Weaving Cross-border networks in Early Modern Iberia The gift-giving of Maria of Aragon and Castile, Queen of Portugal (1482-1517)

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Publicado: ene 30, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.6035/potestas.9101
Palabras clave:
regalos, redes, reginalidad, Iberia, Portugal

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Inês Olaia
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0528-4666
Ana Maria S. A. Rodrigues
Center for History, University of Lisbon
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6539-8801

Resumen

The act of giving rewards and gifts creates connections between individuals. Through the analysis of Queen Maria of Castile and Aragon’s gift-giving, we aim to understand how she constructed networks around her, reflecting on changes that reveal the strengthening of her position at court. The queen used her economic power to connect with the nobility, encompassing her birth and marriage territories, while stretching her reach to her natal family’s attendants. Maria further utilised her gifts to portray an image of a merciful and pious ruler who assisted members of the political community in her new realm in various circumstances.

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Cómo citar
Olaia, I., & Rodrigues, A. M. S. A. (2026). Weaving Cross-border networks in Early Modern Iberia: The gift-giving of Maria of Aragon and Castile, Queen of Portugal (1482-1517). POTESTAS. Estudios Del Mundo Clásico E Historia Del Arte, (28). https://doi.org/10.6035/potestas.9101
Número
Núm. 28 (2026)
Sección
ARTÍCULOS
Biografía del autor/a

Inês Olaia

Inês Olaia holds a PhD in Medieval History granted by the School of Arts and Humanities of the University of Lisbon in 2025, with a thesis aimed at studying the roles and powers of the queen-consorts of late medieval Portugal. To do so, she was granted a scholarship from the Foundation for Science and Technology (2020.04440.BD). Inês finished her undergraduate studies in 2017 and obtained a Master's in 2019 in the same institution, with a dissertation studying local administration in Medieval Portugal. She has also worked on the history of emotions and published a few sources, while focusing her main topics of interest in numerous publications and presentations, namely queenship and municipal history. 

Ana Maria S. A. Rodrigues, Center for History, University of Lisbon

Ana Maria S. A. Rodrigues (MA, Sorbonne Université; PhD and Habilitation, University of Minho) is currently retired. She was an Associate Professor at the University of Lisbon and a researcher at its Centre for History from 2002 to 2024. Previously, she lectured at the University of Minho (1984-2002). Over the last two decades, her research has primarily focused on Portuguese medieval queenship, encompassing the queens’ estates and revenue, as well as their jurisdictional and political powers, and their roles in religious and artistic patronage. Her most recent publication in this field was with Inês Olaia: “Reginal Income and Expenditure: The Household Accounts of Maria of Castile and Aragon, Queen of Portugal, in 1501-1508”, Journal of Medieval History, vol. 50-5 (2024): 637-668.

 

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