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The King Speaks about Himself: Alfonso X in the Mirror of His Own Texts
 
PIIS207987840031543-6-1
DOI10.18254/S207987840031543-6
Publication type Article
Status Published
Authors
Alexander Marey 
Affiliation: Higher School of Economics
Address: Russian Federation, Moscow
Journal nameISTORIYA
Edition
Abstract

The author of the article sets the goal of reconstructing the personal traits of the ruler of Castile and Leon Alfonso X the Wise, relying on the king’s letter addressed to his son, Infante Don Fernando, and the testament, dictated in Seville. Analyzing these texts, the author emphasizes their internal links, pointing to the following points: first-person speech; the presence of issues related to the king’s health among the topics of both texts; the critical circumstances surrounding the writing of both texts; the circle of addressees of the letter and the will. In relation to the latter, the author of the article especially draws attention to the absence of the “ricos hombres”, i.e. the representatives of the highest nobility of the kingdom, among the addressees of both documents. Based on the analysis of the letter and the will, the author points out that, firstly, the king did not separate himself as a person from himself as a bearer of royal dignity; secondly, he was a courageous man and accustomed to restraining his pain; thirdly, he was a person who easily succumbed to strong emotions, such as resentment, anger, pain — traces of all these affects are visible in the texts he created. At the same time, the king, according to his texts, was neither an abstract dreamer nor a mystic — on the contrary, he appears to be an experienced politician and warrior, a master of political analysis.

KeywordsAlfonso X the Wise, Castile, personal sources, letters, last will
AcknowledgmentThe research was carried out within the framework of the Basic Research Program of the National Research University Higher School of Economics in 2024.
Received22.03.2024
Publication date31.07.2024
Number of characters41548
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