Ramon Llull, Catalan Chronicles, and Tirant lo Blanc
Ramon Llull
Ramon Llull (1232-1316) was born in Mallorca into a noble family. He devoted himself to troubadour love poetry. Around the age of 30, he experienced a profound personal and spiritual crisis that led to a radical change in his life. He retired to Randa for nine years, devoted to study, to prepare for the mission he believed Jesus had entrusted to him. This mission became a program of action with three objectives:
- Converting unbelievers to Christianity.
- Writing books that demonstrated Christian ideals.
- Founding missionary schools where the languages of unbelievers were taught.
He learned Latin and Arabic. Among his works are: Contemplació amb Déu, Llibre de Blanquerna, and Llibre de les Meravelles.
The Great Catalan Chronicles
The Chronicles are narratives of historical events occurring during a given period, a rule, or a dynasty. They are of a military character. There are four great chronicles:
Chronicle of James I or Llibre dels Feitos (1244-1276)
It is a sort of memoir that tells of the conquests of Valencia and Mallorca. The king is described as a hero.
Chronicle of Bernard Desclot (1283-1288)
Centered on the reigns from Alfonso the Chaste until Peter the Great. It explains the events of the last period. The king is the protagonist, and the author is a direct witness of the events. The materials used are popular literary topics and documentary sources. The facts are the conquests and the kings of the Crown of Catalonia.
Chronicle of Ramon Muntaner (1325-1328)
Covers the period between the birth of James I and the coronation of Alfonso III the Benign. The protagonists are the kings of the Catalan-Aragonese house, but the chronicler also appears as a witness of some events. It is shaped like a collection of memoirs. The author’s intention is to praise the house of Aragon. Muntaner is a supporter of the union of the lands of the Crown. The main theme is the Catalan expedition to the East. It has a historiographical point of view. The style is agile, lively, colorful, and direct (e.g., “What shall I tell you?”).
Chronicle of Peter III the Ceremonious (1385)
It was an open memoir of Peter III by an author who uses songs and legends of his prosified exploits. The style is dry and monotonous. The king is viewed as a Renaissance prince, intriguing and cruel.
Tirant lo Blanc
Written by Joanot Martorell between 1460 and 1468. He dedicated Tirant to the infant Ferdinand of Portugal. The novel was published in Valencia on November 20, 1490. It consists of five parts:
- Chapters 1 to 97: Tirant achieves fame as a knight fighting at court in England.
- Chapters 98-114: The hero becomes a skillful admiral in Sicily and Rhodes.
- Chapters 115-297: The protagonist becomes a leader against the Turks, and his love for Princess Carmesina develops. Set in the Byzantine Empire.
- Chapters 298-407: Tirant, after a shipwreck, converts many Saracens.
- Chapters 408-487: Return to the Byzantine Empire, which he frees from the Turks. He marries Carmesina and becomes emperor until his death.
Themes that characterize the genre:
- Chivalric: Biography of a knight.
- Historical: Geography is identified.
- Social: Strata of society.
- Erotic: Importance of love and sex.
- Psychological: Analysis of characters.
Styles of Tirant: A cultured, Baroque, and rhetorical style is used in parliaments and lamentations. Colloquial speech reflects the living language of Valencia.