Fuero real del rey Don Alonso el Sabio: Copiado del códice del Escorial señalado ij. z.- 8. y cotejado con varios códices de diferentes archivos

by Alfonso X of Castile

Spanish

209 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

Alfonso X (also occasionally Alphonso, Alphonse or Alfons), called the Wise (in Spanish: el Sabio), was the King of Castile, León and Galicia from 30 May 1252 until his death.

Alfonso X fostered the development of a cosmopolitan court that encouraged learning. Jews, Muslims, and Christians had prominent roles in his court. As a result of his encouraging the translation of works from Arabic and Latin into the vernacular of Castile, many intellectual changes took place, perhaps the most notable being encouragement of the use of Castilian as a primary language of higher learning, science, and law. Alfonso 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 continued after his death.