Alfonso X of Castile
Alfonso X (
November 23,
1221 â€"
April 4,
1284) was a Spanish monarch who ruled as the
King of Galicia,
Castile and
León from 1252 until his death. He was elected
Rex Romanorum'' in 1254. His nicknames were "el Sabio" ("the Wise", more accurately translated "the Learned") and "el Astrólogo" ("the Astronomer").
*Alfonso was the eldest son of
Ferdinand III of Castile and
Isabella of Swabia. His maternal grandparents were
Philip of Swabia and
Irene Angelina.
*As a writer and intellectual he gained considerable scientific fame based on his encouragement of
astronomy and the
Ptolemaic cosmology as known to him through the
Arabs. (Because of this, the
Alphonsus crater on the
Moon is named after him). His fame extends to the preparation of the
Alfonsine tables. One famous quote attributed to him was the comment upon hearing an explanation of
Ptolemy's theory of astronomy and its many
epicycles was "If the Lord Almighty had consulted me before embarking on creation, I should have recommended something simpler." The validity of this quotation has been questioned by some historians.
[Owen Gingerich, "Alfonso X as Patron of Astronomy."]*Alfonso established in
Toledo a translation school that did a great work increasing the flow of knowledge into
Christian Europe. Much of it was based on
Ancient philosophy.
*As a ruler, Alfonso showed legislative capacity, and a wish to provide his kingdoms with a
code of laws and a consistent judicial system. The
Fuero Real was undoubtedly his work. He began the code called the
Siete Partidas, which, however, was only promulgated by his great-grandson. Because of this, he is one of the 23 lawmakers depicted in the chamber of the
United States House of Representatives.
*Alfonso was the first king who initiated the use of
Castellano (Spanish), instead of
Latin, as the language used in courts, churches, and in books and official documents).
*Alfonso lacked the singleness of purpose required by a ruler who would devote himself to organization, and also the combination of firmness with temper needed for dealing with his nobles.
*Alfonso's descent from the
Hohenstaufen through his mother, a daughter of the emperor
Philip of Swabia, gave him a claim to represent the
Swabian line. Alfonso's election by the
prince-electors of the
Holy Roman Empire after the death of
Conrad IV of Germany in 1254 misled him into wild schemes that involved excessive expense but never took effect. To obtain money, he debased the coinage and then endeavoured to prevent a rise in prices by an arbitrary
tariff. The little trade of his dominions was ruined, and the burghers and peasants were deeply offended. His nobles, whom he tried to cow by sporadic acts of violence, rebelled against him.
*Alfonso's eldest son,
Ferdinand de la Cerda, Infante of Castile, died in 1275, leaving two infant sons. Alfonso's second son,
Sancho, claimed to be the new heir, in preference to the children of Ferdinand de la Cerda, basing his claim on an old Castilian custom, that of
proximity of blood and
agnatic seniority. Alfonso preferred to leave the throne to his grandsons, but Sancho had the support of the nobility. A bitter civil war broke out resulting in 1282 Alfonso's being forced to accept Sancho as his heir instead of his young grandsons.Son and nobles alike supported the
Moors when he tried to unite the nation in a crusade; and when he allied himself with the rulers of
Morocco, they denounced him as an enemy of the faith. A reaction in his favor was beginning in his later days, but he died defeated and deserted at
Seville, leaving a will, by which he endeavored to exclude Sancho, and a heritage of civil war.
*Alfonso X commissioned or co-authored numerous works during his reign. One was the
Cantigas de Santa Maria ("Songs to the Virgin Mary"), which is comprised of 420 poems, mostly on
miracles attributed to the
Virgin Mary written by
Portuguese-Galician. Other works related to Alfonso include
Cantigas d'escarnio e maldicer and the
Libro de los juegos ("Book of Games").
In
1246, Alfonso X married Violante of Aragon, the daughter of King
James I of Aragon and
Yolande of Hungary. Because of her young age (Violante was only 10-years-old at the time of the marriage), she produced no children for several years and it was feared that she was barren. Alfonso almost had their marriage annulled, but they went on to have twelve children:# Fernando, died in infancy, and buried in
Las Huelgas in
Burgos.# Berengaria of Castile (
1253-after
1284). She was betrothed to Louis, the son and heir of King Louis IX of France, but her fiance died prematurely in 1260. She entered the convent in
Las Huelgas, where she was living in 1284.# Beatriz of Castile (
1254-
1280). She married
William VII, Marquess of Montferrat.#
Ferdinand de la Cerda, Infante of Castile (
October 23,
1255-
July 25,
1275). He married Blanche, the daughter of King
Louis IX of France, by whom he had two children. Because he predeceased his father, his younger brother Sancho inherited the throne.# Leonor of Castile (
1257-
1275)#
Sancho IV of Castile (
May 13,
1258-
1295)# Constanza of Castile (
1258-
August 22,
1280), a nun at Las Huelgas.# Pedro of Castile (June
1260-
October 10,
1283)#
Juan of Castile,Lord of Valencia (March or April,
1262-
June 25,
1319).# Isabella, died young.# Violante of Castile (1265-1296). She married Diego Lopez de Haro# Jaime of Castile (August
1266-
August 9,
1284)
Alfonso X also had several illegitimate children. His illegitimate daughter,
Beatriz de Castilla, married King
Alfonso III of Portugal. An illegitimate son, Martin, was Abbot of Valladolid.
A portrait of Alfonso X hangs in the chamber of the
United States House of Representatives.
*
Order of Alfonso X of Castile* Ballesteros-Beretta, Antonio.
Alfonso X el Sabio, 1963
*
Gingerich, Owen. "Alfonso X as a Patron of Astronomy."
The Eye of Heaven: Ptolemy, Copernicus, Kepler. New York: American Institute of Physics, 1993.
* http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/cantigas/
Cantigas de Santa Maria (facsimile and more)
* http://games.rengeekcentral.com/ Libro de los juegos (illustrations and info)
* http://www.ahs.uwaterloo.ca/~museum/Alfonso/index.html Libro de los juegos, more illustrations and info
* http://www.u.arizona.edu/~smusser/ljtranslation.html Libro de los juegos, partial translation.
* http://www.hebrewsongs.com/song-hamelechnimrod.htm Cuando el Rey Nimrod - famous
Ladino (Judeo-Spanish) song believed to date from King Alfonso's time.
