**Preface to "Encyclopedia of Medieval Royal Iconography"**

Political and psychoanalytic research has underlined that leadership, and the collective projects connected with it, must have material expression in society in order to have a durable effect. In other words, in order to create a relationship between himself and his followers and to encourage the latter to carry out his political projects, a leader needs to produce a tangible trace (a real presence) in which the group can materialize its acceptance of his power. From a semiotic, anthropological, historical, and art-historical point of view, it has been underlined that the representations (images/portraits) of the holder of power are a perfect example of the material symbols that influence and reinforce the approval of the leader and the group's acceptance of his leadership. In summary, the leader's image is one of the tools of governance thanks to which he is able to mark out space, legitimize his power, and emotionally strengthen the bond that ties himself to the group by creating a specific identity while also increasing the subjects' acceptance of his figure. This is one of the reasons why dictators tend to circulate their portraits in society, and in the same way, it is why, when their regimes fall, the supporters of the new political order promptly destroy these same images.

In light of these considerations, royal self-representations can be considered important sources for historical and art-historical studies focused on the Middle Ages. Starting from Percy Ernst Schramm's pioneering works on the so-called Staatssymbolik inaugurated at the beginning of the 20th century, these images have been used by numerous scholars as precious evidence in different types of research. Through analyses based on iconographic or functional readings that take into consideration their context of production and use or that investigate them as parts of more general communicative strategies, royal self-representations can be considered useful artifacts for studying political ideologies, mentalities, identities, royal kingship and sacrality, ceremonial robes and symbols of power, processes of cultural transfers, artistic connections, strategies of political communications, and governmen<sup>t</sup> practices.

For these reasons, a work that gathers, in the most comprehensive way possible, information on royal images is desirable in order to develop a useful tool for future studies on the previously listed topics. Moreover, a work set up in this way will also allow researchers to compare choices and solutions adopted in different kingdoms and by different rulers on matters of royal iconography, and this will lead to a better comprehension of royal images and their functions in medieval society. With these aims, the "Encyclopedia of Medieval Royal Iconography" is born. This work sets out to be the first extensive collection of data on royal iconography covering the Middles Ages (476–1492). In particular, it aims to collect entries about the most important rulers or dynasties that reigned during this period, from the Iberian Peninsula to Levant and from the Scandinavian Peninsula to the Mediterranean Sea. Specifically, "Encyclopedia of Medieval Royal Iconography" focuses on royal official images (namely, those representations that were commissioned at the behest of the ruler) and analyses them not only from an iconographic (namely, 'static') point of view but also as parts of a more general political communicative strategy (namely, in a 'dynamic' way) in order to better clarify their social functions and, consequently, their iconographic meanings.

Every text provides a historical introduction, explains why a specific ruler or dynasty is considered particularly important from an iconographic point of view, analyses his/its main representations, and, in the conclusions, tries to answer the following questions:


Thanks to this approach, "Encyclopedia of Medieval Royal Iconography" will be able to offer a substantial overview on matter of medieval regal iconography, and it will be a useful tool for scholars who use royal images for their research.

Florence, 26 May 2022

> **Mirko Vagnoni** *Editor*
