Medieval Catalan & Valencian Literary Figures: Faith, Crisis, and Social Commentary

Posted on Sep 15, 2025 in Religion

Isabel de Villena (1430-1490)

Biography and Works

  • Abbess of the Convent of the Trinity, Valencia.
  • Work: Vita Christi (published posthumously by a successor).
    • Genre: A spiritual treatise, sung in prose, presenting the life of Christ from a unique perspective.
    • Purpose: Intended to educate and enlighten the nuns of her convent.
    • Scope: While ostensibly a biography of Christ, it is, in reality, a life of Mary, beginning with her birth and concluding with her death and ascent to heaven.
    • Literary Resources:
      • Villena adapts her work to a female audience, incorporating domestic, intimate, and tender details.
      • Detailed descriptions often employ diminutives, reflecting a distinctly feminine point of view.
    • Context & Significance:
      • Written by a woman in a profoundly misogynistic society.
      • Beyond religious themes, Villena subtly rebels against prevailing Church opinions.
      • She defends the dignity of religious women, asserting that through Mary, women are forgiven of original sin.
  • Original Recipient: The nuns of the Convent of the Trinity.

Vicent Ferrer (Valencia 1350-Vannes 1419)

Life, Sermons, and Influence

  • Master of Theology who preached extensively throughout Europe.
  • Played a leading role in the Compromise of Caspe (1412).
  • Served as an advisor to popes during the Western Schism.

Works: Sermons

  • Approximately 300 sermons are preserved, written by Ferrer himself and copied by scribes.
  • Intentionality: Didactic and moralistic, aiming to correct behavior and guide people towards righteousness.
  • Structure:
    1. Introduction: Explaining a biblical passage.
    2. Prayer: Often an Ave Maria in Latin.
    3. The Sermon: Development of the theme.
    4. Conclusion: Rhymed biblical example sentences, utilized as a mnemonic device to help the audience remember the topic.
  • Target Audience: Broad popular appeal, achieved through the adaptation of popularized biblical texts.
  • Language & Style:
    • Plastic and spontaneous language, characterized by colloquialisms and syntactic disorders.
    • Theatrical resources: gestures, reflections, and onomatopoeia.
  • Social Commentary (Late 14th to Early 15th Century):
    • Addressed societal vices, fashion, cosmetics, parenting, and social depravity.
    • Strong misogynistic component (hatred of women).
    • Apocalyptic tone, conveying a sense of convulsion and anger: “The world is ending, Repent!”

Anselm Turmeda (Mallorca 1350-1430)

Biography and Controversial Works

  • Began his life as a Franciscan friar.
  • Circa 1385, he converted to Islam, becoming a mahometà.
  • Wrote in both Catalan and Arabic.

Key Themes in His Works

  • Duplicity and Ambivalence: Engaging with both Christian and Islamic faiths, reflecting symptoms of a personal and societal crisis.
  • Skepticism.
  • Humanism.

Major Works

  • Autobiography and Attack on the Supporters of the Cross (written in Arabic): Attacks Christianity and explains his conversion from it.
  • Llibre de bons amonestaments (Book of Good Admonitions) (written in Catalan): A poem where, alongside statements of Christian faith, there are strong anticlerical notes.
  • “In Praise of Money”: His most famous poem.
  • Disputation of the Donkey: Demonstrates the superiority of man over animals after a lengthy discussion. It also attacks Franciscan and Dominican friars.

The 14th Century Crisis and Religious Prose

Context of Change and Moralization

  • Demographic Crisis: The devastating impact of the Black Death.
  • Ideological Crisis:
    • The Western Schism (1378-1417), which divided Christianity.
    • The Council of Constance (1414-1418) eventually resolved the schism, electing Pope Martin V.
    • A shift from Theocentrism to Anthropocentrism.
  • Political Crisis:
    • The Compromise of Caspe (1412).
    • The childless death of King Martin I of Aragon led to the rise of the Castilian Trastámara dynasty in the Crown of Aragon.

Consequences and Literary Response

  • A changing situation arose, necessitating the moral rectification of society through religious faith and preaching.
  • This period saw the emergence of:
    • Preacher-Moralizers: Figures like Francesc Eiximenis and Vicent Ferrer.
    • Mavericks and Converts: Such as Anselm Turmeda, who changed his religion.
    • New Visions of Women: Exemplified by Sor Isabel de Villena.