The learned king : the reign of Alfonso X of Castile /

The reign of Alfonso X of Castile (1252-84) has long needed an overview available to students of Hispanic and European history. The standard biography by Ballesteros Beretta is rigidly chronological and political, and is unavailable in English translation. O'Callaghan integrates the many facets of the "learned monarch's" political, administrative, and cultural activities during his lengthy reign. His father, Fernando III, had broken the back of Muslim resistance in the Peninsula with his conquest of the Andalusian river towns, and it fell to Alfonso to consolidate and integrate these gains. Moreover, myriad frontier institutions required attention. The author interweaves these various royal challenges in a reasonably effective manner, while also taking into account Alfonso's rich intellectual dimension. O'Callaghan also relates "El Sabio's" misguided pursuit of the German imperial title with unfortunate economic and political results, as well as the mishandled succession crisis that tarnished the close of his life. A fine bibliography and annotated endnotes accompany this valuable work, along with maps and several illustrations from Alfonso's Cantiga manuscript. Recommended. General readers, advanced undergraduates, and above. J. F. Powers; College of the Holy Cross