Falconry on the Iberian Peninsula – its history and literature

Abstract

In this paper, after a short historical introduction to place the reader in Iberian Peninsula milieu, it will be demonstrated that falconry arrived in Hispania during the Gothic Völkerwanderungen, and blended with the techniques and knowledge brought by the Arab invaders. Although data from before the 11th century is scarce, however in the early part of the late Middle Ages (12th and 13th centuries) flourished and since then, falconry enjoyed a period that can be seen as the Golden Age (12th–16th centuries) of the sport, as IT remained in favour of the upper classes until firearms were more fashionable for hunting than breeding, and rearing wild birds. Falconry remained in favour of the upper classes until firearms were more fashionable for hunting than breeding, and rearing wild birds. Nonetheless, falconry took refuge in some odd places and persons until the 20th century. In the second part is given a full account of the technical literature produced in the Iberian Peninsula, a rather complex setting as books on falconry were written in any one of the three major languages of the Peninsula: Spanish, Portuguese and Catalan.