Quenna Omagen - Music

Alfonso X November 23 1221 Toledo Spain – April 4 1284 Seville Spain Was A Spanish Monarch Who Ruled As The King Of Galicia Castile And León From 1252 Until His Death. He Was Elected Rex Romanorum In 1254. His Nicknames Were "el Sabio" "the Wise" More Accurately Translated "the Learned" And "el Astrólogo" "the Astronomer" . Statue Of Alfonso X In Madrid J. Alcoverro 1892 . Monument To Alfonso X In La Puebla Del Río SevilleAlfonso Was The Eldest Son Of Ferdinand III Of Castile And Elisabeth Of Hohenstaufen. His Maternal Grandparents Were Philip Of Swabia And Irene Angelina. As A Writer And Intellectual He Gained Considerable Scientific Fame Based On His Encouragement Of Astronomy And The Ptolemaic Cosmology As Known To Him Through The Arabs. Because Of This The Alphonsus Crater On The Moon Is Named After Him . His Fame Extends To The Preparation Of The Alfonsine Tables Based On Calculations Of Al-Zarqali Alzarquel. One Famous Quote Attributed To Him Was Supposedly Said Upon Hearing An Explanation Of Ptolemy's Theory Of Astronomy And Being Shown The Extremely Complicated Mathematics Required To "prove" It - "If The Lord Almighty Had Consulted Me Before Embarking On Creation Thus I Should Have Recommended Something Simpler." The Validity Of This Quotation Is Questioned By Some Historians. Alfonso Supported The Long-Established Program Of Translation Traditionally Known As School Of Translators Of Toledo That Increased The Flow Of Ancient Greek And Arabic Knowledge Into Christian Europe. Welcoming Jewish As Well As Christian Scholars To His Court Alfonso Sponsored A Translation Of The Talmud. After The Revolt By His Son Sancho However Alfonso Turned Against The Jewish Community Of Toledo Imprisoning Them In Their Synagogues And Demolishing Their Homes. As A Ruler Alfonso Showed Legislative Capacity And A Wish To Provide His Kingdoms With A Code Of Laws And A Consistent Judicial System. The Fuero Real Was Undoubtedly His Work. He Began The Code Called The Siete Partidas Which However Was Only Promulgated By His Great-Grandson. Because Of This He Is One Of The 23 Lawmakers Depicted In The Chamber Of The United States House Of Representatives. Alfonso Was The First King Who Initiated The Use Of The Castilian Language Extensively Although His Father Fernando III Had Begun To Use It For Some Documents Instead Of Latin As The Language Used In Courts Churches And In Books And Official Documents. Alfonso Lacked The Singleness Of Purpose Required By A Ruler Who Would Devote Himself To Organization And Also The Combination Of Firmness With Temper Needed For Dealing With His Nobles. Alfonso's Descent From The Hohenstaufen Through His Mother A Daughter Of The Emperor Philip Of Swabia Gave Him A Claim To Represent The Swabian Line. Alfonso's Election By The Prince-Electors Of The Holy Roman Empire After The Death Of Conrad IV Of Germany In 1254 Misled Him Into Wild Schemes That Involved Excessive Expense But Never Took Effect. To Obtain Money He Debased The Coinage And Then Endeavoured To Prevent A Rise In Prices By An Arbitrary Tariff. The Little Trade Of His Dominions Was Ruined And The Burghers And Peasants Were Deeply Offended. His Nobles Whom He Tried To Cow By Sporadic Acts Of Violence Rebelled Against Him. Alfonso's Eldest Son Ferdinand De La Cerda Infante Of Castile Died In 1275 Leaving Two Infant Sons. Alfonso's Second Son Sancho Claimed To Be The New Heir In Preference To The Children Of Ferdinand De La Cerda Basing His Claim On An Old Castilian Custom That Of Proximity Of Blood And Agnatic Seniority. Alfonso Preferred To Leave The Throne To His Grandsons But Sancho Had The Support Of The Nobility. A Bitter Civil War Broke Out Resulting In 1282 Alfonso's Being Forced To Accept Sancho As His Heir Instead Of His Young Grandsons. Son And Nobles Alike Supported The Moors When He Tried To Unite The Nation In A Crusade And When He Allied Himself With Abu Yusuf Yakub The Ruling Marinid Sultan Of Morocco They Denounced Him As An Enemy Of The Faith. A Reaction In His Favor Was Beginning In His Later Days But He Died Defeated And Deserted At Seville Leaving A Will By Which He Endeavored To Exclude Sancho And A Heritage Of Civil War. Alfonso X Commissioned Or Co-Authored Numerous Works Of Music During His Reign. These Works Included Cantigas D'escarnio E Maldicer General Estoria And The Libro De Los Juegos "Book Of Games" . Among The Most Important Of The Works By Alfonso X Was The Celebrated Cantigas De Santa Maria "Songs To The Virgin Mary" One Of The Largest Collections Of Monophonic Songs To Survive From Medieval Times. The Cantigas De Santa Maria Consists Of 420 Poems Written In Galician-Portuguese With Musical Notation. The Poems Are For The Most Part On Miracles Attributed To The Virgin Mary. One Of The Miracles Alfonso Relates Is His Own Healing In Puerto De Santa María. In 1246 Alfonso X Married Violante Of Aragon The Daughter Of King James I Of Aragon And Yolande Of Hungary In 1249 Although Betrothed Already In 1246. Because Of Her Young Age Violante Was Only 13-Years-Old At The Time Of The Marriage She Produced No Children For Several Years And It Was Feared That She Was Barren. Alfonso Almost Had Their Marriage Annulled But They Went On To Have Twelve Children read less