Alfonso XIII
The King in 1901
King of Spain
Reign	17 May 1886 – 14 April 1931
Predecessor	Alfonso XII
Successor	Niceto Alcalá-Zamora (as President) Juan Carlos I (as King of Spain)
Spouse	Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg
more issue... Issue
Alfonso, Prince of Asturias Jaime, Duke of Segovia Beatriz, Princess of Civitella-Cesi Infanta Maria Christina, Countess of Marone Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona Infante Gonzalo
Full name
Alfonso León Fernando María Jaime Isidro Pascual Antonio de Borbón y Austria-Lorena
House	House of Bourbon
Father	Alfonso XII of Spain
Mother	Maria Christina of Austria
Born	(1886-05-17)17 May 1886 Madrid, Spain
Died	28 February 1941(1941-02-28) (aged 54) Rome, Italy
Burial	El Escorial
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Alfonso XIII (Alfonso León Fernando María Jaime Isidro Pascual Antonio de Borbón y Austria-Lorena; 17 May 1886 – 28 February 1941) was King of Spain from 1886 until 1931. His mother, Maria Christina of Austria, was appointed regent during his minority. In 1902, on attaining his 16th year, the King assumed control of the state.

Reign[link]

Royal Monogram

Bust of Alfonso XIII

Alfonso was born in Madrid, posthumously born son of Alfonso XII of Spain, and became King of Spain upon his birth. The French newspaper Le Figaro described the young king as "the happiest and best-loved of all the rulers of the earth".^[1]

When he came of age in 1902, the week of his majority was marked by festivities, bullfights, balls and receptions throughout Spain.^[2]

During his reign, Spain lost its last colonies in the Americas (Cuba and Puerto Rico) and the Philippines; fought and, after several setbacks, won a war in Morocco; witnessed the start of the Spanish Generation of 1927, and endured the dictatorship of Miguel Primo de Rivera. During the First World War, because of his family connections with both sides and the division of popular opinion, Spain remained neutral. The King ran an office for captives from the Royal Palace, which leveraged the Spanish diplomatic and military network abroad to intercede for thousands of prisoners-of-war, receiving and answering letters from Europe. However, he became gravely ill during the 1918 flu pandemic and, since Spain was neutral and thus under no wartime censorship restrictions, his illness and subsequent recovery were covered worldwide, giving the false impression (in the absence of real news from anywhere else) that Spain was the most-affected area. This ultimately led to the pandemic getting the nickname "the Spanish Flu."^[3]

Alfonso was a promoter of tourism in Spain. The problems with the lodging of his wedding guests prompted the construction of the luxury Hotel Palace in Madrid. He also supported the creation of a network of state-run lodges (Parador) in historic buildings of Spain. His fondness for the sport of football led to the patronage of several "Royal" ("Real" in Spanish) football clubs such as Real Madrid, Real Sociedad, Real Betis, Real Club Deportivo de La Coruña, Real Unión and Real Zaragoza.

When the Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931, he fled and left Spain, but did not abdicate the throne. He settled eventually in Rome where he lived in the Grand Hotel.

Once the Spanish Civil War broke out, Alfonso made it clear he favoured the military uprising against the Popular Front government, but General Francisco Franco in September 1936 declared that the Nationalists would never accept Alfonso as King (the supporters of the rival Carlist pretender made up an important part of the Franco Army). First, he went into exile in France.^{[clarification needed]} Nevertheless, he sent his son, Juan de Borbon, Count of Barcelona, to enter Spain in 1936 and participate in the uprising. However, near the French border, General Mola had him arrested and expelled from the country.

On 15 January 1941, Alfonso XIII abdicated his rights to the Spanish throne in favour of his third (of four), but second-surviving, son Juan, father of the current King, Juan Carlos. He died in Rome a month and a half later.

The Spanish Government ordered three days of national mourning.^[4] His funeral was held in Rome in the Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli. He was buried in the Church of Santa Maria in Monserrato, the Spanish national church in Rome, immediately below the tombs of Pope Callixtus III and Pope Alexander VI.^[5] In January 1980 his remains were transferred to El Escorial in Spain.^[6]

Marriage and children[link]

1929 portrait of King Alfonso XIII

On 31 May 1906, at the Royal Monastery of San Geronimo in Madrid, Alfonso married Scottish-born Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg (1887–1969), a niece of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, and a granddaughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. A Serene Highness by birth, Ena, as she was known, was raised to Royal Highness status a month before her wedding to prevent the union from being viewed as unequal.

As Alfonso XIII and Ena were returning from the wedding, they narrowly escaped an assassination attempt by Mateu Morral who threw a bomb from a high window; instead, the bomb explosion killed or injured many bystanders and members of the Royal procession.

Alfonso and Ena had six children:

• Infante Alfonso Pio Cristino Eduardo Francisco Guillermo Carlos Enrique Fernando Antonio Venancio of Spain, Prince of Asturias (1907–1938), a hemophiliac, he renounced his rights to the throne in 1933 to marry a commoner, Edelmira Ignacia Adriana Sampedro-Robato, and became Count of Covadonga. He later remarried to Marta Ester Rocafort-Altazarra, but had no issue by either of them.
• Infante Jaime Luitpold Isabelino Enrique Alberto Alfonso Victor Acacio Pedro Maria of Spain (1908–1975), a deaf-mute as the result of a childhood operation, he renounced his rights to the throne in 1933 and became Duke of Segovia, and later Duke of Madrid, and who, as a legitimist pretender to the French throne from 1941 to 1975, was known as the Duke of Anjou.
• Infanta Beatríz Isabela Federica Alfonsa Eugenia Cristina Maria Teresa Bienvenida Ladisláa of Spain (1909–2002), who married Don Alessandro Torlonia, 5th Prince di Civitella-Cesi.
• Infante Fernando, stillborn (1910)
• Infanta Maria Cristina Teresa Alejandra Guadalupe Maria de la Concepción Vittoria Eugenia of Spain (1911–1996), who married Enrico Eugenio Marone-Cinzano, 1st Conte Marone-Cinzano.
• Infante Juan Carlos Teresa Silvestre Alfonso of Spain (1913–1993), named heir to the throne and Count of Barcelona, whose son is the current King, Juan Carlos I of Spain.
• Infante Gonzalo Manuel Maria Bernardo Narciso Alfonso Mauricio of Spain (1914–1934), a hemophiliac, like his elder brother Alfonso. He died due to bleeding from injuries suffered in a car crash.

Illegitimate issue[link]

The King also had four illegitimate children:

By French aristocrat Mélanie de Gaufridy de Dortan (1876–1937), he had Roger Marie Vincent Philippe Lévêque de Vilmorin (12 September 1905 – 20 July 1980)

By Spanish actress María del Carmen Ruíz y Moragas (1898–1936):

• Ana María Teresa Ruíz y Moragas (9 October 1925 – 6 September 1965)
• Leandro Alfonso Luis Ruíz y Moragas (born 26 April 1929), officially recognized by Spanish Courts on 21 May 2003 as Leandro Alfonso Luis de Borbón y Ruíz Moragas

By Béatrice Noon he had Juana Alfonsa Milán y Quiñones de León (19 April 1916 – 16 May 2005)

Honours[link]

• 1,072nd Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece in Spain in 1886^[7]
• Maestranza de Caballeria (Royal Cavalry Armory) de Ronda, Sevilla, Granada, Valencia y Zaragoza
• Order of Charles III^[8]
• Order of Santiago^[9]
• Order of Calatrava^[10]
• Order of Alcántara^[11]
• Order of Montesa^[12]
• 315th Grand Cross of the Order of the Tower and Sword in 1900
• 815th Knight of the Order of the Garter in 1902
• Order of the Chrysanthemum, 1930: Emperor Showa's second brother, Prince Takamatsu, traveled to Madrid to confer the Great Collar of the Chrysanthemum on King Alfonso. This honor was intended, in part, to commemorate the diplomatic and trading history which existed long before other Western nations were officially aware of Japan's existence. Prince Takamatsu traveled with his wife, Princess Takamatsu, to Spain. Her symbolic role in this unique mission to the Spanish Court was intended to emphasize the international links which were forged by her 16th-century ancestor, Ieyasu Tokugawa. In the years before the Tokugawa shogunate, that innovative daimyo from Western Japan had been actively involved in negotiating trade and diplomatic treaties with Spain and with the colonies of New Spain (Mexico) and the Philippines; and it was anticipated that the mere presence of the Princess could serve to underscore the range of possibilities which could be inferred from that little-known history.^[13]

Media[link]

Alfonso XIII appears as "King Buby" in Luis Coloma's story of Ratoncito Pérez (1894), which was written for the King when he was 8 years old. The story of Ratoncito Pérez has been adapted into further literary works and movies since then, with the character of Alfonso XIII appearing in some. Alfonso XIII is also mentioned on the plaque to Ratoncito Pérez on the second floor of "la calle del Arenal".

Ancestry[link]

References[link]

Bibliography[link]

• Barry, John M. (2004). The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Greatest Plague in History. Viking Penguin. ISBN 0-670-89473-7. 

• Churchill, Winston. Great Contemporaries. London: T. Butterworth, 1937. Contains the most famous single account of Alfonso in the English language. The author, writing shortly after the Spanish Civil War began, retained considerable fondness for the ex-sovereign.

• Collier, William Miller. At the Court of His Catholic Majesty. Chicago: McClurg, 1912. The author was American ambassador to Spain from 1905 to 1909.

• Noel, Gerard. Ena: Spain's English Queen. London: Constable, 1985. Considerably more candid than Petrie about Alfonso the private man, and about the miseries the royal family experienced because of their hemophiliac children.

• Nutall, Zelia. (1906). The Earliest Historical Relations Between Mexico and Japan. Berkeley: University of California Press....Link to digitized version from the collection of Harvard University

• Petrie, Charles. King Alfonso XIII and His Age. London: Chapman & Hall, 1963. Written as it was during Queen Ena's lifetime, this book necessarily omits the King's extramarital affairs; but it remains a useful biography, not least because the author knew Alfonso quite well, interviewed him at considerable length, and relates him to the Spanish culture of his time.

• Pilapil, Vicente R. Alfonso XIII. Twayne's rulers and statesmen of the world series 12. New York: Twayne, 1969.

• Sencourt, Robert. King Alfonso: A Biography. London: Faber, 1942.

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Alfonso XIII of Spain

• Royal House of Spain
• Princely House of Battenberg
• Historiaantiqua. Alfonso XIII; (Spanish) (2008)

v t e Carlist claimants to the Spanish throne Senior Carlists Charles V (1788-1845) Charles VI (1845-1861) John III (1861-1868) Charles VII (1868-1909) Jaime III (1909-1931) Alfonso Carlos I (1931-1936) Bourbon-Parma claimants Javier I (1936-1977) Carlos Hugo I (Partido Carlista, 1977-2010) Carlos Javier II (Partido Carlista, 2010-present) Sixto Enrique I (Comunión Tradicionalista, 1977-present) Bourbon claimants Alfonso XIII (1936-1941) Juan IV (1941-1977) Juan Carlos I (1977-present) (current King of Spain) Alternative Bourbon claimants Alfonso XIII (1936-1941) Jaime IV (1941-1975) Alfonso XIV (1975-1989) Louis II (1989-present) Habsburg claimants Charles VIII (1936-1953) Charles IX (1953-1961) Francisco I (1961-1975) Domingo I (1975-present)

v t e Pretenders to the French throne since 1792 Monarchy in exile (1792–1815) 1792 Louis XVI 1793 Louis XVII 1795 Louis XVIII 1814 1815 Legitimist pretenders (1830–present) 1830 Charles X 1836 Louis XIX 1844 Henry V 1883 John III 1887 Charles XI 1909 Jacques I 1931 Alphonse I 1936 Alphonse II 1941 Jacques II 1975 Alphonse III 1989 Louis XX present Orléanist pretenders (1848–present) 1848 Louis Philippe I 1850 Philip VII (or Louis-Philippe II) 1894 Philip VIII 1926 John IV 1940 Henry VI 1999 Henry VII present Bonapartist Prince Imperial (1814–present) 1814 1815 Napoléon I 1821 Napoléon II 1832 Joseph 1844 Louis 1846 Napoléon III (Emperor 1852–1870) 1873 Napoléon IV 1879 Napoléon V 1926 Napoléon VI 1997 Napoléon VII/Napoléon VIII present (disputed) Bonapartist Prince Canino (1832–1924) 1832 Lucien I 1840 Charles 1857 Joseph 1865 Lucien II 1895 Napoléon Charles 1899 Roland 1924

v t e The Bourbons of Spain   Philip V Spouse(s) HH Princess Maria Luisa Gabriella of Savoy  • HH Elisabeth Farnese Children Louis I*  • Felipe*  • Felipe*  • Ferdinand VI*  • Charles III*  • Francisco*  • Mariana Víctoria, Queen of Portugal*  • Philip, Duke of Parma*  • Maria Teresa Rafaela, Dauphine of France*  • Luis, Count of Chinchón*  • Maria Antonietta, Queen of Sardinia* Siblings Louis, Duke of Burgundy  • Charles, Duke of Berry Grandchildren María Isabel Antonia  • María Josefa Antonieta  • María Isabel Ana  • María Josefa Carmela  • Maria Luisa, Holy Roman Empress  • Felipe, Duke of Calabria  • Charles IV  • María Teresa  • Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies  • Gabriel  • Ana María  • Antonio Pascual  • Francisco Javier  • Isabella, Archduchess of Austria  • Ferdinand, Duke of Parma  • Maria Luisa, Queen of Spain  • Luis, Count of Chinchón  • Maria Teresa, Countess of Chinchón  • María Luisa, Duchess of San Fernando de Quiroga   Louis I Spouse(s) HSH Louise Élisabeth d'Orléans   Ferdinand VI Spouse(s) HH Infanta Maria Bárbara of Portugal   Charles III Spouse(s) HH Princess Maria Amalia of Saxony Children María Isabel Antonia  • María Josefa Antonieta  • María Isabel Ana  • María Josefa Carmela  • Maria Luisa, Holy Roman Empress  • Felipe, Duke of Calabria  • Charles IV  • María Teresa  • Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies*  • Gabriel  • Ana María  • Antonio Pascual  • Francisco Javier Grandchildren Carlos Clemente  • Carlota Joaquina, Queen of Portugal  • Maria Luisa  • Maria Amalia  • Carlos Domingo  • Maria Luisa, Duchess of Lucca  • Carlos Francisco  • Felipe Francisco  • Ferdinand VII  • Carlos, Count of Molina  • Maria Isabella, Queen of the Two Sicilies  • Maria Teresa  • Felipe Maria  • Francisco de Paula  • Maria Theresa, Holy Roman Empress*  • Luisa, Grand Duchess of Tuscany*  • Carlo, Duke of Calabria*  • Maria Ana*  • Francis I of the Two Sicilies*  • Maria Christina, Queen of Sardinia*  • Maria Cristina Amelia*  • Gennaro*  • Giuseppe*  • Maria Amalia, Queen of the French*  • Maria Cristina*  • Maria Antonia, Princess of Asturias*  • Maria Clothilde*  • Maria Enrichetta*  • Carlo*  • Leopold, Prince of Salerno*  • Alberto*  • Maria Isabella* Great grandchildren Carlos, Count of Montemolin  • Juan, Count of Montizón  • Fernando  • Isabella II of Spain  • Luisa Fernanda, Duchess of Montpensier  • Francisco de Asis  • Isabel  • Francis, Duke of Cádiz  • Henry, Duke of Seville  • Luisa, Duchess of Moscoso  • Duarte Felipe  • Josefina  • Teresa  • Fernando  • Maria Cristina, Infanta of Portugal  • Amelia Philippina, Princess Adalbert of Bavaria  •   Charles IV Spouse(s) HRH Princess Maria Luisa of Parma Children Carlos Clemente  • Carlota Joaquina, Queen of Portugal  • Maria Luisa  • Maria Amalia  • Carlos Domingo  • Maria Luisa, Duchess of Lucca  • Carlos Francisco  • Felipe Francisco  • Ferdinand VII  • Carlos, Count of Molina  • Maria Isabella, Queen of the Two Sicilies  • Maria Teresa  • Felipe Maria  • Francisco de Paula Grandchildren Carlos, Count of Montemolin  • Juan, Count of Montizón  • Fernando  • Isabella II of Spain  • Luisa Fernanda, Duchess of Montpensier  • Francisco de Asis  • Isabel  • Francis, Duke of Cádiz  • Henry, Duke of Seville  • Luisa, Duchess of Moscoso  • Duarte Felipe  • Josefina  • Teresa  • Fernando  • Maria Cristina, Infanta of Portugal  • Amelia Philippina, Princess Adalbert of Bavaria   Ferdinand VII Spouse(s) HRH Princess Maria Antonia of Naples and Sicily*  • HRH Infanta Maria Isabel of Portugal  • HH Princess Maria Josepha of Saxony  • HRH Princess Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies* Children Isabella II of Spain  • Maria Luisa Fernanda, Duchess of Montpensier  •   Isabella II Spouse(s) HRH Infante Francis, Duke of Cadiz Children Ferdinand, Prince of Asturias  • Isabella, Princess of Asturias  • Maria Cristina  • Alfonso XII of Spain  • Maria de la Concepcion  • Maria de Pilar  • María de la Paz, Princess Ludwig of Bavaria  • Francisco de Asis  • Eulalia, Duchess of Galliera   Alfonso XII Spouse(s) HRH Princess Mercedes d'Orléans  • HRH Archduchess Maria Christina of Austria Children Mercedes, Princess of Asturias  • Maria Teresa, Princess and Duchess of Bavaria  • Alfonso XIII of Spain Grandchildren Alfonso, Duke of Calabria*  • Fernando, Prince of Bourbon-Two Sicilies  • Isabella Alfonsa, Princess of Bourbon-Two Sicilies  • Alfonso, Prince of Asturias  • Jaime, Duke of Segovia  • Beatriz, Princess of Civitella-Cesi  • Ferdinand  • Maria Cristina, Countess of Marone  • Juan, Count of Barcelona  • Gonzalo Great grandchildren Teresa, Princess of Bourbon-Two Sicilies  • Carlos, Duke of Calabria*  • Inés Maria, Princess of Bourbon-Two Sicilies  • Alfonso, Duke of Anjou and Cádiz  • Gonzalo, Duke of Aquitaine  • Pilar, Duchess of Badajoz  • Juan Carlos I of Spain  • Margarita, 2nd Duchess of Hernani  • Alfonso   Alfonso XIII Spouse(s) HSH Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg Children Alfonso, Prince of Asturias  • Jaime, Duke of Segovia  • Beatriz, Princess of Civitella-Cesi  • Ferdinand  • Maria Cristina, Countess of Marone  • Juan, Count of Barcelona  • Gonzalo Grandchildren Alfonso, Duke of Anjou and Cádiz  • Gonzalo, Duke of Aquitaine  • Pilar, Duchess of Badajoz  • Juan Carlos I of Spain  • Margarita, 2nd Duchess of Hernani  • Alfonso   Juan Carlos I Spouse(s) HRH Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark Children Infanta Elena, Duchess of Lugo  • Infanta Cristina, Duchess of Palma de Mallorca  • Felipe, Prince of Asturias Grandchildren Infanta Leonor of Spain  • Infanta Sofía of Spain *also a Prince or Princess of the Two Sicilies **also an Archduchess of Austria ***both

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Alfonso X
Comtemporary portrait of Alfonso X.
King of Castile and León
Reign	1 June 1252 – 4 April 1284
Predecessor	Ferdinand III
Successor	Sancho IV
Consort	Violant of Aragon
among others... Issue
Beatrice, Marchioness of Montferrat Ferdinand de la Cerda Sancho IV of Castile
House	House of Burgundy
Father	Ferdinand III of Castile
Mother	Elisabeth of Hohenstaufen
Born	(1221-11-23)23 November 1221 Toledo
Died	4 April 1284(1284-04-04) (aged 62) Seville
Burial	Cathedral of Seville
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Alfonso X (23 November 1221 – 4 April 1284), called the Wise (Spanish: el Sabio), was the King of Castile, León and Galicia from 30 May 1252 until his death. During the Imperial election of 1257, a dissident faction chose him to be King of the Romans (that is, of Germany and Italy) on 1 April. He renounced his imperial claim in 1275, and in creating an alliance with England in 1254 his claim on Gascony also.

Alfonso established Castilian as a language of higher learning, and was a prolific author of Galician poetry, such as the Cantigas de Santa Maria, which are equally notable for their musical notation as for their literary merit. Alfonso's scientific interests—he is sometimes nicknamed "the Astrologer" (el Astrólogo)—led him to sponsor the creation of the Alfonsine tables, and the Alphonsus crater on the moon is named after him. As a legislator he introduced the first vernacular law code in Spain, the Siete Partidas. He created the Mesta, an association of sheep farmers in the central plain, but debased the coinage to finance his claim to the German crown. He fought a successful war with Portugal, but a less successful one with Granada. The end of his reign was marred by a civil war with his eldest surviving son, the future Sancho IV, which would continue after his death.

Life[link]

Early life[link]

Alfonso X as a judge, from his Libro de los Dados,^[1] completed ca. 1280.

Born in Toledo, Spain, Alfonso was the eldest son of Ferdinand III of Castile and Elisabeth of Hohenstaufen, known in Spain as Beatriz de Suabia, through whom he was a cousin of Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, to whom Alfonso is often compared. His maternal grandparents were Philip of Swabia and Irene Angelina. Little is known about his upbringing, but he was most likely raised in Toledo. He began his career as a soldier, under the command of his father, when he was only sixteen years old.

After the election of Theobald I as king of Navarre, his father tried to arrange a marriage for Ferdinand with Theobald's daughter, Blanche of Navarre, but the move was unsuccessful. So, in 1240, he married Maior Guillen de Guzman, but the marriage was later annulled and their issue declared illegitimate. In the same period (1240–1250) he conquered several Muslim strongholds in Al-Andalus alongside his father, such as Murcia, Alicante and Cadiz.

In 1249, Alfonso X married Violante of Aragon, the daughter of King James I of Aragon and Yolande of Hungary, although betrothed already in 1246. At the same time he also had a romantic relationship with Sofia Mayor Guillén de Guzmán, who bore to him illegitimate daughter Beatrice.

Reign[link]

Alfonso succeeded his father as King of Castile and León in 1252. The following year he invaded Portugal, capturing the region of the Algarve. King Afonso III of Portugal had to surrender, but he gained an agreement by which, after he consented to marry Alfonso X's daughter Beatrice of Castile, the land would be returned to their heirs. In 1263 Alfonso X returned Algarve to the King of Portugal.

In 1254 Alfonso X signed a treaty of alliance with the King of England and Duke of Aquitaine, Henry III, supporting him in the war against Louis IX of France. In the same year Alfonso's sister, Eleanor of Castile, married Henry's heir to the throne, Edward: with this act Alfonso renounced forever all claim to the Duchy of Gascony, to which Castile had been a pretender since the marriage of Alfonso VIII of Castile with Eleanor of England and Gascony.

Imperial election[link]

In 1256, at the death of William II of Holland, 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 as King of the Romans by the imperial prince-electors misled him into complicate schemes that involved excessive expense but never took effect. His rival, Richard of Cornwall, went to Germany and here was also crowned in 1257 at Aachen. Alfonso instead never moved to Germany, and his alliance with the Italian Ghibelline lord Ezzelino IV da Romano deprived him of the initial support of Pope Alexander IV. In the end, after Richard's death, the German princes elected Rudolph I of Habsburg (1272), Alfonso being declared deposed by Pope Gregory X. In 1275 Alfonso tried to meet with his nominal imperial vicar in Italy, William VII of Montferrat (who had succeeded Ezzelino) and his Ghibelline allies in Piedmont and Lombardy to fight against the Guelph Charles I of Anjou; he was however stopped in Provence by the Pope who, after a long negotiation, obtained Alfonso's renunciation of the title of King of the Romans.

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 in 1272. Reconciliation was bought by Alfonso's son Ferdinand in 1273.

Statue of Alfonso X in Madrid by José Alcoverro (1892).

Civil war[link]

Throughout his reign, Alfonso contended with the nobles, particularly the families of Nuño González de Lara, Diego López de Haro and Esteban Fernández de Castro, all of whom were formidable soldiers and instrumental in maintaining Castile's military strength in frontier territories. According to some scholars, 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.^[2] Others have argued that his efforts were too singularly focused on the diplomatic and financial arrangements surrounding his bid for the Holy Roman Emperor.

Alfonso's eldest son, Ferdinand, died in 1275 at the battle of Écija against the Moroccan and Granadan invasion armies, 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 Alfonso's being forced in 1282 to accept Sancho as his heir instead of his young grandsons; only the cities of Seville, Murcia and Badajoz remained faithful to him. Son and nobles alike supported the Moors when he tried to unite the nation in a crusade; and when he allied himself with Abu Yusuf Yakub, the ruling Marinid Sultan 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 in 1284, leaving a will, by which he endeavored to exclude Sancho, and a heritage of civil war.

Economoic policy[link]

In 1273, he created the Mesta, an association of some 3,000 petty and great sheep holders in Castile, in reaction to less wool being exported from the traditional sites in England.^[3] This organization later became exceedingly powerful in the country (as wool became Castile's first major exportable commodity^[3]), and eventually its privileges were to prove a deadly wound in the Castilian economy.^{[citation needed]} One side effect of the quickly expanding sheep herds was the decimation to the Castilian farmland through which the sheep grazed.^[3]

Legislative activity[link]

As a ruler, Alfonso showed legislative capacity, and a wish to provide the kingdoms expanded under his father with a code of laws and a consistent judicial system. The Fuero Real was undoubtedly his work. He began medieval Europe's most comprehensive code of law, the Siete Partidas, which, however, thwarted by the nobility of Castile, was only promulgated by his great-grandson. Because of this, and because the Partidas remain fundamental law in the American Southwest, he is one of the 23 lawmakers depicted in the House of Representatives chamber of the United States Capitol.

Intellectual activity[link]

Alfonso "turned to the vernacular for the kind of intellectual commitments that formerly were inconceivable outside Latin."^[4] He was the first king who initiated the use of the Castilian language extensively, although his father, Ferdinand III, had begun to use it for some documents, instead of Latin, as the language used in courts, churches, and in books and official documents.

Astronomy[link]

Monument to Alfonso X in La Puebla del Río, province of Seville.

As an intellectual he gained considerable scientific fame based on his encouragement of astronomy, which included astrology at the time and the Ptolemaic cosmology as known to him through the Arabs. He surrounded himself with mostly Jewish translators who rendered Arabic scientific texts into Castilian at Toledo. His fame extends to the preparation of the Alfonsine tables, based on calculations of al-Zarqali, "Arzachel". Because of this, the lunar crater Alphonsus is named after him. One famous apocryphal quote attributed to him upon hearing an explanation of the extremely complicated mathematics required to demonstrate Ptolemy's theory of astronomy was "If the Lord Almighty had consulted me before embarking on creation thus, I should have recommended something simpler." The validity of this quotation is questioned by some historians.^[5] Alfonso also wrote one of the first western chess treatises.

Translations[link]

From the beginning of his reign, Alfonso employed Jewish, Christian and Muslim scholars at his court, primarily for the purpose of translating books from Arabic and Hebrew into Latin and Castilian, although he always insisted in supervising personally the translations. This group of scholars, specialized in Hebrew, Arabic and Latin, formed his royal scriptorium, known as the Escuela de Traductores de Toledo (Toledo School of Translators). Their final output promoted Castilian as a learning language both in science and literature, and established the foundations of the new Spanish language. This evolved version of the Castilian language also acquired significant relevance in the royal chancery, where it came to replace Latin, that until then was the language commonly used by the royal diplomacy in Castilla and León.^[6]

Most of the first translated texts at the time survive in only one manuscript. The first translation, commissioned by his brother, Fernando de la Cerda— who had extensive experience, both diplomatic and military, among the Muslims of southern Iberia and north Africa— was a Castilian version of the animal fable Kalila wa-Dimna,^[7] a book that belongs to the genre of wisdom literature labeled Mirrors for Princes: stories and sayings meant to instruct the monarch in proper and effective governance.

The primary intellectual work of these scholars centered on astronomy and astrology. The early period of Alfonso's reign saw the translation of selected works of magic (Lapidario, Picatrix, Libro de las formas et las ymagenes) all translated by a Jewish scholar named Yehudah ben Moshe (Yhuda Mosca, in the Old Spanish source texts). These were all highly ornate manuscripts (only the Lapidario survives in its entirety) containing what was believed to be secret knowledge on the magical properties of stones and talismans. In addition to these books of astral magic, Alfonso ordered the translation of well-known Arabic astrological compendia, including the Libro de las cruzes and Libro conplido en los iudizios de las estrellas. The first of these was, ironically, translated from Latin (it was used among the Visigoths), into Arabic, and then back into Castilian and Latin.^[8]

Chronicles[link]

Alfonso also commissioned a compilation of chronicles, the Crónica general, completed in 1264. This work enjoyed renewed popularity starting in the sixteenth century, when there was a revival of interest in history; Florián de Ocampo published a new edition and Lorenzo de Sepúlveda used it as the chief source of his popular romances. Sepúlveda wrote a number of romances having Alfonso X as their hero.

Games[link]

The game of astronomical tables, from Libro de los juegos

Alfonso also had Libro de ajedrez, dados, y tablas ("Libro de los Juegos" (The Book of Games)) translated into Castilian from Arabic and added illustrations with the goal of perfecting the work.^[9] It was completed in 1283.^[10]

Music[link]

Alfonso X commissioned or co-authored numerous works of music during his reign. These works included Cantigas d'escarnio e maldicer and the vast compilation Cantigas de Santa Maria ("Songs to the Virgin Mary"), which was written in Galician-Portuguese and figures among the most important of his works. The Cantigas form one of the largest collections of vernacular monophonic songs to survive from the Middle Ages. They consist of 420 poems with musical notation. The poems are for the most part on miracles attributed to the Virgin Mary. One of the miracles Alfonso relates is his own healing in Puerto de Santa María.

Family[link]

Violante was ten years old at the time of her marriage to Alfonso; 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 eleven children:

1. Berengaria (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.
2. Beatrice (1254–1280). She married William VII, Marquess of Montferrat.
3. Ferdinand de la Cerda, Infante of Castile (23 October 1255 – 25 July 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.
4. Eleanor (1257–1275)
5. Sancho IV of Castile (13 May 1258 – 1295)
6. Constance (1258 – 22 August 1280), a nun at Las Huelgas.
7. Peter (June 1260 – 10 October 1283)
8. John, Lord of Valencia (March or April 1262 – 25 June 1319).
9. Isabella, died young.
10. Violante of Castile (1265–1296). She married Diego López V de Haro, Lord of Biscay
11. James (August 1266 – 9 August 1284), Lord of Cameros

Alfonso X also had several illegitimate children. With Mayor Guillen de Guzmán, daughter of Guillén Pérez de Guzmán and of María González Girón, he fathered:

• Beatrice, married King Afonso III of Portugal. An illegitimate son, Martin, was Abbot of Valladolid.

With Elvira Rodríguez de Villada, daughter of Rodrigo Fernández de Villada, he fathered:

• Alfonso Fernández de Castilla (1242-1281), also known as el nino, he was señor de Molina and of Mesa through his marriage with Blanca Alfonso de Molina.

With María Alfonso de León, his aunt, the illigitimate daughter of the King Alfonso IX of Leon and Teresa Gil de Soberosa he had:

• Berenguela Alfonso of Castile, who married after 1264 with Pedro Núñez de Guzmán but she died young leaving behind no descendants.

References and notes[link]

• 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.
• A King for the Stars, planetarium show, Thomas Wm. Hamilton, 1975

Further reading[link]

• Antonella Liuzzo Scorpo, "Religious Frontiers and Overlapping Cultural Borders: The Power of Personal and Political Exchanges in the Works of Alfonso X of Castile (1252–1284)," Al-Masaq, 23,3 (2011), 217-236.
• Gordon, Stewart (July/August 2009). "The Game of Kings". Saudi Aramco World (Houston: Aramco Services Company) 60 (4): 18–23. http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200904/the.game.of.kings.htm.  (PDF version) Cf. especially section on "The Alfonso X 'Book of Games'".
• Amy G. Remensnyder, "The Virgin and the King: Alfonso X's Cantigas de Santa Maria," in Jason Glenn (ed), The Middle Ages in Texts and Texture: Reflections on Medieval Sources (Toronto, University of Toronto, 2012),
• Spanish Royal Academy of History, "Opusculos Legales del rey Don Alfonso el Sabio: Tomo I", Madrid, 1836. In Spanish. ("Legal Booklets of King Alfonso el Sabio")
• Spanish Royal Academy of History, "Opusculos Legales del rey Don Alfonso el Sabio: Tomo II", Madrid, 1836. In Spanish. ("Legal Booklets of King Alfonso el Sabio")
• Thomas, Phillip Drennon (1970). "Alfonso el Sabio". Dictionary of Scientific Biography. 1. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. pp. 122. ISBN 0-684-10114-9. http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-2830900086.html. 
• Samsó, Julio (2007). "Alfonso X". In Thomas Hockey et al. The Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers. New York: Springer. pp. 29–31. ISBN 978-0-387-31022-0. http://islamsci.mcgill.ca/RASI/BEA/Alfonso_X_BEA.htm.  (PDF version)
• Vazquez-Campos, Braulio (2010). "Alfonso X and Chess" (Spanish: "Alfonso X y el ajedrez"). Google Knol collection.
• Björn Weiler, "Kings and sons: princely rebellions and the structures of revolt in western Europe, c.1170–c.1280," Historical Research, 82, 2007, № 215, 17-40.

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Alfonso X of Castile

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Alfonso X of Castile

• Cantigas de Santa Maria
• Alphonso X – Book of Games
• Libros del Saber de Astronomía – Images of manuscript from 1276.
• Free scores by Alfonso X of Castile in the Werner Icking Music Archive (WIMA)
• Free scores by Alfonso X of Castile in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)

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