Hospitaller Legal Disputes in Thirteenth-Century Valencia
Abstract
This thesis analyzes the legal proceedings of two Hospitaller disputes, which occurred in thirteenth-century postconquest Valencia. Chapter two focused on al243 arbitration between the Hospitallers and the Valencian diocese represented by its bishop, Arnau de Peralta. The Hospitallers prompted the 1243 dispute by refusing to pay any ecclesiastical taxes to the bishop from the five Hospitaller-controlled parish churches; but the various issues debated in the arbitration, such as the tithe, burial fees, visitation responsibilities and appointment of rectors, reflect a larger conflict within the catholic church—the integration of regular and secular clergy within the diocesan structure. Chapter three examined a series of legal conflicts in northern Valencia between the Hospitallers and the Cistercian monastery of Benifassa. The dispute lasted some twenty years, as the neighboring orders quarreled over the ownership of and rights to the small village of Rosell, which was located on the boundary between these landholdings. A close analysis of these cases provides information on the Hospitaller's activities in the region; demonstrates the Order's considerable influence with secular and ecclesiastical authorities; indicates ecclesiastical interactions with lay persons; and reveals the Order's attempts to integrate itself within the diocesan structure.