Castilian Monarch. A direct descendant of the Anscarici dynasty of Franco-Piedmontese origin, he also descended for his mother from the Hohenstaufen. His youth was almost entirely devoted to military art. In fact, he was the companion of arms of his father Ferdinand III in the various campaigns of conquest against the Arab garrisons in Iberian land (1240-1250). He inherited the throne three years after his marriage to Jolanda of Aragon (1249) thus becoming ruler of Galicia and Seville. His foreign policy, considered to be forward-looking, earned him the nickname "the wise", although often accompanied by war actions, including the invasion of Portugal (1253) and the occupation of the Algarve. In 1257, due to a series of fortuitous and controversial circumstances, Alfonso X was elected Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, being a direct descendant of the German dynasty Hohenstaufen. He is also remembered for his patronage in spreading the arts and in particular literature, and for some of his scientific essays.

Castilian Monarch. A direct descendant of the Anscarici dynasty of Franco-Piedmontese origin, he also descended for his mother from the Hohenstaufen. His youth was almost entirely devoted to military art. In fact, he was the companion of arms of his father Ferdinand III in the various campaigns of conquest against the Arab garrisons in Iberian land (1240-1250). He inherited the throne three years after his marriage to Jolanda of Aragon (1249) thus becoming ruler of Galicia and Seville. His foreign policy, considered to be forward-looking, earned him the nickname "the wise", although often accompanied by war actions, including the invasion of Portugal (1253) and the occupation of the Algarve. In 1257, due to a series of fortuitous and controversial circumstances, Alfonso X was elected Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, being a direct descendant of the German dynasty Hohenstaufen. He is also remembered for his patronage in spreading the arts and in particular literature, and for some of his scientific essays.

Bio by: Lucy & Chris