ACTIVIDADES

Monastery of San Jerónimo de Yuste | From 4 to 6 July 2023

Royal power celebrated a varied range of both public and private parties in 16^th and 17^th century Europe, which in appearance could be considered a mere entertainment destined to provoke the senses of the spectators; but parties did not consist in mere amusement, instead, they were fundamentally an effective means of propaganda and display of the monarchy, which guided the desires of both the courtiers themselves and the people.

The history of the construction of the “Modern State” (15^th-17^th centuries) has in recent years been giving priority to the notion of political ritual and, consequently, behaviour in the court. In this edition of the worlds of Charles V, we are interested in analysing the behaviours and attitudes of the members of the various courts and courtly societies that the monarchy generated, through an everyday activity as parties may be, but which have, however, been forgotten documents or have not been sufficiently addressed by history, though they are very rich examples of ways of thinking or worldview. The contributions that from literature and art contribute to know the courtly worldview with a strong classicist imprint cannot be overlooked.

The viceregal Courts of America moved the multiple manifestations of the political and festive ritual, musical theatre, masquerades and street processions to their territories. The latter included parades with allegorical carts including dancers and musicians, in order to make the figure of the king be present and keep the loyalty to the crown alive, which reveals the way of thinking, behaving and organisation of the viceregal court society to us. In this field it is also relevant to mention a whole series of games and public shows where the people indulged in their individual and collective joy and recreation and whose purpose was mere amusement.