The Illuminated Codex Book of Franchises and Privileges of the Kingdom of Majorca (Arxiu del Regne de Mallorca, cod.1): Portraits of the King under His Subjects’ Gaze

This study analyses the miniatures representing royal portraits in the Book of Franchises and Privileges of the Kingdom of Majorca (ARM, codex num. 1). This codex was commissioned in1334 by the jurats, on behalf of the Universitas of the city and kingdom of Majorca, an organism which represented the body of inhabitants under royal rule. It differs from other codices covering similar legal matters, in its extension and sumptuous pictorial program, in the specific way the monarchs are portrayed and in the symbolic value bestowed upon it by its addressees. The miniatures represent the kings on the action of swearing in the continuity of the privileges that their predecessors had granted the citizens of the Kingdom of Majorca. These images were created based on common iconographic models in their geographical context, even though some significant elements were added to them. The royal portraits, with variations, refer precisely to the same episode: when each new king vowed to maintain the privileges that their predecessors had granted to their subjects. These miniatures portray the king the way the subjects wanted him to be.