Under the name ‘Sanç de Mallorca. The forgotten monarch’, this exhibition explains the strategy followed by the monarch’s policies.

From Wednesday 20th November, the Archive of the Kingdom of Mallorca will host the exhibition ‘Sanç de Mallorca. The forgotten monarch’. This exhibition, programmed to mark the 700th anniversary of his death, analyses the contributions and characteristics of his reign, with the novelty that more than twenty original documents will be on display, complemented by the projection of documentary capsules on the different aspects of his reign. The exhibition will remain open until 28 March 2025.

The Councillor for Tourism, Culture and Sport, Jaume Bauzà, presented the exhibition today, stating that ‘the figure of King Sancho never ceases to amaze’ and praised the work carried out by the Archive of the Kingdom of Mallorca. ‘With this exhibition we are able to discover a different Sanç, as well as a strategic and political vision that has often gone unnoticed’.

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King Sanç

The exhibition, curated by Ricard Urgell, director of the Archive of the Kingdom of Mallorca, with the support of specialists in the field and the design of Toni Sorell, analyses how the traditional view of the reign of Sanç de Mallorca (1311-1324), which described him as a king lacking in temperament and courage, has been replaced with a different view of the reign of Sanç (1311-1324), which described him as a king lacking in temperament and courage, actually conceals the fact that he was an intelligent, strategic and pragmatic monarch.

On the basis of the most recent studies, it has been concluded that Sanç’s policies were part of a strategy to ensure the preservation of his authority and the consolidation of his father’s legacy, such as the royal residences or castles, or the 1300 ordinances for the creation of new towns. In the rural world, the creation of the Sindicat de Fora (1315) led to the Part Forana acquiring its own entity, which is the basis of the vigorous personality of the Mallorcan countryside.

One of the highlights of the exhibition will be being able to see the original Libro de los reyes (the Book of Franquesas and Privileges of the Kingdom of Mallorca, 1334-1341) live, on the first and last day of the exhibition (which will be replaced by a facsimile throughout the exhibition for conservation reasons). Around twenty original medieval documents will be on display, including the testament of King Sanç, the Ordinations of James II and a workbook of the Almudaina Palace.

At the presentation of the exhibition, Minister Bauzà was accompanied by the director of the Archive of the Kingdom of Mallorca, Ricard Urgell, the regional secretary of Culture and Sports, Pedro Vidal, and the director general of Culture, Ricarda Vicens.