Falcons brought from Mallorca to Perpignan

[Falconry - Jaume III of Mallorca]. Invoice document (albarán) for falconry expenses.

€ 18.000,00

An account of expenses incurred by Arnau (Arnaldo) Arracha, a footman at the royal residence of Bellver Castle near Palma, while transferring several falcons to Perpignan in southern France and during his return to Mallorca. The document was drawn up for the treasury of King Jaume III of Mallorca, headed by Pere (Pedro) Burguès.

The falcons' journey to Perpignan included stops in San Feliu de Guixols, on the northern coast of Catalonia, and Colliure in France. The foodstuffs purchased for this journey are listed as wine, salted meat, and cheeses, as well as meat for the falcons, ropes and cages. From Girona to Perpignan, Arracha travelled on horseback, and his expenses for wine, horseshoes, shoes, paper, etc. are itemized: "Memòria al senyor en Pere Burguès, thesaurer, que li fa Arnau Arracha, servent del castel de Belver, per l’anada de Rocelló ab los falcons al senyor rey [...] Primerament, comprà aquel dia meteys pa per metre a la mar per sos optes, 4 s. Ítem, comprà 1 bota ab lo vi, que costà 5 s. Ítem, comprà carn salada, que costà 2 s. 4 d. Ítem, costaren formages per despensa 1 s. Soma, 12 s. malorchins [...] Ítem, costà carn a Sent Feliu ad ops dels falcons, 2 s. 5 d. Ítem, costaren los falcons a trer de la mar, 1 s. Ítem, costaren cordes a ligar les gàbies, 8 d. Ítem, costaren los bastays de beure, qui portaren los falcons de Coqliure a Perpenyà, 1 s. Soma, 5 s. 1 d. barcelonès [...]". While no year is stated, June 12th was a Saturday ("disapte", or dissabte) in 1322, 1333, 1339 and 1344. A separate second leaf contains the account of various additional expenses incurred by Jaume (Jaime) Miafré, some in Sineu (Mallorca).

Written in Mallorcan, a dialectal variant of Catalan, in a scribal hand, on cotton paper manufactured in Mallorca by Arab paper makers. Under Muslim rule from 903 until 1229, Mallorca ("Mayurqa") had formed one of the Eastern Islands of al-Andalus ("al-jaza'ir al-sharqiya li-l-andalus"). The art of papermaking, long mastered by the Arabs, had reached the southern Spain only in the 12th century through the Muslim conquest, at a time when most of western Europe still favoured vellum as a writing material. The Arab tradition of papermaking is still evident in this early 14th century insular specimen.

An extraordinarily rare survival in excellent state of preservation. Includes full transcription.