Voto de Santiago

Voto de Santiago (German: Jakob vows ) is generally the name given to the vows Asturian kings, in which they asked the apostle James to support or mediation in their concerns with God. Gave to redemption or donated them to the Promised one the Apostle James connected device, usually of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.

Specifically, it refers to the vow which should have passed on the occasion of the battle of Clavijo, the Asturian King Ramiro I., and a levy that resulted from the vows. Below this special vows and the discharge to be treated.

Content

In the deed the king Ramiro be subject to the following statements: Some of his ( unnamed ) predecessors had not fought out of laziness and neglect of duty against the Muslims, but bought peace by an annual tribute payment. This tribute, the tribute was first mentioned here of the one hundred virgins, was made up of hundreds of Christian virgins, 50 and 50 from the nobility of the people who had been handed over to the Muslims. He, Ramiro, have refused to pay tribute and chosen to fight. First, his army had been routed and had then collected again at Clavijo. (Santiago), where he was the holy Apostle James appeared as the patron saint of Spain in a dream and promised him for the battle to come help. The next morning the Christian troops were drawn with the cry, "Help us, O God, and Holy Jacob! " In the fight and had won, where the Apostle was self- published as a knight on a white horse. 70 000 enemies had fallen. To thank Ramiro had afterwards the Jacob church in Santiago granted an annual payment, which was to be paid as a general release of all Christians in the Empire.

History of the votos

As a place of vow Calahorra is called. The payment included to assign the first income from fields and vineyards as well as a part of the booty from the conflicts with the Moors to the Cathedral of Santiago. The levy was initially for the Christian subjects of the kingdoms of Asturias, León and Castile, and later to the Rioja and Navarra in, she was also paid to the church tithe.

On July 25, 1643 renewed and institutionalized as a national levy on the occasion of the day Jacob Voto de Santiago by Philip IV (Spain ), the Cortes de Cádiz is conceded in 1812 as well as other privileges of the old system, the Antiguo Régimen.

Franco restored the Jacobean patronage and the Voto in the Spanish Civil War, complaining of Santiago protection for its troops and led his success at the Battle of Brunete on July 25, 1937 on the intervention of the Apostle back. The patronage is continued since then until today, is stated in an annual religious act in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. At this exhibition, the Spanish king takes part personally or on behalf of a high public official ( Crown Prince, Minister ).

Source location

The battle report can be found in the book De rebus Hispaniae of Bishop Rodrigo Jiménez de Rada, in which it describes the history of the Iberian peninsula until 1243.

Jiménez de Rada based his going on an allegedly by King Ramiro issued after the victory in Clavijo on May 25, 844 certificate, the Privilegio de votos. This document was about the middle of the 12th century by Cardinal Pedro Marcio - falsified in Santiago de Compostela and is the source of the 9th century without value - clergyman at the site to favor the church. Herbers assumes that there has been a real Privilegio, but issued by Ramiro II, limited to the Galician - Leonese Kingdom and not to a battle Help Jakobi. The representations of the forged document was adopted in the 13th century except by Jiménez de Rada by the chronicler Lucas of Tui, and subsequently into later historical works, especially in the " Estoria de España " ( Crónica General ).

The Battle of Clavijo to have on May 23, 844 to " Campo de la Matanza " ( battlefield ) occurred at Clavijo. The veracity of that information was discussed at length, however, the Spanish historian Gregorio Mayans and Francisco Cerdá y Rico established in the 18th century realized that the battle like other pious forgeries of Spanish history belongs to the realm of fantasy. The difficult evidence for battle and vows seems due to the different understanding of politics in the Middle Ages problematic only from today's perspective.

The " original" of the charter of Ramiro I in 1543 to have been laid in the course of litigation against the City Pedraza, as it should be submitted in the office of Valladolid. There are several copies, among others that of the monastery Corias in Asturias, it is now preserved in the Biblioteca Nacional de Madrid.

Political and economic relevance

The role of Santiago as the patron saint and the Voto de Santiago learned with their connecting a self- coupling: Who made ​​the delivery, accepted the patron, who accepted the patron, he could not refuse to dispense.

However, the forgery of the votos is also - and perhaps especially - to be seen against the background of the competition between the Bishop cities Toledo and Santiago de Compostela: The young Kingdom of Asturias supported - cut off from the religious center and Metropolitan Seat Toledo - on James as the realm of Sacred and promoted Santiago as a new religious center. With the reconquest of Toledo in 1085 this role had become obsolete. The Voto was therefore an appropriate means to strengthen Santiago, without apparent attack the primacy of Toledo as the seat of the Primate of Spain.

The material advantage from the Voto was remarkable and aroused the desires of other church officials who tried to steer a similar blessing to their institution. So called about Gonzalo de Berceo for the holy Aemilianus the Kopatronat - because this had also intervened in the battle - and for his monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla a similar levy.

Against this background, the committed reaction of the defenders of the Jacobean patronage over Spain is understood as - the support of the country 's population - surfaced idea and requirement to transfer the patronal feast of St. Teresa of Ávila with the change, the charge would have been obsolete and the Compostelaner cathedral chapter one important part of his income deprived.