Captives and Their Saviors in the Medieval Crown of Aragon

Acknowledgments

Ac knowledgments The writing of any large scholarly work is typically a group effort, and although the author does the bulk of the labor, without assistance from institutions, colleagues, friends, and family, the work would never come to fruition and the pleasures of undertaking it would be considerably diminished . This book is no different. Over the last years, I have come to know some remarkable individuals and have received help from unexpected quarters, which it is now my pleasure to acknowledge. Even with all this assistance, readers will still find errors or omissions in the following pages; these are solely my responsibility. Princeton University, the history department in particular , was incredibly generous in funding and overall academic assistance, ranging from my graduate fellowship to funds from the Hanna Grant to the always welcomed summer stipend given by the graduate school. Money from the Mellon Foundation, the Rollins Prize, the Princeton University Center for Human Values, and the Mrs. Giles Whiting Foundation has also been very helpful. A Fulbright Fellowship, supplemented by a research grant from the Spanish Ministry of Culture, allowed my wife and me to spend a wonderful year in Spain doing the bulk of the archival research. My current institution, San Francisco State University, has also been very kind in its fivii nancial assistance with numerous course release grants. I would also like to thank the University of Miami (Florida), where I received my first graduate degree—as well as undergraduate—for its support while I was a student there. The staffs at Firestone, John Paul Leonard, and Richter libraries as well as the archivists at the Arxiu de la Corona d’Aragó, the Arxiu Diocesà de Barcelona , the Arxiu Històric de la Ciutat de Barcelona, and the Arxiu Històric de Protocols de Barcelona were always courteous, professional , and efficient, and through their competence and expertise my job was made much easier. I would also like to thank David McGonagle, Theresa Walker, Robin DuBlanc, and the staff at the Catholic University of America Press for their assistance. This book has been considerably enriched by the input and advice of William Bonds, James Brodman, Sarah Curtis, Andrew Graybill, Father Joseph Gross, Richard Hoffman, Barbara Loomis , Christopher MacEvitt, Jaclyn Maxwell, Kevin Mummey, Eva Sheppard-Wolf, David Silverman, Larry Simon, Jules Tygiel, Kevin Uhalde, Amanda Wunder, and the anonymous readers who have read parts or all of this manuscript. I have been incredibly fortunate to have come under the tutelage of some magnificent teachers: Peter Brown, Ken Mills, Guido Ruggiero, Teo Ruiz, and Hugh Thomas. Echoing the words of his other students, it is impossible to quantify what William Jordan has taught me, first as my advisor and now as my friend, but the careful reader will recognize his suggestions, influence, and supervision in the pages that follow. Finally, this book would have never been started, much less finished, without the love, sacrifice, and encouragement of my family and friends. My parents, siblings, grandparents, in-laws, friends, and my family in Spain have always been there to remind me that I am a very fortunate person and that there is an exciting, fulfilling, and love-filled world beyond research, writing, and teaching. In particular, my life has been enriched by the love and support of two remarkable women: my mothA C K NOWLEDG M ENTS viii er, Mariblanca, and my wife, Claudia. Their sacrifices for this book have been greater than mine, and it is to them that I dedicate it. An early draft of chapter 6 first appeared in Medieval Encounters 9 (2003) as “Financing a Captive’s Ransom in Late Medieval Aragon.” It was originally published by Koninklijke Brill N.V. and is reprinted with permission. A C K NOWLEDG M ENTS ix y ...