El uso de los ancestros por la aristocracia castellana: el caso de los Ayala

Abstract

At the end of the fourteenth century, the genealogical tale written by Fernán Pérez de Ayala ahout his own family helped to create the patterns of the mythical ancestors in the castilian Kingdom. The author configurated the biography of the founder with the folowings characters. added to a traditional background: the royal origin, the relationships with the kings of Castile and Aragon, the active role in the fight against the Spanish muslíms and the fame of sanctity. A century after, the diffusion of this tale by other genealogists brought together sorne important transformations. On the other hand, the kinship continues to use the original text to vindicate the proud's family.