History of Spain (E2)
This is a factitious manuscript produced during the reign of Alfonso XI, between 1321 and 1344, probably by Fernán Sánchez of Valladolid, a court official. It was designed to continue the still incomplete historical account begun by Alfonso X, taking it up to the death of Ferdinand III.
It therefore includes material from different reigns: the two books of the Estoria de España written during the reign of Alfonso X that were not incorporated into the Alfonsine codex, together with the enlarged version produced during the reign of Sancho IV and, lastly, new material written in the fourteenth century.
This is a large-format manuscript illuminated with two interesting depictions of court scenes. The first, on folio 1v, is unfinished and corresponds to the reign of Alfonso XI. It shows the enthroned monarch with a sword and an orb, flanked by two men-at-arms. The second, on folio 23r, dates from the period of Sancho IV. It features an enthroned king bearing a sceptre and orb and flanked by other members of the court, imitating the compositional parameters of Alfonso X's manuscripts.
The manuscript displays many annotations, flourishes and reading marks, as it was widely consulted. It was used by Ramón Menéndez Pidal together with the Alfonsine codex of the Estoria de España (Ms. Y-I-2) for his edition of the Primera crónica general de España [First General Chronicle of Spain].