Skip to content

The Baker Who Pretended to Be King of Portugal
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Baker Who Pretended to Be King of Portugal Hardcover - 2012

by Ruth MacKay


From the publisher

On August 4, 1578, in an ill-conceived attempt to wrest Morocco back from the hands of the infidel Moors, King Sebastian of Portugal led his troops to slaughter and was himself slain. Sixteen years later, King Sebastian rose again. In one of the most famous of European impostures, Gabriel de Espinosa, an ex-soldier and baker by trade--and most likely under the guidance of a distinguished Portuguese friar--appeared in a Spanish convent town passing himself off as the lost monarch. The principals, along with a large cast of nuns, monks, and servants, were confined and questioned for nearly a year as a crew of judges tried to unravel the story, but the culprits went to their deaths with many questions left unanswered.

Ruth MacKay recalls this conspiracy, marked both by scheming and absurdity, and the legal inquest that followed, to show how stories of this kind are conceived, told, circulated, and believed. She reveals how the story of Sebastian, supposedly in hiding and planning to return to claim his crown, was lodged among other familiar stories: prophecies of returned leaders, nuns kept against their will, kidnappings by Moors, miraculous escapes, and monarchs who die for their country. As MacKay demonstrates, the conspiracy could not have succeeded without the circulation of news, the retellings of the fatal battle in well-read chronicles, and the networks of rumors and correspondents, all sharing the hope or belief that Sebastian had survived and would one day return. With its royal intrigues, ambitious artisans, dissatisfied religious women, and corrupt clergy, The Baker Who Pretended to Be King of Portugal will undoubtedly captivate readers as it sheds new light on the intricate political and cultural relations between Spain and Portugal in the early modern period and the often elusive nature of historical truth.

Details

  • Title The Baker Who Pretended to Be King of Portugal
  • Author Ruth MacKay
  • Binding Hardcover
  • Edition [ Edition: Repri
  • Pages 328
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher University of Chicago Press, Chicago
  • Date 2012-05
  • Illustrated Yes
  • Features Bibliography, Dust Cover, Illustrated, Index, Maps, Table of Contents
  • ISBN 9780226501086 / 0226501086
  • Weight 1.15 lbs (0.52 kg)
  • Dimensions 8.5 x 5.7 x 1.1 in (21.59 x 14.48 x 2.79 cm)
  • Themes
    • Chronological Period: 16th Century
    • Cultural Region: Portuguese
    • Cultural Region: Spanish
  • Library of Congress subjects Philip, Portugal - History - Spanish dynasty,
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 2011036115
  • Dewey Decimal Code 946.902

Media reviews

Citations

  • Library Journal, 05/01/2012, Page 87

About the author

Ruth MacKay works as an editor and writer at Stanford University, where she also is a visiting scholar. Her previous books are The Limits of Royal Authority: Resistance and Obedience in Seventeenth-Century Castile and "Lazy, Improvident People" Myth and Reality in the Writing of Spanish History.

Back to Top

More Copies for Sale

The Baker Who Pretended to Be King of Portugal
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Baker Who Pretended to Be King of Portugal

by MacKay, Ruth

  • Used
Condition
UsedVeryGood
ISBN 13
9780226501086
ISBN 10
0226501086
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Skokie, Illinois, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$7.75
$4.00 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
UsedVeryGood.
Item Price
$7.75
$4.00 shipping to USA
The Baker Who Pretended to Be King of Portugal

The Baker Who Pretended to Be King of Portugal

by Mackay, Ruth

  • Used
  • very good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Very Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 13
9780226501086
ISBN 10
0226501086
Quantity Available
2
Seller
GORING BY SEA, West Sussex, United Kingdom
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 2 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$11.53
$10.94 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Paperback. Very Good.
Item Price
$11.53
$10.94 shipping to USA
The Baker Who Pretended to be King of Portugal
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Baker Who Pretended to be King of Portugal

by Mackay, Ruth

  • Used
  • Hardcover
  • first
Condition
Used - Fine in Fine dust jacket
Edition
First Edition; First Printing
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9780226501086
ISBN 10
0226501086
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Silver Spring, Maryland, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 3 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$14.50
$6.00 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Chicago & London: University of Chicago Press. Fine in Fine dust jacket. 2012. First Edition; First Printing. Hardcover. 0226501086 . Chicago & London: University of Chicago Press, (2012). First Edition, First Printing. 8vo. xxiii,300pp, Index, Bibliography. Cloth. Fine condition in fine dj. In 1578, King Sebastian lost his life in battle; 16 years later, in a convent, an ex-soldier and baker passed himself off as the lost monarch. ISBN 0226501086; 8vo 8" - 9" tall; 300 pages .
Item Price
$14.50
$6.00 shipping to USA
The Baker Who Pretended to be King of Portugal
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Baker Who Pretended to be King of Portugal

by Mackay, Ruth

  • Used
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Fine in Fine Dust Jacket
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9780226501086
ISBN 10
0226501086
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Bloomington, Illinois, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 2 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$15.00
$4.00 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
University of Chicago Press. Fine in Fine Dust Jacket. 2012. Hardcover. 8vo. 328 pp. We specialize in fine books in collectible condition. Orders are professionaly packaged and shipped promptly. M28 .
Item Price
$15.00
$4.00 shipping to USA
The Baker Who Pretended to Be King of Portugal
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Baker Who Pretended to Be King of Portugal

by MacKay, Ruth

  • Used
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used:Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9780226501086
ISBN 10
0226501086
Quantity Available
1
Seller
HOUSTON, Texas, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$35.09
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
University Of Chicago Press, 2012-05-21. Hardcover. Used:Good.
Item Price
$35.09
FREE shipping to USA
The Baker Who Pretended to be King of Portugal

The Baker Who Pretended to be King of Portugal

by Ruth MacKay

  • New
  • Hardcover
Condition
New
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9780226501086
ISBN 10
0226501086
Quantity Available
3
Seller
Southport, Merseyside, United Kingdom
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$45.71
$12.71 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Hardback. New. On August 4, 1578, in an ill-conceived attempt to wrest Morocco back from the hands of the infidel Moors, King Sebastian of Portugal led his troops to slaughter and was himself slain. Sixteen years later, King Sebastian rose again. The author recalls this conspiracy, marked both by scheming and absurdity, and the legal inquest that followed.
Item Price
$45.71
$12.71 shipping to USA
The Baker Who Pretended to Be King of Portugal
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Baker Who Pretended to Be King of Portugal

by MacKay, Ruth

  • New
  • Hardcover
Condition
New
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9780226501086
ISBN 10
0226501086
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$46.70
$12.77 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Univ of Chicago Pr, 2012. Hardcover. New. 300 pages. 9.00x6.00x1.25 inches.
Item Price
$46.70
$12.77 shipping to USA