The Castilian fathers at the Council of Basel

The Council of Basel (1431--1449) is an event that is not completely understood and generates a large amount of conflicting opinion. Although much of the source material is available to researchers and the broad outline of events is well known, many important aspects of the council remain poorly understood. One of the most productive methods for expanding knowledge of the synod is detailed examination of various groups of delegates present at Basel.;This study is a prosopographical examination of the Castilian fathers at the Council of Basel in an attempt to determine the individual and group contributions of the approximately 117 Castilians who incorporated, or swore allegiance, to the synod sitting at Basel. The participation of the Castilian fathers as a group and a discussion of their activities at the council is examined and the conclusion is drawn that even though they constituted less than 10% of the council's membership, the Castilian influence was far greater than its numbers would suggest.;The second portion of the study is an effort to assess the individuals present at the synod and looks at the delegates by: Church office; educational level; connections to the royal court; family associations; year of incorporation and region of origin. Conclusions suggest that Castilian fathers at the Council of Basel were most often present as members of the entourage of high-ranking Castilian prelates, they were usually university men who had matriculated at the University of Salamanca, most often with degrees in either canon or civil law. Many of the delegates did have a close connection to the royal court, in part because the official delegation of Juan II had been the largest single Castilian group present at the synod. In addition to these factors, most of the delegates represented regions either in the northern portion of Castile or the region around Valladolid.