Von der Schwierigkeit, alles anders als der Vater zu machen. Worte, Werke, amt und “Selbst” im Llibre dels Fets Königs Jakobs von Aragón (1213–1276)

The fact that James I of Aragón’s (1213-1276) father does not come off particularly well in his autobiographical Llibre dels fets is known. But how was it possible at all, considered from a contemporary perspective, to criticize the father who did, nonetheless, legitimize the royal power of the son? One explanation lies, as is argued, in the invention of the royal office which allows differentiating between position and person: as successor to the office, the son remained untouched by the personal moral defects of his father. Seen in this way, the idea of royal office made it possible for James to interpret rulership and “self”in contrast to the father, and to record this interpretation in the Llibre dels fets. Finally, this Aragonese concept of royal office and its connections to the “self” is contrasted with other European models of thirteenth-century rulership.