Alfonso, El Sabio (Alfonso X, the Wise, of Castile). The philosopher-king, Alfonso X (1221-1284), known as El Sabio (The Wise), continued the consolidation of his Castilian kingdom which was to become the basis of modern Christian Spain. He was a polymath who drew on the cultural traditions present in his kingdom – Arabic, Jewish and Christian – to codify and reshape knowledge for his expanded kingdom. In doing this he was building on the efforts of earlier patrons, notably Archbishop Raimundo (1130-1187) and his translators in Toledo. During Raimundo’s time in Toledo, the cathedral library became an important translation centre where Arabic scholars worked alongside Jewish scholars and Christian monks in translating works from Arabic and Hebrew into Castilian, and then into Latin, and also directly into Latin.
Alfonso and his translators in Toledo continued earlier translation efforts to understand the knowledge of the Arabic culture together with the earlier knowledge-systems from Greece and India that were embedded in it. Translation methods did however evolve when Alfonso directed that texts should be translated ‘Ilanos de entender’ (‘easy to understand’) and that Castilian should be the target language. The team of translators in Toledo was boosted by the recruitment of well-paid scholars from other European countries such as Italy, Germany, England, and the Netherlands. When these scholars returned to their countries they carried with them their acquired knowledge in classical Arabic, classical Greek, and ancient Hebrew. Many Arabic scientific treatises were translated into Castilian under King Alfonso’s direction. One of the first translations of this period was the Lapidario, a book written in Arabic about the medical properties of various rocks and gems.
Abraham of Toledo, a Jewish physician to both Alfonso and his son Sancho, translated several works from Arabic into Castilian including Al-Heitham’s treatise on the construction of the universe, and al-Zarqali’s Astrolabe. Alfonso’s nephew, Juan Manuel (1282-1348) mentions a possible translation, presumably into Castilian, of all or parts of the Qur’an. This text had been earlier translated into Latin by Marcus of Toledo in 1209. Many of the Greek texts had already been translated into Latin in Toledo.
Michael Scot (dates unknown – early 13th century) translated several of Aristotle’s works including De Coelo et Mundo, Historia animalium (completed in 19 books by 1220) and De Anima with Averroes’ commentaries. During Alfonso’s time, the Tetrabiblon and Quadripartitum of Ptolemy were translated.
The Indian text, Pancatantra, a compilation of fables, was originally composed in Sanskrit, and had reached Persia by the sixth century where it was translated into Pahlavi, c.570CE (now lost). Two centuries later it was translated into Arabic by Ibn al-Muqaffa (d.757), under the title, Kalila wa Dimna. It is this Arabic text which King Alfonso’s translators translated into Castilian, in 1251, and incorporated into the Calyla e Dymna. Alfonso also accessed the knowledge of the Jewish people – both the Rabbinic tradition and the secret Kabbalistic tradition.
He sponsored translations of Hebrew texts into Castilian including the entire Talmud and some Kabbalistic texts. Don Juan Manuel comments: Furthermore he ordered the translation of the whole Law of the Jews, and even their Talmud, and other knowledge which is called Cabala and which the Jews keep closely secret. These translations have not survived, but modern historians regard this testimony as likely to be reliable. (Roth 1985: 440-441) Combining Arabic and Jewish knowledge with the existing knowledge of the Christians, Alfonso and his scholars created a series of syntheses: in law, in history, in medicine, in science, and in literature. This synthesised knowledge, after being translated from Castilian into Latin, was to move north into France, being one of the ways that western Europe was introduced to the knowledge of the Greeks and the Arabs.
The codification of law in Castile included the vast, comprehensive codex, the Siete Partidas (1256-65). In all, some 23 scientific treatises were commissioned by Alfonso. The Libros del saber de la astrologia, compiled between 1276 and 1279, collected together 16 earlier treatises and was an attempt to systematize the movement of the stars and constellations.
The General Estoria, begun in 1270, was an attempt to compile in Castilian a universal history and was the earliest vernacular universal history. The six surviving parts correspond to the chronological period covered by the Old Testament. The Estoria de Espana, begun around 1270 and abandoned in 1274, was Alfono’s attempt at a national history. El libro de Ajedrez was a compilation of three treatises on recreational games including chess and dice. The surviving manuscript has some 150 miniatures which depict scenes from the 13th century Castilian court. Alfonso is best known today for the Cantigas, or Canticles of Holy Mary. This collection contains over 400 lyrics and narrative miracles in praise of the Virgin Mary, many of which were set to music by the king and his musicians at the Castilian court in Toledo and later Seville. In the surviving manuscripts these are accompanied by nearly 1,300 realistic miniature paintings of daily life. The book defies categorizing, being a major source of medieval secular music, an encyclopedia of art forms, and a great work of literature. The songs are in the Galician-Portuguese language which was used for lyricism, and to sing of love and spirituality.
Cantiga 340, stanzas 1-3 (of 7)
In praise of Holy Mary
Virgin, glorious Mother
Of God, daughter and wife,
Holy, noble and precious
Who would know how to praise you?
Who could do so? (refrain)
We would not see the face of God,
Which is day and light,
Because of our nature
Without you, who was His Dawn.
For you are the Dawn of all dawns
Who allows the sinners
To see their errors
And to know their folly which diverts
Man from the promised good
Which Eve lost by her frailty
And you, Immaculate Virgin,
Regained, for you are the Dawn.
Meaning of the above:
This text is a poem praising Holy Mary, the mother of God. It describes her as a virgin, glorious mother, daughter, and wife of God. The poem expresses admiration for her holiness, nobility, and preciousness. It questions who could truly praise her adequately. The refrain emphasizes the difficulty of fully praising her. The poem suggests that without Mary, humanity would not have access to God’s presence, which brings light and understanding. Mary is described as the dawn, the beginning of all beginnings, who allows sinners to recognize their mistakes and understand the goodness they have lost. It contrasts Mary with Eve, suggesting that while Eve’s actions led to humanity’s downfall, Mary’s purity and virtue restored hope and goodness to humanity.
Here are some famous quotes attributed to Alfonso X of Castile:
- “Praise God and let your heart be happy.”
- “Time is like a sword: if you don’t cut it, it will cut you.”
- “The greatest error of a man is to think that he is weak by nature, evil by nature. Every man is good by nature.”
- “Happiness lies in doing what one desires, and desires what one does.”
- “A noble heart cannot suspect in others the pettiness and malice that it has never felt.”
- “Order is Heaven’s first law.”
- “Better to die on your feet than live on your knees.”
These quotes reflect Alfonso X’s wisdom, outlook on life, and leadership philosophy.
