Non-European Animals and the Construction of Royalty at the Renaissance Portuguese Court

This paper aims at analysing the use of non-European animals by the Portuguese royalty in the Renaissance as a symbolic display of majesty, in the construction of images of personal and dynastic power. We will start by analysing the presence of African and Asian animals in Portuguese royal residences. Secondly, the importance of these animals in ceremonial and politically relevant moments, such as royal entries, will be addressed. Finally, it is important to examine the political role played by exotic animals in diplomatic gift-giving practices. The famous embassy sent by Manuel I to the Pope Leo X in 1514, which included the Indian elephant Hanno, is the most ostentatious and significant episode, but other examples can be found in coeval sources. We intend to integrate this theme in a broader analysis on the allure of the exotic in Medieval and Renaissance Europe, and on the presence of African and Asian animals in the Portuguese court simultaneously as a sign of tradition and innovation.