Title
Rolled charter granted by King Alfonso X and Queen Violante of Aragon to the Hospital del Rey, Burgos
Generic classification
Manuscripts and illuminationsObject
ManuscriptDate
1254Century
Mid 13th c.Cultural context / style
GothicDimensions
25,47 x 22,56 inMaterial
ParchmentTechnique
InkProvenance
Alfonso X and Violante of Aragon (Burgos, Spain)Current location
The British Library (London, United Kingdom)Inventory Number in Current Collection
Add Ch 24804Object history
This rolled charter records the confirmation issued by Alfonso X of Castile and Violante of Aragon of a land donation previously made by Alfonso VIII of Castile and Eleanor of Plantagenet in favor of the Hospital del Rey (Burgos). This hospital is located next to Santa María La Real de las Huelgas, a monastery founded by the aforementioned monarchs. The rolled charter was issued on December 30, 1254, in the city of Burgos and was originally preserved in the archives of the Hospital del Rey.
The reasons for the document’s loss are unknown, but it is possible that it occurred during the looting carried out by French troops during the War of Independence or due to the creation of the Municipal Charity Board, which sought to take over the Hospital del Rey in 1822 (Sánchez, 2012). The next record we have of the rolled charter is that it was sold by the antique dealers A. dos Reis and E. Kerr on April 8, 1876, to the British Museum (London). It is cited in the museum’s acquisitions catalog as follows:
“[…] is the Confirmation, by Alfonso the Wise of Castile, of royal grants to the Hospital near the monastery of Santa María Real, in Burgos; dated at Burgos, Dec. 30, Era 1292 [A.D. 1254], in which year, it is added.”
In 1973, this rolled charter was transferred to the British Library (London), where it is currently preserved.
Description
It consists of a single large-format folio and features the chi-rho symbol at the top, which serves as a symbolic invocation of God, from whom the monarch derived his authority. In the center is the rolled seal, along with the formulas of confirmation and a list of confirmants from the court—in this case, 77 witnesses from the nobility. The document also preserves the lead seal attached by a cord: on one side is a castle, while the other depicts a lion.
Locations
ca. 1254
private collection
Alfonso X and Violante of Aragon, Burgos (Spain) *
Mid XIIIth c. - XIXth c.
1876
dealer/antiquarian
A. dos Reis and E. Kerr, London (United Kingdom) *
1876 - 1973
1973 - present
study center
The British Library, London (United Kingdom)
Bibliography
- BRITISH MUSEUM (ed.) (1882): Catalogue of Additions to the Manuscripts in the British Museum in the Years 1876-1881, The Trustees of the British Museum, Londres, pp. 246-247.
- SÁNCHEZ DOMINGO, Rafael (2012): "El Hospital del Rey en la época constitucional (1822-1875)", vol. 2, Boletín de la Institución Fernán González, pp. 311-345.
Record manager
Isabel Escalera FernándezCitation:
Isabel Escalera Fernández, "Rolled charter granted by King Alfonso X and Queen Violante of Aragon to the Hospital del Rey, Burgos" in Nostra et Mundi. Cultural Heritage from Castile and Leon around the world, Fundación Castilla y León, 2025. https://inventario.nostraetmundi.com/en/work/574
The confirmation of the grant by Alfonso X and Violante of Aragon
