THE EMERGENCE OF ARAGON-CATALONIAremote viscountcy of Carlat. Arguably this division reflected
the wish to create two entities each of which would combine
ancient territories such as Roussillon or Old Catalonia with
newly conquered lands; intentionally or otherwise, the link-
age of Majorca to lands on the French side of the Pyrenees
emphasised the partly southern French character of the
Majorcan kingdom. But Peter was furious at the proposal.
Even on his deathbed James was adjuring his sons to live in
amity, proud of his ability to provide for both of them; and
partitions of this sort were a traditional feature of Spanish
royal inheritances since time immemorial. But he was delud-
ing himself.^11
Disagreements between Peter and James of Majorca were
not the only clouds to overshadow the last years of James
the Conqueror. Issues such as control of Urgell became
once again controversial; there were rebellious Catalan and
Aragonese barons with whom to contend; there was a bitter
dispute between Peter and his half-brother Fernan San~;
Valencia became more and more restive. Peter's legacy was
thus a troubled one.
James offers to view some intriguing paradoxes. He was
capable of threatening to clear Valencia entirely of the Mus-
lims when they stood in his way; but he was also astute in
the offer of surrender arrangements that secured many of
the vital interests of the conquered communities. James on
one occasion received some Muslim emissaries from Murcia
by offering them a traditional Arab feast of halal meat in a
traditional Arab tent, addressing them privately (through his
Jewish dragoman) to the effect that he and his ancestors
had always sought to foster the Muslim communities in all
their realms, 'just as well as if they were in a Saracen land';
only if Muslims failed to submit, he said, was it his habit to
take their land and repeople it with Christians. This is a fair
account, from his own presumed autobiography, of his philo-
sophy of convivencia, of the coexistence in peace of Christian,
Muslim and Jew. He understood the need for good diplo-
matic relations with the north Mrican rulers in whose lands
his Catalan subjects traded, but was desperately anxious to
be seen in the Christian world as a great crusading hero and
- Abulafia, Mediterranean Emporium, pp. 9-10, 44-5; see .James's Book of
Deeds, cap. 563, in Soldevila, Quatre grans croniques.