Self-Representation of the Muslim Community in the Royal Curia

The article develops an issue of the social group representation in Medieval Europe. In the focus of our research are the Muslim Communities, which lived in the Crown of Aragon during the 12th - 15th centuries. The existence of Muslims in the Christian society and under the authority of Christian Kings provoked the communication between the both sides - among other things - in the royal Court. The Muslim authorities (alquadies, alamines, alfaqies, adelantados of Muslim aljamas) presented their own interest defending their own collective rights. In this process they wrote records with petitions and arguments, in which is possible to see now the mode of their own representation. It was the auto-representation in the alien language (Latin or Catalan), before alien power and alien officials. The special characteristics of this auto-representation are considered in the article as a particular mode of the presentation of the social and confessional identity.