The Symbolical Construction of the Enemy in the Alfonso X of Castile and Niketas Choniates' Works

Abstract

Abstract. Both the chronicle, Niketas Koniates', titled Historia, as well as the two Alphonsine chronicles, General Estoria and Primera Cronica General, were created at crucial moments in Byzantine and Castilian history respectively. their authors were not only known for their writing and knowledge, but for actively participating in the games of power in both regions. In the Byzantine case, the end of the 12th century brought a convulsive change of dynasty, from the Komnenos to the Agelos, and the dramatic events of the Fourth Crusade, which ended with the taking of Constantinople by the Crusader armies. On the side, the Kingdom of Castile consolidated the kingdom as the most powerful in the peninsula controlling or conquering the Muslim territories, after the great victory in the battle of Las Navas de Tolosa. This complexity of the historical context and the role of the authors made that the encounter with the enemy and the symbolic representation of these were inevitable both in daily life and in these historical discourses. Thus, in concrete terms, this thesis focuses on analysing the differences and similarities of the representations of the enemies regarding their bodies, sexuality and moral behaviour. In addition to this, analysing the text and the context, the research seeks to deepen into the...