'Parece cuento de historias viejas': Cárcel de Amor and the Crónica del Rey Don Pedro more

To the many possible sources of inspiration which have been suggested for Diego de San Pedro’s Cárcel de Amor, I add another, namely Pero López de Ayala’s chronicle of Pedro I, ‘el Cruel’, of Castile. If one compares the key plot motifs in Cárcel de Amor with the Crónica del Rey Don Pedro it becomes apparent that the chronicle contains accounts of a number of events which may have echoes in Cárcel. Though not all causally related in the Crónica, they are linked by the figure of Pedro I. If accepted, such a relationship between the Crónica del Rey Don Pedro and Cárcel de Amor could explain San Pedro’s references to ‘historias’ and ‘corónicas’, references which I would suggest occur at two points in the narrative which seem to bear a resemblance to events related in the Crónica, as well as the presence of otherwise anomalous elements such as the presence in Cárcel of a Cardinal and the sombre warnings in Laureola’s letter that cruel behaviour places the king’s hold on life and power in jeopardy.