Escritura de renuncia de su legitima ortorgada por Da. Maria de Sarabia (Deed of Renunciation of Inheritance Rights by Doña Maria de Sarabia)
Valladolid: 1504. Modern Boards. Folio (30.5 by 21.4 cm). [1: 18th-century title leaf], [25], [1: docket] leaves. Manuscript on paper, ca. 30-35 lines per page. Text in Spanish. Modern cloth-backed marbled boards; title label mounted at front cover. Slightest hint of horizontal fold throughout, mild toning to text, light soiling and two small perforations at final docket leaf, else a fine, fresh copy.
Early sixteenth-century Spanish manuscript recording the significant legal and religous act in which Doña María de Sarabia (d. 1521), a member of the influential converso Cartagena family, formally renounces her inheritance rights (legítima) in favor of the Convent of Santa María la Real de las Huelgas in Valladolid, Spain. This act was part of her acceptance into the convent as a nun, reflecting both her personal devotion and her family's ongoing engagement with religious institutions in Castile. Joining the convent could be seen as part of a broader family strategy to maintain their status and protect their legacy within Christian society. As very little is otherwise known about María de Sarabia's life, the document is a rare and valuable source for understanding not only her personal history, but the role she played within the broader context of the Cartagena family. The renunciation of inheritance rights to gain admission to a powerful religious institution reflects the intersection of faith, identity, and social survival in a period marked by profound social and religious transformations.
The Spanish term 'converso' refers to those Jews who converted to Roman Catholicism in the 14th and 15th centuries, as well as their descendents. The Cartagenas were one of the most well-known and powerful converso families in Castile during the late 15th and early 16th centuries. They rose to prominence through strategic marriages, political alliances, and service to the Crown. María's father, Pedro de Cartagena (1387-1478), was the son of Pablo de Santa María (formerly Shlomo ha-Levi; 1352-1435), a former chief rabbi who converted to Roman Catholicism and rose to become the Bishop of Burgos, papal advisor, and tutor to the future King Juan II of Castile. Her uncle, Alvar García de Santa María (1370-1460), was a prominent chronicler and historian at the court of Castile, further solidifying the family's influence in religious and intellectual circles. María married García Franco de Toledo (d. 1487), a royal accountant and alderman (regidor) of Valladolid, thereby linking her to another influential converso family. Her son, Antonio Franco de Cartagena (ca. 1455-ca. 1507), served as Chief Accountant to the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, a position that underscores the family's prominence within the royal administration. Another of her sons, Pedro de Cartagena (1456-1486), was a poet and knight who became involved in the political and military affairs of the period, futher reflecting the family's diverse roles in Castilian society. María's deaf sister, the mystic Teresa de Cartagena (ca. 1425-1478), was a nun at the Royal Monastery of Santa María la Real de las Huelgas in Burgos, another powerful Cistercian convent closely associated with the Castilian aristocracy and a significant center of spiritual and secular power. Many consider her to be the first Spanish-language female author and the first defender of women's intellectual rights. While Teresa was at the convent in Burgos, her sister María joined the Cistercian order in Valladolid. Affiliations with these powerful monasteries likely elevated their family's social standing and provided a form of protection, especially for converso families seeking to demonstrate their Christian orthodoxy and commitment.
While many conversos in 16th-century Spain faced challenges, particularly from "Old Christians" who doubted the sincerity of their conversions, the period also saw substantial integrations of conversos into Christian society. Families like the Cartagenas leveraged their educations, connections, and positions to contribute significantly to the governance and culture of Spain. This integration was achieved through active participation in the Church, royal administration, and intellectual life, blending their Jewish heritage with their new Christian identities. Near fine. Item #55721
References: Boase, R., Secrets of Pinar's Game: Court Ladies and Courtly Verse in Fifteenth-Century Spain (Leiden: Brill, 2017), pp. 457-460; Cantera Burgos, F., Alvar García de Santa María y su familia de conversos: historia de la judería de Burgos y de sus conversos más egregios. (Madrid: Instituto Arias Montano, 1952); Piera, M., "Debunking the 'Self' in Self-fashioning: Communal Fashioning in the Cartagena Clan" [in:] Self-Fashioning and Assumptions of Identity in Medieval and Early Modern Iberia, ed. L. Delbrugge, (Leiden: Brill, 2015); Robalino, G., "Teresa de Cartagena's Feminist Rhetoric and Theology" [in:] Negotiating Feminism and Faith in the Lives and Works of Late Medieval and Early Modern Women (Amsterdam Univ. Press, 2024), pp. 43-56; Roth, N., Conversos, Inquisition, and the Expulsion of the Jews from Spain (Univ. of Wisconsin Press, 2002); Seidenspinner-Núñez, D. & Kim, Y., "Historicizing Teresa: Reflections on New Documents Regarding Sor Teresa de Cartagena" [in:] La corónica: A Journal of Medieval Hispanic Languages, Literatures, and Cultures (2004: 32(2), pp. 121-150).
Price: $25,000.00