Over the course of the 11th century, religious components increasingly appeared alongside power-political expansion. The conflicts with the Muslims were stylised as battles against the “non-believers”, anticipating the motives of the later crusades. Rotrou de Perche (d. 1144) fought both in the Iberian Peninsula and in Palestine. He hailed from a border region to Normandy and was married to a natural daughter of Henry I of England. Through his mother, he was distantly related to the king of Aragón. In the early 1120s, Rotrou travelled to Aragón and participated in various military campaigns. He ruled in Tudela, appeared as witness in numerous documents in Aragón, but ultimately returned to Normandy.
Place of origin: Cyprus (?)
Place of repository: Abbey of Santa María de Nogales, León, ca. 1250–1280
Lead and tin alloy, wooden core
Barcelona, Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, Inv. MNAC 044986-000
This box was kept in a monastery in the Kingdom of Leon for a long time. However, it does not show any religious scenes, but rather heavily armed knights and an enthroned and crowned figure on the transverse sides. Iconographically, the box can therefore be located in a courtly-knightly context. The depictions are an expression of a new concept of chivalry that is strongly influenced by the “Reconquista” and changes in military affairs.