Title

Royal Charter with Round Seal

Generic classification

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Inscriptions / Marks

The signo rodado of Alfonso X contains the inscription: "[inner circle] SIGN OF KING DON ALFONSO; [outer circle] THE KING'S STANDARD-BEARER, DON JUAN GARCÍA, MAJORDOMO OF THE ROYAL COURT, CONFIRMS IT."

Object history

The Hispanic Society of America's holdings include nearly 200,000 manuscripts, letters and documents. Archer M. Huntington, founder of the institution, created this great collection between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. To this end, he purchased large personal libraries such as that of the Marquis of Jerez de los Caballeros, who sold him around 10,000 manuscripts and printed books, or the bullfighting library of Carmena y Millán. Likewise, he established business relationships with private collectors such as Karl W. Hieserman, who provided Huntington with large personalized catalogs of documents, pieces and manuscripts (Codding, O'Neil and Lenaghan 2021, 9).

Probably, this manuscript was part of a large collection that was acquired by Archer M. Huntington. The document was given to the holdings of the Hispanic Society of America in 1925.

Description

The rolling privilege was born in the 12th century under the reign of Fernando II of León. It arose as a result of the division of the Kingdom of Castile among the sons of Alfonso VII, nicknamed the emperor. Castile was inherited by Sancho III, who also inherited the right to wear the imperial cross. Fernando II inherited the kingdom of León, and to differentiate himself from his brother he used a new sign, a lion surrounded by the inscription Sigmun ferdinandi, legionensis regis. In Castile, the privilege rolled arrived with the nephew of Ferdinand II of León, Alfonso VIII, who continued the sign rolled, this time with a cross and the inscription Signum Adefonsi regis Castelle. The rolled sign became established in Castile, while in León it gradually ceased to be used (Ostos and Pardo, 1999). During the reign of Ferdinand III, the crowns of Castile and León were reunified and the Castilian chancery form was imposed over the Leonese one. Although initially simple, this element soon became a prominent visual resource and was constituted as a model for legitimizing concessions and confirming royal privileges (Codding 2017, 133-4).

The present document opens with a chrismon, a sacred monogram of Christ (XPS), and highlights the names of the monarch and his wife in Lombard versals. At the end appear the names of witnesses, such as clerics and nobles, arranged in four columns around the rolled sign. The document dates from 1293 according to the Hispanic era (1255 according to the Christian era). Prior to 1383, the dates followed the Hispanic Era, 38 years earlier than the Christian Era, until John I adopted the latter (Codding 2017, 133-4).

In this case, Alfonso X confirms a privilege of Alfonso VIII to Pedro Rodríguez de Castro, granting him Villasila and Villamelendro (Palencia). The rolled sign includes inscriptions on ministers and confirmations, while the hierarchical organization of dignitaries, from royal princes to the scribe Millán Pérez de Ayllón, reflects the political and social order. The document combines Latin and Castilian text, uses the brown gothic script, and retains a lead seal bound by a red silk ribbon (Codding 2017, 133-4).

Locations

• 1255 - 1925

  municipality

  Aguilar de Campoo, Aguilar de Campoo (Spain)

• 1925 - present

  museum

  The Hispanic Society of America, New York (United States)