El emblema de la banda entre la identidad dinástica y la pugna política en la Castilla bajomedieval (c. 1330-1419)

Abstract

this paper examines the evolution of the emblem of the Band from its chivalric origins in times of alfonso XI (1313-1350) until its consolidation as the divi- se of the trastámara dynasty. By combining the results of the historical-philological, heraldry and artistic research, we provide a comprehensive explanation of this sign in the successive contexts –marked by succession crises and the consolidation of royal power– that determined its emblematic development. Endowed by alfonso XI with his own textual architecture, mythology and rich iconography, the Band is tinted by legitimists connotations during the conflict between Peter I and Henry of trastámara (1366-1369). the new dynasty took up this sign as a key element of its visual repre- sentation and discourse of monarchic construction in a court divided by the struggle between parties that politicized a sign that was in constant transformation.