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Chapter 1 Page 1

Mr. Pedro Ximénez, by the grace of God and of the
Holy Roman Church, bishop of Badajoz, of the Council of our King
and Queen, collector, commissioner and apostolic executor of the
bulls of the Holy Crusade granted by our very holy Pope
Innocence, for the divine providence of the Eighth Pope in
favour of our King and Queen for adjutorium of the war
that your Highnesses made, make and expect to make,
by sea and overland against the Moors of the kingdom
of Granada, our enemies and of our holy Catholic faith,
as is well-known in the kingdoms of Castile, Aragon and Sicily.
To all the distinguished prelates and all the abbots, priors,
superiors, deans, archdeacons, primary officers, succentors, schoolteachers,
guardians, as well as those from cathedrals, college churches, canons and
parochial churches, rectors and all the archpriests, vicars, clergy, priests and
chaplains and curate and non-curate perpetual beneficiaries and also
any religious orders and other ecclesiastic persons from whatever
church and religion, friars and convents of any order and monasteries
and noble sheriffs (corregidores), mayors and constables, members of
justice, aldermen, gentlemen, squires, officials and councillors and good
men and all other people of whatever condition or dignity or pre-eminence,
to whom the contents concern or might concern. To each of you, in the
name of our Saviour Jesus Christ and our commandments that are truly
apostolic and firmly complied with and obeyed.
As you and everyone well know how our very holy father Innocence VIII,
informed about the huge expenses and substantial dangers and works that
have been undertaken in continuing the holy and just war and how our
King and Queen themselves and with those from their kingdoms and
heir subjects and nationals have diligently at huge expense and work have
continued the said war. Cities, towns, and places have been won in the
forementioned kingdom of Granada and expelling and removing from
power the said unfaithful people, whose temples are rebuilt in God our
Saviour's honour and in our holy Catholic faith, and thus captive
Christians are finally released and redeemed. Once again this year, a new
bull is granted by way of a bull and brief bull with its true lead seal.
Therefore, it is issued, increased and ordered that all bulls and indulgences
should last and prerogatives (sic) and concessions and jubilees and any
other graces, by our very holy father Sixto for the divine providence of
the glorious memory of the fourth Pope and by our very holy father
Innocence, granted and newly confirmed to the holy crusade until
Saint Michael’s Day in September next year in the year fourteen eighty-eight
and wherever in this holy church and city of Toledo where it has been
published and notified. As it has not been possible to present and
publish the new and last bull that your Holiness issued and extended
in some of these cities and villas and places in the above-mentioned
kingdoms because everyone knows of the issuance and extension and
confirmation of the new date, at the request of the treasurers of the
holy crusade, we hereby order that our letter is given for this cause.
We advise and notify you of your news and we inform each of you
of this issuance and extension and confirmation of this bull that
lasts until the said day of Saint Michael next September, as stated.
And from the above-mentioned apostolic authority, we order that
under penalty of censorship, sentences and judgments and curses
contained in these bulls and under penalty of ten thousand maravedís
each of you pay for the holy crusade that you make public and notify
the extension and lengthening and confirmation in your churches and
places. When the above-mentioned treasurers and preachers of the holy
crusade or any of them or whoever is empowered by them, ask for or
request from any of you, that you tell them and feel free and are
unimpeded to preach all the above indulgences, graces and concessions
and everything contained in these bulls, as well as the issuance and
extension that Pope Innocence concedes and grants. The same applies
when any such preachers want to give a sermon about these bulls and
new extension from others involved in the holy crusade. You, together
with your congregation and parishioners at these sermons and preaching,
can state that we order that the day you notify these preachers and
treasurers or any of them that this bull has to enter any cities, towns and
places within these kingdoms and dominions or any of them, that you
come out to receive with your congregation and parishioners with the
cross and ringing the bells. You go out to receive it with solemnity and
obeisance and worship that such a holy crusade can grant in favour of
our holy Catholic faith. This should be received as on the first and second
occasion and as best as you can.
In addition, we order you under sentence of the said censorship, sentences
and judgments under a fine amounting to ten thousand maravedís for the
holy crusade that, from now on, this holy indulgence be received in every
city, town or place where it is shown until the day when it expires in the field.
Keep them and maintain a holiday from any type of work and if in some citiesw
and towns and places there are two or more churches, we hereby order that the
said archpriests, vicars, clergy, priests and chaplains and their lieutenants, together
with their congregation and parishioners go to any church you deem to be
appropriate and necessary to give the aforementioned sermons, according to
which as arranged and ordered by these treasurers or by the preachers or any
of them or by the person or persons empowered to do so. They all provide a
great service for God and for our holy Catholic faith and a service of our King
and Queen and a great refreshment and consolation, health and remedy, to the
souls of the Christian congregation. None of you should even dare do anything
to the contrary, in any other way than to do and comply with this. Anyone who
is contradictory and rebellious or disobedient or a disturber who falls and incurs,
or who might fall or incur, related to the censorship, sentences and judgments
and curses contained in the aforementioned bulls, which we include in these
writings and fulminate in them. If you, they or anyone, according to whom these
bulls are extended and fulminated shall pay a fine of ten thousand maravedís for
the holy crusade.
And to enforce this sentence, we empower the treasurers of the holy crusade
or any of them or whoever they empower or whoever there is, so that you can demand and
enforce them to pay, as stated, and if anyone does not want to comply or obey this
letter or who are obstinate and rebellious, we order you, the aforementioned
archpriests and vicars, priests and clergy to denounce or publicize them, to denounce and
denounce for excommunication, peeling the bells and lighting candles and others.
We hereby order all the sheriffs and members of justices as well as anyone ecclesiastic or
secular, that as required in our letter and order, that you detain the bodies of such
obstructing persons and disturbers and any others who do not or will not obey or comply
with it, that you confiscate their property and roots and at their expense, you securely bring
them and imprison them before us so we can examine the quality of their crimes. We shall
proceed to strive for and enforce these bulls and letters and orders issued by the King and
Queen and in everything we do we shall proceed according to merit and by right, as per
the content and form of these bulls as their implementation so requires. You shall warn
the sheriffs (corregidores) and member of justice that if you do not undertake and comply
with this, we shall proceed against your persons and property. We shall charge you for any
damages and harmful consequences and infringements, which, due to you cause, were
followed and increased the holy crusade. We will also order others to keep ecclesiastic
hold of your persons.
Issued and dated (sic) in Toledo (blank space) day of November,
in the year of the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ fourteen eighty-seven.




Translation by: Kay Leach