Historical Context
By its own nature as a Hugo-esque romantic drama El trovador is set within a specific period of Spain 's history, yet most of the details have been eliminated from the opera. During the years 1410-1413 (already inaccurate, the opera's setting is off by one year), Aragon was wracked by civil war. Spain had yet to be united by the wedding and ascension of Ferdinand and Isabella, and the various consanguineous marriages between the smaller kingdoms could often result in multiple successors, should there be no direct male heir. This is what happened to Martin I of Aragon ? his only surviving male descendant was an illegitimate grandson, which in accordance with the Catholic Church, was barred from succession. Aragon also observed Salic Law, an old Frankish custom that forbade the passing of the crown to any males bore to female descendants of the king. Nonetheless, Martin I put forth his nephew, Ferdinand of Castile, who was the son of the King of Castile and Pedro IV's daughter Leonor (even though her grandson and Ferdinand's nephew, King Juan of Castile had a better claim). This was much to ire of Doña Margarita, the ambitious mother of Jaime ?the Hapless,? Count of Urgel, who was certain that after the death of Martin's son in 1409, the crown would go to him. Jaime was the great-grandson of Alfonso IV and the closest eligible male heir. He was also married to his cousin, Martin's sister Isabella. (See Genealogical Chart for lines of succession).
Although Jaime had the strongest legal claim with regard to heredity, Ferdinand had the most popular support. He had demonstrated his good sense while holding the regency of Castile for the infant Juan when he easily could have seized the throne for himself. Two noble families were drawn into the dispute, the de Lunas and the Urreas. Antonio de Luna followed Jaime's camp and masterminded the murder of the Archbishop of Zaragoza, who had sided with both the Urreas and Ferdinand (the murder is cited in Gutiérrez's drama). This particularly barbarous act led to the eventual downfall of Jaime, who was soon caught and sentenced to death; his punishment was then commuted to life in prison. Ironically, Ferdinand I would have short reign, dying of an illness in 1414.
So a de Luna did exist, although he played for the opposing team. As a result of his treachery, his name became part of that era's regional argot, ?to go with de Luna? being equivalent to ?meeting with death.? He is the only one with any real link to the period. Azucena is merely an archetype ? gypsies were all over the place, known both to Gutiérrez from his native Andalusia and also to Verdi from their yearly visits to Busseto. The playwright clearly drew from one urban legend ? that the gypsies were associated with witchcraft, believed to both steal children and burn them in bonfires as part of their rituals. By the 15 th century troubadours of the medieval age may have been fading into history, but Manrico survives in the romantic tradition of Sir Walter Scott as the courageous, yet mysterious black knight who writes both verse and song. Though Manrico's gypsy upbringing might have excluded him from a tradition generally afforded to the nobility, the mystique of the troubadour makes a wonderful imprint on an opera, setting poetry to music being the epitome of the genre itself.
