The ''Códice de Roda'' or ''Códice de Meyá'' (Roda or Meyá codex) is a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

manuscript that represents a unique source for details of the 9th and early 10th century Kingdom of Navarre and neighbouring principalities. It is currently held in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...

as Real Academia de la Historia MS 78.García Villada (1928) The codex is thought to date from the late 10th century, although there are additions from the 11th century, and it was compiled in Navarre, perhaps at

Nájera Nájera () is a small town, former bishopric and now Latin Catholic titular see, former capital of the Kingdom of Navarre, located in the "Rioja Alta" region of La Rioja, northern Spain, on the river Najerilla. Nájera is a stopping point on the F ...

, written in a

Visigothic The Visigoths (; la, Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, Wisi) were an early Germanic people who, along with the Ostrogoths, constituted the two major political entities of the Goths within the Roman Empire in late antiquity, or what is kno ...

minuscule Letter case is the distinction between the letters that are in larger uppercase or capitals (or more formally ''majuscule'') and smaller lowercase (or more formally ''minuscule'') in the written representation of certain languages. The writing ...

in several different hands with cursive marginal notes. It is , and contains 232

folio The term "folio" (), has three interconnected but distinct meanings in the world of books and printing: first, it is a term for a common method of arranging sheets of paper into book form, folding the sheet only once, and a term for a book ma ...

s. The manuscript appears to have been housed at Nájera in the 12th century, and later in the archives of the cathedral at

Roda de Isábena Roda de Isábena is a village in the municipality of Isábena, in the region of Ribagorza, in the province of Huesca, Spain. It was the capital of the county of Ribagorza and site of a diocese, the reason why the Romanesque Cathedral of Rod ...

at the end of the 17th century. In the next century, it was acquired by the prior of Santa María de Meyá, passing into private hands, after which only copies and derivative manuscripts were available to the scholarly community until the rediscovery of the original manuscript in 1928.Lacarra (1945) The codex includes copies of well-known

ancient Ancient history is a time period from the beginning of writing and recorded human history to as far as late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the Sumerian cuneiform script. Ancient history cov ...

and

texts, as well as unique material. The first two-thirds of the compilation reproduces a single work,

Paulus Orosius Paulus Orosius (; born 375/385 – 420 AD), less often Paul Orosius in English, was a Roman priest, historian and theologian, and a student of Augustine of Hippo. It is possible that he was born in ''Bracara Augusta'' (now Braga, Portugal), th ...

' ''Seven Books of History Against the Pagans''. Also notable are Isidore of Seville's '' History of the Goths, Vandals and Suebi'', the ''

Chronica prophetica The ''Chronica Prophetica'' ("Prophetic Chronicle") is an anonymous medieval Latin chronicle written by a Christian in April 883 at or near the court of Alfonso III of Asturias in Oviedo. It uses the dating system of the Spanish Era and is essent ...

'', the '' Historia de Melchisedech'' the '' Storia de Mahometh'', the '' Tultusceptru de libro domni Metobii'' and a

genealogy of Jesus The New Testament provides two accounts of the genealogy of Jesus, one in the Gospel of Matthew and another in the Gospel of Luke. Matthew starts with Abraham, while Luke begins with Adam. The lists are identical between Abraham and David, but ...

. Unique items include a lists of

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

rulers and of the Christian kings of

Asturias Asturias (, ; ast, Asturies ), officially the Principality of Asturias ( es, Principado de Asturias; ast, Principáu d'Asturies; Galician-Asturian: ''Principao d'Asturias''), is an autonomous community in northwest Spain. It is coextensiv ...

– León, Navarre and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, a chronicle of the Kingdom of Navarre, the '' Chronicle of Alfonso III'', a necrology of the bishops of Pamplona and the '' De laude Pampilone epistola''. It also includes a chant in honour of an otherwise unknown Leodegundia Ordóñez,

Queen of Navarre This is a list of the kings and queens of kingdom of Pamplona, Pamplona, later kingdom of Navarre, Navarre. Pamplona was the primary name of the kingdom until its union with Kingdom of Aragon, Aragon (1076–1134). However, the territorial desig ...

. Despite this diversity of material, the manuscript is perhaps best known for its genealogies of the dynasties ruling on both sides of the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to ...

.Lacarra (1992) The genealogies in the Roda Codex have played a critical role in interpreting the scant surviving historical record of the dynasties covered. The family accounts span as many as five generations, ending in the first half of the 10th century. These include the Íñiguez and Jiménez rulers of

Pamplona Pamplona (; eu, Iruña or ), historically also known as Pampeluna in English, is the capital city of the Chartered Community of Navarre, in Spain. It is also the third-largest city in the greater Basque cultural region. Lying at near above ...

, the counties of Aragon,

Sobrarbe Sobrarbe is one of the comarcas of Aragon, Spain. It is located in the northern part of the province of Huesca, part of the autonomous community of Aragon in Spain. Many of its people speak the Aragonese language locally known as ''fabla''. Th ...

, Ribagorza, Pallars,

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Pa ...

and the duchy of Gascony. It has recently been suggested that these genealogies, reminiscent of the work of

Ibn Hazm Abū Muḥammad ʿAlī ibn Aḥmad ibn Saʿīd ibn Ḥazm ( ar, أبو محمد علي بن احمد بن سعيد بن حزم; also sometimes known as al-Andalusī aẓ-Ẓāhirī; 7 November 994 – 15 August 1064Ibn Hazm. ' (Preface). Tr ...

, were prepared in an Iberian Muslim context in the

Ebro , name_etymology = , image = Zaragoza shel.JPG , image_size = , image_caption = The Ebro River in Zaragoza , map = SpainEbroBasin.png , map_size = , map_caption = The Ebro ...

valley and passed to Navarre at the time the codex was compiled.

Detailed contents

The codex consists of the following texts, listed by their

rubric A rubric is a word or section of text that is traditionally written or printed in red ink for emphasis. The word derives from the la, rubrica, meaning red ochre or red chalk, and originates in Medieval illuminated manuscripts from the 13th cen ...

s: * fols 1r–155r:

' ''Seven Books of History Against the Pagans''Carlos Villamarín (2011), pp. 121–122 *fols 156r–177r: Isidore of Seville's '' History of the Goths, Vandals and Suebi'' interspersed with his ''Chronica Maiora'', with the history of the Vandals and Suebi (156r–159r) preceding the ''Chronica'' (159r–167r) and that of the Goths (167r–177r)Millares Carlo (1999), no. 210, at pp. 139–142 *fol. 177r–v: ''Item in Alexander'', an excerpt from the ''

Apocalypse of Pseudo-Methodius Written in Syriac in the late seventh century, the ''Apocalypse of Pseudo-Methodius'' shaped and influenced Christian eschatological thinking in the Middle Ages.Griffith (2008), p. 34.Debié (2005) p. 228.Alexander (1985) p. 13.Jackson (2001) p. ...

''Tischler 2021, pp. 288ff. *fols 178r–185v: '' Chronicle of Alfonso III'', specifically, the version known as the ''Rotense'' *fol. 185v: '' Tultusceptru de libro domni Metobii'' *fols 186r–189v: ''

'', a group of Mozarabic traditions on Muslim rule in Spain and its eventual decline: :*fol. 186r: ''Dicta de Ezecielis profeta'' :*fol. 187r: ''Genealogia Sarracenorum'' :*fols 187r–188r: '' Storia de Mahometh'' :*fol. 188v: ''Ratio Sarracenorum de sua ingressione in Spania'' :*fols 188v–189r: ''De Goti qui remanserint civitates Ispaniensis'' :*fol. 189r: ''Hii sunt duces Arabum qui regnaverunt in Spania'' :*fol. 189r: ''Item reges qui regnaberunt in Spania ex origine Ismaelitarum Beniumeie'' :*fol. 189r–v: ''Remanent usque ad diem sancti Martini''Furtado (2016), p. 76–77 *fol. 189v: '' Nomina regum catholicorum Legionensium'', a list of the kings of León *fol. 190r–v: '' De laude Pampilone epistola''Lacarra (1945), pp. 202–203 *fols 191r–194r: a group of Pyrenean genealogies: :*fol. 191r–v: ''Ordo numerum regum Pampilonensium'', the kings of Pamplona :*fols 191v–192r: ''Item alia parte regum'' :*fol. 192r–v: ''Item genera comitum Aragonensium'', the

counts of Aragon Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility.L. G. Pine, Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty'' ...

:*fol. 192v: ''Item nomina comitum Paliarensium'', the counts of Pallars :*fol. 192v: ''Item nomina comitum Guasconiensium'', the counts of Gascony :*fol. 192v: ''Item nomina comitum Tolosanesium'', the

counts of Toulouse The count of Toulouse ( oc, comte de Tolosa, french: comte de Toulouse) was the ruler of Toulouse during the 8th to 13th centuries. Originating as vassals of the Frankish kings, the hereditary counts ruled the city of Toulouse and its surroundin ...

*fol. 193r–v: ''Nomina imperatorum qui christianis persequuti sunt'', an account of the persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire, including a list of persecuting Roman emperorsRuiz García (1997), pp. 398–399 *fol. 193v: ''Nomina sanctorum qui in arcibo Toletano repperta sunt'', an account of saints venerated in the

diptych A diptych (; from the Greek δίπτυχον, ''di'' "two" + '' ptychē'' "fold") is any object with two flat plates which form a pair, often attached by hinge. For example, the standard notebook and school exercise book of the ancient world w ...

s of the church of Toledo *fol. 193v: ''Nomina Sebigotorum'', a list of kings of the Visigoths *fol. 194r: ''De origine Romanorum'' *fol. 194r–v: ''De reges Francorum'', a genealogy of the kings of France *fol. 195r: ''Agnoscamus generationes quod processerunt a Noe'', a

Furtado (2020), p. 66 *fol. 195r–v: ''De fabrica mundi'', a Pseudo-Isidorean poem *fols 195v–196r: Isidore's ''De laude Spaniae'', a poem in praise of Spain *fol. 196r–v: a series of texts drawn from the ''

Chronica Albeldense The ''Codex Vigilanus'' or ''Codex Albeldensis'' (Spanish: ''Códice Vigilano'' or ''Albeldense'') is an illuminated compilation of various historical documents accounting for a period extending from antiquity to the 10th century in Hispania. ...

'' under the rubrics ''Exquisitio Spaniaee'', ''De septem miracula'' and ''De proprietatibus gentium'' *fol. 196v: ''De LXXII generationes linguarum'' plus a short statement that begins ''Item de uitulorum carnibus'' *fols 197r–198r: drawings of Babylon, Nineveh and Toledo with the short text ''Historia de Octaviano et Septemsidero'' *fol. 198r: ''De laude Hispaniae'', a poem in praise of Spain *fols 198v–207r: ''Genealogia Christi'', with the text ''De orbe terre'' and a

T and O map A T and O map or O–T or T–O map (''orbis terrarum'', orb or circle of the lands; with the letter T inside an O), also known as an Isidoran map, is a type of early world map that represents the physical world as first described by the 7th-ce ...

inserted at fols 200v–201r *fols 207v–208r: ''De sexta etate seculi'' *fols 208r–209r: ''Ordo annorum mundi'' *fol. 209r–v: ''De natiuitate et passione et resurrectione Domini'' *fols 209v–210r: ''De fine mundi'' *fol. 210v: ''De natura diaboli'', an excerpt from

Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North A ...

's '' City of God'' *fol. 210v: two short texts entitled ''Interrogatio'' and ''De Christo'' *fol. 211r: ''De ordinibus angelorum'' *fol. 211r: ''Numerus legionum'' with a table *fol. 211v: ''Item sanctus Augustinus'', an excerpt from Augustine's ''De Genesi ad litteram'' *fol. 211v: excerpts from

Jerome Jerome (; la, Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος Σωφρόνιος Ἱερώνυμος; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was a Christian priest, confessor, theologian, and historian; he is co ...

and Isidore *fol. 212r: ''De sepulcro Domini'', an excerpt from Smaragdus of Saint-Mihiel's ''Collectiones'' *fol. 212v: ''Unde factus est corpus de Adam'' *fol. 212v: ''Liber generationum'' *fol. 213v: ''De sex peccatis'' *fols 214r–215r: ''Item de cognitio ciuitas Ierusalem'', an abridged version of the '' De situ terrae sanctae'' *fols 215r–216r: '' Item Dicta de Melcisethec''Gil (1971), pp. 173–176. *fols 216v–217r: ''De natibitate Sancte Marie'', a text on the

nativity of Mary The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Nativity of Mary, the Marymas or the Birth of the Virgin Mary, refers to a Christian feast day celebrating the birth of Mary, mother of Jesus. The modern canon of scripture does not record Mary's bi ...

drawn from the ''

Gospel of James The Gospel of James (or the Protoevangelium of James) is a second-century infancy gospel telling of the miraculous conception of the Virgin Mary, her upbringing and marriage to Joseph, the journey of the couple to Bethlehem, the birth of Jesus, a ...

'', is crossed out with a marginal note identifying it as

apocrypha Apocrypha are works, usually written, of unknown authorship or of doubtful origin. The word ''apocryphal'' (ἀπόκρυφος) was first applied to writings which were kept secret because they were the vehicles of esoteric knowledge considered ...

l (''apogrifum'') *fols 217r–222r: two creedal formulae, ''Iterum de beata Maria'' (217r) and ''Item de sancta Trinitate'' (217v–222r) *fols 222r–225r: ''Conlatio Trinitatis sancti Agustini ad semetipsum'' *fols 225r–230v: ''Iterum dehinc domini Isidori dicit ad Trinitatem brebiter collecta'', a treatise on the Trinity ascribed to Isidore *fol. 231r: ''De Pampilona'' *fol. 231r: ''Initium regnum Pampilonam'' *fol. 231v: ''Necrologium episcopale Pampilonense'' *fol. 232r–v: ''Versi domna Leodegundia regina'', the earliest surviving European

epithalamium An epithalamium (; Latin form of Greek ἐπιθαλάμιον ''epithalamion'' from ἐπί ''epi'' "upon," and θάλαμος ''thalamos'' nuptial chamber) is a poem written specifically for the bride on the way to her marital chamber. This form ...

with music

References

;Citations ;Bibliography *Helena de Carlos Villamarín, "El Códice de Roda (Madrid, BRAH 78) como compilación de voluntad historiografica", ''Edad Media. Rev. Hist.'', 12:119–142 (2011). *Rodrigo Furtado
"The ''Chronica Prophetica'' in MS. Madrid, RAH Aem. 78,"
in L. Cristante and V. Veronesi, eds., ''Forme di accesso al sapere in età tardoantica e altomedievale'', 6:75–100 (2016). *Rodrigo Furtado, "Emulating Neighbours in Medieval Iberia around 1000: A Codex from La Rioja (Madrid, RAH, cód. 78)," in Kim Bergqvist, Kurt Villads Jensen and Anthony John Lappin, eds., ''Conflict and Collaboration in Medieval Iberia'' (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2020). pp. 43–72. *Zacarías García Villada, "El códice de Roda recuperado," ''Revista de Filología Española'' 15:113–130 (1928). *Juan Gil Fernández, "Textos olvidados del Códice de Roda," ''Habis'' 2:165–178 (1971). *José María Lacarra. "Textos navarros del Códice de Roda," ''Estudios de Edad Media de la Corona de Aragón'', 1:194–283 (1945). article without accompanying genealogical charts
*José María Lacarra
"Las Genealogías del Códice de Roda,"
''Medievalia'', 10:213–216 (1992). *Agustín Millares Carlo
''Corpus de códices visigóticos'', Vol. 1: Estudios
(Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 1999). *Elisa Ruiz García, ''Catálogo de la sección de códices de la Real Academia de la Historia'' (Madrid, 1997). *Matthias M. Tischler, "Spaces of ‘Convivencia’ and Spaces of Polemics Transcultural Historiography and Religious Identity in the Intellectual Landscape of the Iberian Peninsula, Ninth to Tenth Centuries", in

Walter Pohl Walter Pohl (born 27 December 1953, in Vienna) is an Austrian historian who is Professor of Auxiliary Sciences of History and Medieval History at the University of Vienna. He is a leading member of the Vienna School of History. Biography Walter ...

and Daniel Mahoney, eds., ''Historiography and Identity IV: Writing History Across Medieval Eurasia'' (Brepols, 2021), pp. 275–305. *{{emc1, John Wreglesworth, Crónica profetica, 400

External links

Digital images of the ''Códice de Roda''
Iberian chronicles 10th-century manuscripts 10th-century Latin books Medieval genealogies and succession lists 10th-century Latin writers