Ministers for a Wise King: the Sun-King and planetary imagery at the court of Alfonso X

Abstract

ABSTRACTAlfonso X is well known for being the patron of a large number of works of various kinds. Their common element a strong political component, a desire to use the past to back his power and to control the present and future of his kingdom. Even in its most unexpected corners, Alfonso’s literary project contains markedly political nuances. This is the case of his treatises dedicated to pastimes such as hunting or board games, whose princely quality is clearly highlighted. In this article I will analyze some miniatures where, at the end of his life, the Wise King presents himself as the Sun king. In the folios representing the games played by astronomy -a late-minute addition to the manuscript of his Book of Games- Alfonso X elaborates in figurative terms a declaration of cosmic power rooted in an ancient tradition he knows through islamic sources, the same ones from which he know the iconography of the planets. This metaphorical assertion of universal power contributes to make understandable his subsequent legend as a blasphemous king, who would have dared to challenge the power of God.