Episode 2 with Bretton Rodriguez

The Castilian Civil War is a classic medieval tale of shifting alliances, family intrigue and murder.  But what was the international context and significance of this conflict?  How did contemporary chroniclers tell its story?  In this episode of the Historias podcast, Bretton Rodriguez discusses how this literally fratricidal conflict changed the course of not only the Castilian monarchy but also of literature and historiography on the Iberian Peninsula and beyond.

The Episode

The Guest

Bretton Rodriguez is a Continuing Lecturer of Core Humanities at the University of Nevada, Reno.  He holds a Ph.D. in Literature for the University of Notre Dame. He is a specialist in the literature, history, and culture of medieval and early modern Iberia. His research focuses on the composition, use, and dissemination of historical narratives in medieval Europe. These narratives are taken from traditional histories as well as epics, romances, and history plays. He has published in the Journal of Medieval Iberian Studies, and he is currently working on developing his dissertation into a monograph.

Suggested Reading

• Díaz Martín, Luis Vicente. Pedro I, 1350-1369. Palencia: La Olmeda, 1995.
• Echevarría, Ana. Catalina de Lancaster: Reina regente de Castilla 1372–1418. Madrid: Editorial Nerea, 2002.
• Estow, Clara. Pedro the Cruel of Castile, 1350-1369. New York: Brill, 1995.
• Garcia, Michel. Obra y personalidad del Canciller Ayala. Madrid: Alhambra, 1983.
• Gimeno Casalduero, Joaquin. La imagen del monarca en la Castilla del siglo XV: Pedro el Cruel, Enrique II y Juan I. Madrid: Revista del Occidente, 1972.  
• Mitre Fernández, Emilio. “Tradición e innovación en la obra cronística del Canciller Ayala.” En la España Medieval 19 (1996): 51-75.
• Orduna, Germán. El arte narrativo y poético del Canciller Ayala. Madrid: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 1998.
• Rodriguez, Bretton. “López de Ayala and the Politics of Rewriting the Past.” Journal of Medieval Iberian Studies 7, no. 2: 266-282.
• Russell, Peter Edward. The English Intervention in Spain and Portugal in the Time of Edward III and Richard II. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1955.
• Suarez Fernández, Luis. Monarquía Hispana y Revolución Trastámara. Madrid: Real Academia de la Historia, 1994.
• Valdaliso, Covadonga. Historiografía y legitimización dinástica: análisis de la Crónica de Pedro I de Castilla. Valladolid: Universidad de Valladolid, 2010.
•  Valdeón Baruque, Julio. Los Trastamara: el triunfo de una dinastia bastarda. Madrid: Temas de Hoy, 2010.