the wills of the kings of portugal between the 12thand14thcenturies The act ends with the notary’s dating and signature: “Actum fuit hoc Ulixbonae. (…) Rege mandante. Iacobus Ioannis notauit. Era MCCC nona”.30 The changes in the Portuguese royal chancellery, which Afonso III’s will already anticipated, become evident in the wills of his successor, King Denis.31 Having several wills, as we have seen, is not abnormal in the political history of the kingdom, but it is an important novelty that they were written in Portuguese. Language is not the only new element in Portuguese royal wills. These acts, throughout the 14th century, affirm an undeniable taste for narrative. Denis’s first testament, from 1299, however, is still “traditional”. Let us look at the brief initial protocol: “In the name of God, amen. I, King Denis, by the grace of God, King of Portugal and the Algarve, fearing the day of my death, considering the day of God’s judgment that is about to come, with my good judgement and in my health, I make my will in this way.” The act ends with the announcement of its validation with a lead seal and dating.32 But his testament of 1322, although it maintains a somewhat traditional opening (invocatio, intitulatio, and a very brief spiritual arenga), later expands into an extensive historical narrative about his life and reign, “considering many things”. In truth, this autobiographical expository narrative also gives voice to the concerns that his predecessors expressed regarding the succession to the throne. This is an understandable feature of this typology of royal documents. However, with King Denis, times are new. The will closes with a broad set of considerations and recommendations for its executors, including at the end clauses derived from other wills and codicils. It specifies the creation of two letters of the will, one to be kept in the royal chancellery, the other to be deposited in the Monastery of Alcobaça. The will closes with the date.33 248 30 Brandão 1974, p. 286r. 31 Pizarro 2005. 32 Gomes 2021, doc. 6. 33 Gomes 2021, doc. 36.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjYyNDk=