRITTEN BY DIFFERENT SCRIBES AND INTENTIONALLY BOUND TOGETHER. The other surviving witnesses of the combined chronicle are integral manuscripts copied by single scribes.
One early reader underlined and annotated twenty-five passages on politics and prodigies (a bearded girl in Extremadura, a spirit hidden in a ring, comets...). Another reader highlighted mentions of Toledo governor Payo de Ribera (d. c. 1470) and members of his family. In good condition (in the Palencia a few letters lost to ferrous ink, marginal soiling and ten leaves with an oil stain not affecting legibility), early ownership inscriptions of Hernando Cordoves, Agustín Urbano Perez, Eugenio de Aloza and Isidro Domingo Cortes, old manuscript shelfmarks K.K.c.376, C 28 and 393, old purchase note (Madrid, 11.V.1707, 27 reales).
¶Puyol y Alonso, Los Cronistas de Enrique IV 7-23 & 33-59; BETA/Bibliografía Española de Textos Antiguos online texid 1812 & 1485; Crónica de Enrique IV de Diego Enríquez del Castillo ed. Sánchez Martín 55-8 & 100.
Price: $27,500.00
Status: On Hold