DEFINITIONS OF IDENTITY AND CONFLICT IN THE MIDDLE AGES. FRONTIER RELATIONSHIPS AMONG THE KINGDOMS OF MURCIA AND VALENCIA IN THE 13TH-16TH CENTURIES

The frontier is a key issue in Medieval Hispanic researche. Traditionally, scholars have pointed out the existence of a Great Frontier (Christian Kingdoms against Islam) and Minor Frontiers (among the Christians). Whereas the majority of the literature focuses on the first one, the second one been ignored or studied only from the perspective of the political and administrative fragmentation. This paper is the relationship between the Crowns of Aragon and Castile, especially in the Southeastern Peninsula region, in the peak of the territorial expansion process (13th and 14th centuries). Beyond accepting the frontier as a mere geographical concept, the borderland represents a space of acculturation and identity creation. Hence this paper treats the grade of defense of cultural issues or the acceptance of other cultures, with the modification and creation of new identity references. The existence of a complex and dynamic society allows us to refuse the idea of a identity as essential or immutable.