Historical symbols

The giants presenting the Majorcan Kings Sanç and Jaume III, which will tour the island for the Diada de Mallorca or Majorcan Day, were presented in public at La Misericordia cultural centre yesterday. They will visit the towns the next few days. Sanç and Jaume were the last two kings of the Kingdom of Majorca. Sanç was known as the‘merchant king’ because he promoted a major commercial fleet and a defensive fleet against pirates, ruled the island during its most prosperous period and instituted the Majorcan flag in 1312. Jaume III, his nephew, ruled between 1324 and 1349, when he died on the battlefield in Llucmajor, ending the Kingdom of Majorca. Dressed as a warrior, he is holding the book of protocol which later passed on to the court of Aragon, then Castile and finally the Netherlands. The giants, accompanied by minstrels in 18th century costume, were presented by Council of Majorca president María Antonia Munar, who said they were a symbol of the island's history.