Published in Relations between History and Literature in Ancient and Medieval World

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In the Libro de Buen Amor, written in the XIV century by Juan Ruiz, Archpriest of Hita, we find one of the best critical sources to observe the behavior of the late-medieval Spanish clerisy; through fiction, the book acts as an outstanding historical document when trying to approach their concept of celibacy. The part of the Libro that we hereby analyze, the Cántica de los clérigos de Talavera, clearly of goliardic accent, sets out the protest of the archdiocese of Toledo before the establishment of the obligatory celibacy. In this article, we outline a note about the historical development of the celibacy in the peninsula departing from the satirical approach of the Libro.