Cantigas de Santa Maria
 
Date Description Source Reference
13th century. Top left panel. 

Four white bell tents with; red three lobed apexes on a gold ball on three of them and on the fourth tent a red ball and apron, there are two guy ropes extending from each attachment point from the roof line and just above the bottom edge of the tent. The bell tent in the fore ground shows a red pole with four horizontal lines close together which could indicate the joining sleave, and a blue inner lining. On the rear tent’s roof are three heraldic shields (round bottomed heaters, partitioned “Barry dancetty”, Argent, Azure) which are the same device as the standard, the rear tent also appears to have a blue lining. It appears that one chap is using a wooden mallet to drive the pegs into the ground. 

Bottom right panel. 

Six white bell tents, with the same guy rope configuration as the tents in the top left panel of this ms, four of the tents have three lobed apexes, one of which sits atop a ball in turn on a oval shape, the other two tents have ball apexes, all with red aprons. The front tent has a blue inner lining, the red pole has two dark horizontal lines with the section between a gold colour, indicating the join. 

“A scene from the Chronicle of Alfonso X of Castile showing Christians and Arabs in Battle.” MAS, Barcelona. 

“Christians versus Moors in Spain: Moors scout a city, then attack and surround a Christian force bearing crosses and the image of the Virgin, who fight their way free.” 

p. 391, “Christians and Moors fighting (‘Cantigas de Santa Maria’, Spanish, 13th century, Monastery of the Escorial, Madrid.” 

p. 400, “Arxiu Mas, Barcelona.” 

Humble, R., Warfare in the Middle Ages, London, 1989, p. 2 & 97. 

Hallam, E., Ed., Chronicles of the Crusades, Eyewitness Accounts of the Wars between Christianity and Islam, New Jersey, 1997, p. 47.

Link to picture of replica

Link to more information:

The Cantigas de Santa Maria

Other work by Alfonso X El Sabio
 
The Book of Chess, Dice, and Board Games
(El Libro de Juegos: los libros de ajedrex, dados e tablas)



The illumination may in fact come from Cantigas de Alfonso el Sabio ( The Songs of Alfonso the Wise).

This page was last updated on the 5th April 2001

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