Alfonso X, << ahl FAWN soh >> (1221-1284), was king of Castile and Leon—now part of Spain—from 1252 to 1284. A strong supporter of education and the Spanish language, he was known as Alfonso the Wise. Alfonso’s father was King Ferdinand III of Castile.
Alfonso’s reign was marked by ethnic and political unrest. It was overshadowed by warfare against Muslims from Spain and North Africa and clashes with Portugal and the Spanish kingdoms of Navarre and Aragon. Alfonso also competed with England for control of Gascony in southwestern France. From 1256 to 1275, Alfonso tried unsuccessfully to become the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire . He claimed eligibility through family relations on his mother’s side. Alfonso also organized an effort to repopulate the Spanish regions of Murcia and Andalusia with Christians. Alfonso and his father had won control of these regions, except for the small kingdom of Granada, from their Muslim rulers.
Alfonso promoted education and influenced the development of the Spanish language. During his reign, the Castilian dialect (language variation) became the widely accepted form of Spanish. It increasingly replaced Latin in courts of law, books, and official documents. Alfonso ordered, funded, and supervised the translation from Arabic to Castilian of literary, religious, and scientific texts.
The scholars at Alfonso’s court included Christians, Jews, and Muslims. Alfonso himself wrote music and poetry. He commissioned a book on chess and other table games. He also supervised work on histories of Spain and of the world. One of his most important projects was a law book, The Seven Divisions, probably completed by 1265. The work included a legal code based on Roman law and a discussion of various kinds of legislation. The legal code was adopted in 1348, under Alfonso XI.
High taxes, money reforms, and attempts to increase royal power made Alfonso unpopular with many of his subjects. In 1264, the Muslims living under his rule revolted in large numbers. In 1272, Spanish nobles rebelled against Alfonso’s policies and law reforms.
Alfonso’s oldest son, Ferdinand de la Cerda, died in 1275 while trying to stop an invasion by Muslims from North Africa. Alfonso’s second son, Sancho, became a war hero fighting the invaders. Sancho claimed the right to inherit the throne, but some people believed Ferdinand’s children had the right. The disagreement over succession split the kingdom. In 1282, Sancho’s followers declared Alfonso deposed (removed from power), but Alfonso continued to rule and fight for his throne until 1284.
Alfonso X was born on Nov. 23, 1221, in Toledo, Spain. He died on April 4, 1284, in Seville. His son Sancho succeeded him.
