Como est'a a cargo de la caballer'ia: some glosses of a medievalist on the novel by Miguel de Cervantes

The paper poses the problem of relations existing between Miguel de Cervantes' famous novel and the core ideology and status of medieval chivalry as reflected in the literary tradition of the “Castilian Renaissance” in the reign of the Alfonso X the Sage (1252-1284). The comparative analysis of the novel reveals numerous allusions related to the image of Don Quixote that can be traced back to various historical, literary and legal sources from the middle and second part of the 13 th century. However, all the characteristics of Alonso Quixano turn out to be rather a caricature reflection of the status of knighthood in the chivalric culture in its prime.