Alfonso X of Castile
Alfonso X of Castile was called the Wise for what he commissioned rather than for how he ruled. Born in 1221, he succeeded his father Ferdinand III in 1252 with the reconquest of Andalusia largely complete, and inherited a kingdom of Christians, Muslims and Jews that he governed as a patron of all three. The scholarly programme is his monument. He gathered translators at Toledo and Seville and had Arabic and Hebrew works rendered into Castilian rather than Latin — which is the decision that made Castilian a language of learning, and much of the reason it became the language of Spain. The Alfonsine Tables, planetary positions computed from Ptolemy and Arabic astronomy, were used across Europe for three centuries. The Siete Partidas codified law on Roman foundations and remained in force in parts of the Spanish world into the nineteenth century. He commissioned a general history of Spain, a history of the world, a treatise on games, and the Cantigas de Santa Maria — over four hundred songs with notation and miniatures, in Galician-Portuguese. He is credited with remarking that had he been present at the creation he would have offered some useful advice on the arrangement of the heavens. The reign itself went badly. He spent nearly twenty years and a great deal of money pursuing election as Holy Roman Emperor through his German mother and never went to Germany; his currency debasements caused inflation; the nobility revolted; and his son Sancho rebelled and deposed him in 1282. He died at Seville in 1284.
- Lived: 1221 CE – 1284 CE
- Nationality: German
- Roles: head_of_state
