Alfonso X and the Cantigas de Santa Maria : : A Poetic Biography / / Joseph O'Callaghan.

• Superior document: The Medieval Mediterranean ; 16
• VerfasserIn: O'Callaghan, Joseph,
• Place / Publishing House: Leiden;, Boston : : BRILL,, 1998.
• Year of Publication: 1998
• Language: English
• Series: The Medieval Mediterranean ; 16.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource.

In the Cantigas de Santa Maria , a collection of more than four hundred poems written in the language of medieval Galicia in praise of the Virgin Mary, Alfonso X, el Sabio, king of Castile-Leon, has left us a kind of poetic biography. Declaring himself Mary's troubadour, he appeals to her as his advocate and consoler as he recounts specific events in his life and that of his kingdom. As he tells us about his family, his war against the Muslims of Granada and Morocco, the treachery of the nobility, his frequent illnesses, and his fear of hellfire and damnation, he reveals much about his personality and his spirituality. This volume explicates the historical circumstances surrounding the events described in the cantigas. The Cantigas de Santa Maria is a royal biography unique in thirteenth-century Europe.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations -- Abbreviations -- Maps -- Illustrations 1-12 -- Preface -- 1. A Poetic Biography -- 2. The Troubadour of Our Lady -- 3. Filial Piety and Dynastic History -- 4. The Idea of Kinship -- 5. The Threat of Islam -- 6. The Mudejar Uprising -- 7. Crisis and Disillusionment -- 8. The Benimerines and The Wars of Granada -- 9. The Cycle of El Puerto de Santa Maria -- 10. King Alfonso's Last Judgement -- 11. The End of King Alfonso's Journey -- Bibliography -- Index.