Dylan Warnasiri, FCLC 2024

MAJOR: History and Medieval Studies

BIO: Dylan Warnasiri is a Senior double majoring in Medieval Studies and History and is a commuter from New Jersey. Possessing a passion for medieval history, his areas of interest include medieval Iberia, canon law, ecclesiastical history and history of minorities in medieval Europe. He hopes to combine his interests in history and the legal profession in the future.

PROJECT TITLE: Crown and Tiara: An Instance of Papal-Royal Collusion in Combating Noble Prerogatives in Thirteenth-Century Portugal

MENTOR: Dr. Elizabeth Comuzzi, Department of History

ABSTRACT: Most historians of medieval Iberia focus on subjects such as the Spanish kingdoms’ development, both political and economic, but also their inter-religious interactions. There has been less scholarly attention, particularly by Anglophone scholars, on the Kingdom of Portugal’s growth, and particularly its religious issues and papal relations. This thesis examines the collaboration between King Denis of Portugal and Pope Nicholas IV to reduce the nobility’s rights over monasteries and other church properties. By looking at a papal letter dated in 1289, which Pope Nicholas addressed to King Denis, the main subject is patrimonial rights and abuses. The conclusion is that nobles' rights and customs encroach on both royal and ecclesiastical jurisdictions. I take this letter’s contents and contextualize it with Denis’ legislative actions and the papacy’s legal history, canonical texts, and registers. Through this contextualization, it reveals the growing assertion of power by the Portuguese crown and the papacy, which allows for a collaborative effort, and fits with Denis’ subsequent legislation on nobles’ holdings. Thus, medieval kingdoms and the papacy's centralization efforts find a medieval Portuguese case study.