Simon Bartonâ (1962â2017)
Yo dije siempre, y lo diré, y lo digo,
que es la amistad el bien mayor humano;
mas ¿qué español, qué griego, qué romano
nos ha de dar este perfeto amigo? *
âµ
Simon Barton died on 15 December 2017, some eighteen months before this book was eventually finished. His loss to the field of Spanish medieval history can hardly be overstated. Simon was one of the leading historians of the political structures of the Christian kingdoms of Spain in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, his interest in the Iberian Peninsula having been kindled by his mentor at York, the late Prof. Richard Fletcher. Simonâs achievements, awards and professional accolades were many, although one would not have known it; unfailing modesty and good grace characterised his professional persona, and these traits made themselves known â along with a dash of dry wit â mere moments after making his acquaintance. He wore his learning lightly and was widely admired for his quiet erudition, tremendous kindness and reassuring presence.
My first meeting with Simon took place at a seminar in Balliol College, Oxford, which I co-convened with Dr Graham Barrett (a contributor to this volume). Simon captivated the room with his original and percipient take on that most famous of Castilian noblemen, Rodrigo DÃaz de Vivar, better known to posterity as El Cid. Rather than encourage those present to decide between standard depictions of El Cid (which paint him as either a national hero or a soldier-of-fortune), Simon suggested that we consider Rodrigo DÃazâs activities in the context of a peninsula still remaking itself from the wreckage of the Umayyad Caliphate, favourable terrain for opportunist chancers willing to manipulate the fractious court politics of the Christian kingdoms and Party Kings. From that moment on a professional relationship from which I learnt a great deal began to take shape: Simon examined my doctoral thesis in 2011 and uncomplainingly wrote references for me thereafter, offering unsolicited (though
Almost all of this bookâs content had been written and about half of the editing had been done before Simon died. My role since January 2018 has been to make sure that an already seaworthy vessel should not founder on the rocks, and in this enterprise I could not have been better advised or assisted than I have been by Marcella Mulder at Brill, who showed great kindness at a difficult time. Lest there be any doubt, this is Simonâs book as much as it is mine. And it would not exist at all without the sterling efforts of the contributors, to whom I offer heartfelt thanks for their commitment and patience. I am confident that I do not speak out of turn when I remark that each and every one of the contributors would happily join me in dedicating this book to the memory of a much missed friend and colleague.
Robert Portass
Lope de Vega, LÃrica: selección, introducción y notas por José Manuel Blecua (2nd edn, Madrid, 1999), 122 (1â4), 259â60. Originally published in La Circe con otras Rimas y Prosas. Al ExcelentÃsimo Señor D. Gaspar de Guzmán, Conde de Olivares. De Lope de Vega Carpio. En casa de Alonso MartÃn, a costa de Alonso Pérez, Madrid, 1624.