The Wise King, by Simon R. Doubleday
In preparation for my upcoming trip to Spain (wheeeeee!), I'm diving into the Spanish history books I've been hoarding over the last few years. First up is this biography of Alfonso X, known as El Sabio - "The Wise" - a thirteenth-century philosopher-king who oversaw tremendous societal upheaval and cultural achievement during his life. Reigning over the kingdom of Castile and Leon, Alfonso sought always to add more lands to his domain while simultaneously patronizing education and the arts. Though his lifelong goal of being crowned Holy Roman Emperor was never fulfilled, and though his brothers and sons created constant conflict within his own borders, Alfonso brought lands long held in Muslim hands back under Christian control.
Medieval Spain was remarkable for its multiculturalism and great intellectual output. Muslims, Christians, and Jews lived in the same cities and worked together as scientists and translators. Great works of classical scholars that had been lost in Europe since the fall of the Roman Empire were saved by Muslim academics in Arabic, then translated by Jewish scholars in Spain into Hebrew, Castilian, or back into Latin. Alfonso, despite violently reclaiming Muslim cities for the glory of the Christian god, commissioned new translations of Muslim classics on medicine, astrology, and philosophy. He was a complicated man, and Doubleday takes the opportunity to shine some light on a period of history most people think of as dark, depressing, and simplistic. Medieval people were just as complex as we are, and the period often referred to as the "Dark Ages" was actually one of tremendous rediscovery of learning that had long been lost.
Doubleday's prose is lively and readable, a bit slow at times, but illuminating, even for someone who studied medieval history in college. I'm really glad I read it before my Spain trip.
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Medieval Spain was remarkable for its multiculturalism and great intellectual output. Muslims, Christians, and Jews lived in the same cities and worked together as scientists and translators. Great works of classical scholars that had been lost in Europe since the fall of the Roman Empire were saved by Muslim academics in Arabic, then translated by Jewish scholars in Spain into Hebrew, Castilian, or back into Latin. Alfonso, despite violently reclaiming Muslim cities for the glory of the Christian god, commissioned new translations of Muslim classics on medicine, astrology, and philosophy. He was a complicated man, and Doubleday takes the opportunity to shine some light on a period of history most people think of as dark, depressing, and simplistic. Medieval people were just as complex as we are, and the period often referred to as the "Dark Ages" was actually one of tremendous rediscovery of learning that had long been lost.
Doubleday's prose is lively and readable, a bit slow at times, but illuminating, even for someone who studied medieval history in college. I'm really glad I read it before my Spain trip.
Buy local!
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