La Nobleza en la Ciudad: Arquitectura y Magnificencia a finales de la Edad Media

Abstract

This work analyses the relation between the nobility and the arts at the end of the Middle Ages, an especially significant period due to the changes occurring in each of these areas. on the one hand, the nobility experienced a profound transformation in its forms and membership; on the other, the arts began to be employed as a symbol of power and a means of propaganda. The third element of analysis is the city itself, as the showcase for the nobility to deploy the symbols of social distinction and new models of public display. This work focusses on the cities of Castile during the 15th century (especially Toledo and the Ayala family) and the use of architecture as a useful vehicle for the visualisation of power, thus beginning a process to be consolidated during the Modern Era.