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Home > Alfonso X of Castile


Alfonso X, El Sabio, or the Learned, ( November 23, 1221 - April 4, 1284) was a king of Castile and León ( 1252 - 1284). He is perhaps the most interesting, though far from the most capable, of the Spanish kings of the Middle Ages. His nickname "El Sabio" usually means "the Wise", but in this case his wisdom has been said to have been of so-called sulphuric quality, thus a translation "The Learned" is better in order.

He was a writer, and he had considerable scientific fame, based mainly on his encouragement of astronomy and the Ptolemaic cosmogony as known to him through the Arabs. The Alphonsus crater on the MoonFor other moons in the solar system see natural satellite. For other uses see Moon (disambiguation). The Moon is the only natural satellite of Earth. It has no formal name other than "The Moon" although it is occasionally called Luna ( Latin for moon to d is named after him.

He established at ToledoAlternate meanings: see Toledo (disambiguation Toledo is a city located in central Spain, the capital of the province of Toledo and of the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. History Toledo served as the capital city of Visigothic Spain, beginning a translation school that did a great work in bringing the knowledge of the Arabs and Jews into Christian Europe. Much of it was based on Classical philosophy .

As a ruler he showed legislative capacity, and a very commendable wish to provide his kingdoms with a code of laws and a consistent judicial system. The Fuero Real was undoubtedly his work, and he began the code called the Siete Partidas , which, however, was only promulgated by his great-grandson. He 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. His descent from the HohenstaufenHohenstaufen was a dynasty of Kings of Germany, many of whom were also crowned Holy Roman Emperor and Dukes of Swabia. The proper name, taken from their castle in Swabia, is Staufen. When the last member of the Salian dynasty, Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor through his mother, a daughter of the emperor Philip of SwabiaPhilip of Swabia ( 1177- 1208), German king and duke of Swabia, the rival of the emperor Otto IV, was the fifth and youngest son of the emperor Frederick I and Beatrix, daughter of Renaud III, count of Burgundy, and consequently brother of the emperor Hen, gave him claims to represent the SwabiaSwabia (German Schwaben is a historic region in Germany and a language area. The area consists largely of the present-day state of Baden-Wurttemberg, as well as the Bavarian administrative district of Swabia. In the Middle Ages, most of modern Switzerlandn line. Being elected by the GermanThe Holy Roman Empire ( German: Heiliges Romisches Reich was a political conglomeration of lands in western and central Europe in the Middle Ages. Emerging from the eastern part of the Frankish realm after its division in the Treaty of Verdun ( 843), it l electors, after the death of Conrad IV in 1254Events December 2 Manfred of Sicily defeats army of Pope Innocent IV at Foggia. Theodore II Lascaris succeeds John III Ducas Vatatzes as Byzantine emperor. Byzantines defeat Bulgarians at Adrianople. Alkmaar granted city rights. Births Marco Polo, Venetia, misled him into wild schemes which never took effect but caused immense expense. 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.

His second son, Sancho, enforced his claim to be heir, in preference to the children of Ferdinand de la Cerda, the elder brother who died during Alfonso's lifetime. 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 favour was beginning in his later days, but he died defeated and deserted at Seville, leaving a will by which he endeavoured to exclude Sancho and a heritage of civil war.

In addition to his other achievements, Alfonso X commissioned or co-authored numerous works during his reign, including the Cantigas de Santa Maria (400+ songs mentioning the Virgin Mary, Galician - Portuguese ), Cantigas d'escarnio e maldicer (also in Galician) and the Libro de los juegos, or "Book of Games".



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