Maria Ximenez, Pedro de Barcelos e um cantar de escárnio de Estevam da Guarda

Abstract

The second marriage of Pedro Afonso, Count of Barcelos (king Dinis of Portugal'sillegitimate son) was since its early days shadowed by a controversial question involvingthe Count's wife, the Aragonese Maria Ximenes Cornel. There was admittedly a libelagainst Maria Ximenes, but its content is yet to become clear. Several clues wererecently put forward that, together with previous information, may provide someenlightenment to the situation. In fact, we came to consider that the accusationformulated against the Count's wife is mirrored in the theme of a satirical song byEstevam da Guarda, where the "trovador" blames a certain "donzela" for her reticencein maintaining an intimate relationship with her husband. It is a strong possibility thatthe targeted "donzela" is none other than Maria Ximenez herself.