Chronicle Of San Juan De La Pena Summary

The document The Chronicle of San Juan de la Pena is a chronicle of the early history of the Iberian Peninsula. It uses mythology and history interchangeably to describe the settling and history of Hispania. Such as the references to the Greco-Roman hero Hercules who came to rule the indigenous peoples here. This document has religious aspects though it does not appear until Chapter three. The document’s style due to its chronological nature usually is detached. There is however moments when the author/s express distaste for certain events, people, or religious groups or actions. Such as when the author/s describes the Goths conversion to the Arian belief, “deceived and compelled by the emperor Valens… they were made heretics and followed the Arian persuasion.” This information can be used to infer that the authors were against the Arian sect of Christianity. In the first paragraph in chapter one the first sentence says,”According to what we have read in various books.” this is an indicator that the document was written by multiple people, possibly Catholic monks due to the aversion to Arian Christianity.
Summary:
Tubal is supposedly the ancestor of the native Iberians. Then the document transitions to the coming of Hercules. Hercules’ is accredited for founding multiple cities and landmarks in the Iberian peninsula. As well as bring in new inhabitants, Hercules also controls the native populations. Chapter two is essentially an introduction to Chapter three. Here the author/s explain that they will no longer be talking about Hercules and will begin talking about the Goths. Chapter Three is a chronicle of the Goths arrival and settlement in the Iberian peninsula. It focuses on the rulers and their important