Abstract
The publication of Fernando Arias Guillén’s book is a significant moment for anglophone studies of medieval Iberia. Its subject is the operation of royal power in the century from 1252 to 1350, above all focused on understanding how Alfonso XI (1312–50) overcame the various challenges Arias Guillén sees as bequeathed from previous generations. The book is divided into four main parts: the representation of royal power; territoriality and kingship; the role played by the royal family in ruling the kingdom; and the relationship between the king and nobility. Each of these sections incorporates several brilliant ideas that will be familiar to readers of Arias Guillén’s articles over recent years, with additions and adjustments that invariably enrich the analysis and add crucial context from the reigns of Alfonso X (1252–84), Sancho IV (1284–95) and Fernando IV (1295–1312). For so many aspects of kingship to be treated with such originality is a...
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