The Triumph of an Accursed Lineage Kingship in Castile from Alfonso X to Alfonso XI (1252-1350) Studies in Medieval History and Culture Series

The Triumph of an Accursed Lineage analyses kingship in Castile between 1252 and 1350, with a particular focus on the pivotal reign of Alfonso XI (r. 1312?1350).

This century witnessed significant changes in the ways in which the Castilian monarchy constructed and represented its power in this period. The ideas and motifs used to extoll royal authority, the territorial conceptualisation of the kingdom, the role queens and the royal family played, and the interpersonal relationship between the kings and the nobility were all integral to this process. Ultimately, this book addresses how Alfonso XI, a member of an accursed lineage who rose to the throne when he was an infant, was able to end the internal turmoil which plagued Castile since the 1270s and become a paradigm of successful kingship.

This book will appeal to scholars and students of medieval Spain, as well as those interested in the history of kingship.

Introduction 1. The Representation of Kingship in Castile (1252-1350): Sacred Monarchy, the Ethos of the Reconquista, and the Legitimacy Troubles of an Accursed Lineage 2. A Kingdom Comprising Several Realms 3. Royal Itineration and Kingship in Castile (1252-1350): The Kingdom’s Capitals and the Absence of a Dynastic Mausoleum 4. A Plural Monarchy (I): Queenship and Royal Power in Castile 5. A Plural Monarchy (II): Defining the Royal Family in Castile 6. Nobles and Kingship (I): The ‘Conflictive Cooperation’ between the Ricoshombres and the King in Castile 7. Nobles and Kingship (II): The Representation of the Castilian Nobility in the Privilegios Rodados Conclusion

Fernando Arias Guillén is a Ramón y Cajal Fellow at the University of Valladolid Spain. His research focuses on kingship in Castile, particularly during the reign of Alfonso XI (r. 1312–1350).