Between politics and mourning: consolatory letters to King John III and Catherina of Austria (1545-1557)

Abstract

This article analyses some consolatory letters to king John III of Portugal and his wife Catherine of Austria between the years of 1545 and 1557. The purpose was to help people through mourning to overcome the loss of their loved ones and face death as an expression of God’s will. They will be analysed from a double perspective: first, the ways they faced changes during mourning, in an emotional sense of self-control; second, we shall focus on their political symbolism, as they appeal to the monarch’s virtues and dignity deemed indispensable to the rule over his/her subjects. By consoling royalty, such letters would also aim at the political community, sharing security and stability in times of crises.