| Alfonso X | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Alfonso X from the Libro de los juegos (1283)[1] | |
| King of Castile and León | |
| Reign | 1 June 1252 – 4 April 1284 |
| Predecessor | Ferdinand III |
| Successor | Sancho IV |
| Born | 23 November 1221 Toledo, Kingdom of Castile |
| Died | 4 April 1284 (aged 62) Seville, Kingdom of Castile |
| Burial | |
| Spouse | |
| Issue among others... | Berengaria, Lady of Guadalajara Beatrice, Marchioness of Monferrat Ferdinand de la Cerda Sancho IV, King of Castile Peter, Lord of Ledesma John, Lord of Valencia de Campos Violant, Lady of Biscay James, Lord of Cameros Beatrice, Queen of Portugal Alfonso Fernández |
| House | Castilian House of Ivrea |
| Father | Ferdinand III of Castile |
| Mother | Elisabeth of Swabia |
Alfonso X (also known as the Wise, Spanish: el Sabio; 23 November 1221 – 4 April 1284) was King of Castile, León and Galicia from 1 June 1252 until his death in 1284. During the election of 1257, a dissident faction chose him to be king of Germany on 1 April. He renounced his claim to Germany in 1275, and in creating an alliance with the Kingdom of England in 1254, his claim on the Duchy of Gascony as well.
Alfonso's scientific interests—he is sometimes nicknamed the Astrologer (el Astrólogo)—led him to sponsor the creation of the Alfonsine tables, and the Alphonsus crater on the Moon is named after him. He also sponsored the work of historians who, for the first time since Isidore of Seville in c600CE, placed Spain in the context of world history. As a lawmaker he introduced the first vernacular law code in Castile, the Siete Partidas. He created the Mesta, an association of sheep farmers in the central plain, but debased the coinage to finance his claim to the German crown. He fought a successful war with Portugal, but a less successful one with Granada. The end of his reign was marred by a civil war with his eldest surviving son, the future Sancho IV, which continued after his death.
- ^ The Book of Chess, Dice and Board Games.