Causa de Fr[ay] Froylan Diaz, confesor q[u]e fue del s[eño]r Carlos [Segund]o

Timespan:

Early works to 1800; Charles II, 1665-1700

Date:

1700

Description:

An account of the case of Froilán Díaz, Dominican friar and Spanish theologian, who ascended to the position of confessor to King Charles II of Spain upon the death of the previous confessor, Pedro Matilla. Díaz, a professor of theology at the University of Alcalá and politically unaligned, found himself at the center of a power struggle for control of the Spanish throne. The case outlines how he took over from Matilla, the almost immediate intrigues against him and plots to overthrown him, and his lengthy and secret imprisonment by the Inquisition while his trial bogged down in a battle over jurisdiction between the Spanish crown and the Vatican. The case ends with his eventual acquittal, restitution to his former position, and the reparation of his lost salary. Of particular interest are the details of Díaz's involvement in efforts to glean insight into the seemingly "bewitched' nature of the physically and mentally impaired king, Charles II, by conducting clairvoyance rituals with individuals supposedly possessed by demons.

Language:

Spanish; Castilian

Provenance:

Formerly owned by Henry Charles Lea (inscription, f.1r, 1889; bookplate laid in).; Lea, Henry Charles, 1825-1909, former owner.

Subject:

Matilla, Pedro; Díaz de los Llanos, Froilán, -1709; Charles II, King of Spain, 1661-1700; Inquisition -- Spain -- Early works to 1800; Demonology -- Spain; Demonology; Inquisition; History

Resource Type:

Text

Form/Genre:

codices (bound manuscripts); biographies (literary genre); Manuscripts, Spanish; Manuscripts, European; manuscripts (documents)

Physical Description:

65 leaves : paper; 290 x 204 (250 x 145) mm

Geographic Subject:

Spain -- History -- Charles II, 1665-1700; Spain

Rights:

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/

Notes:

Ms. codex.; Title from caption title (f. 1r).; For other manuscripts of the case of Froilán Díaz, see Ms. Codex 1363, Ms. Codex 1367 (f. 69r-186v), and Ms. Codex 1452 (f. 174r-235r), Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Pennsylvania.; Foliation: Paper, 65; 1-65; contemporary foliation in ink, upper right recto.; Layout: Written in 28 long lines.; Script: Written in a cursive script.; Watermark: Unidentified watermark consisting of a cross inside an oval, underneath a crown, flanked on either side by a figure, possibly a griffin, and with two circles underneath, the top circle containing the initials S P, and the bottom circle appearing alternately with the Roman numeral I or another unidentified mark; watermark similar to Valls i Subirá, Milà, 594; watermark similar to Valls i Subirá, Llubià, 567.; Binding: Formerly half leather (Zacour-Hirsch), now disbound.; Origin: Probably written in Spain in the 18th century.; Spanish.

Physical Location:

Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, Manuscripts, Oversize Ms. Codex 1362