The Mercenary Mediterranean_ Sovereignty, Religion, and Violence in the Medieval Crown of Aragon - Hussein Fancy

132 chapter six

Three final stipulations, however, throw their relationship into sharper

relief. Rather than a moment of good faith and agreement, these terms

expose a deep- seated mistrust at the heart of this contract. First, Jaume

insisted that al- ‘Abbās neither allow other jenets to enter his kingdoms

nor hire new soldiers without the consent of the Crown. In short, he

charged these jenets with policing the frontier and preventing raids from

Granada.^82 However paradoxical it may seem, Jaume’s use of these sol-

diers as border guards perfectly expresses their intertwined history: the

service of the jenets for the Crown of Aragon only confirmed and achieved

their exclusion from its communities. These boundary- crossers were also

boundary- makers.

Second, Jaume consented that the jenets could retain any land or cas-

tles that they seized from the king of Granada, a fact that casts a differ-

ent light on al- ‘Abbās’ motivations and his willingness to attack Granada.

Any raids into Muslim territory would ultimately benefit the Ghuzāh un-

der the command of the Banū Raḥḥū and not the Crown. Thus, the strate-

gic alliance against Granada did have its qualifications. Al- ‘Abbās was not

a servant of the king but rather served his own interests and those of the

Ghuzāh who were loyal to the Banū Raḥḥū.

Finally and most curiously, the Crown requested that on raids against

Christians, the jenets neither capture nor kill women because “it is not our

custom (no es costumpne nuestra).”^83 The specter of jenets’ taking Chris-

tians captive — more particularly, Christian women — one that was raised

over and over in the circulating Miraculos romanzados of Pero Marín,

brought to the surface an acute need for boundaries — even for the Ara-

gonese king. In Jaume’s language, the jenets possessed a dangerous alter-

ity. Thus, far from inviting community and shared interest, this alliance

seemed deeply concerned with inscribing difference. These negotiations

underscore the very complexity and instability of the bond that tied the

jenets to the Crown of Aragon. The alliance between the Crown of Aragon

and the jenets was fragile and grounded in a sense of mutual exception.

Conspirators

Although in theory the strategic aims of al- ‘Abbās’ jenets and the Crown

coincided well, in practice problems quickly mounted. While Jaume still

hoped to avoid or delay an open confrontation with Granada, to maintain

a semblance of peace, al- ‘Abbās and his troops were less restrained. In