Mastering Politics Through Games: Alfonso X’s Libro de Los Juegos

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2024
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Haverford College. Department of History
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Thesis
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Award
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eng
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Open access
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In the 13th century, the printing press did not exist. Handwritten texts, called manuscripts, were the most advanced method of documenting and transcribing information. One ruler, King Alfonso X, dedicated his reign to producing manuscripts. Called “El Sabio,” or “The Wise,” King Alfonso X ruled the medieval kingdom Castile and León, located in present-day Spain, from 1252 to 1284. He reigned during the Reconquista, a centuries-long war between Christians and Muslims in the Iberian Peninsula. Although his predecessors had attacked and conquered their Islamic neighbors, Alfonso adopted an alternative ruling strategy: producing books. Rather than expel non-Christians from his kingdom, he collaborated with Jewish, Islamic, and Christian scholars to assist his intellectual projects. He promoted religious coexistence and, throughout his reign, presided over a religiously and ethnically diverse kingdom. Manuscripts were vital to Alfonso’s political platform. Without a “traditional” Castilian military regime, these manuscripts promoted Alfonso’s ruling accomplishments; they made him appear intelligent and capable of governing his subjects. The production of these texts also encouraged coexistence and collaboration across religions. In my thesis, I argue that Alfonso’s final manuscript on chess and other board games, Libro de los Juegos (1283), promoted his political achievements. Despite the text’s “leisurely” and instructional content, this carefully constructed documentation of games and their strategies was an ideal vessel for Alfonso’s self- promotion. On one level, game strategies were a metaphor for thinking in advance. By showing he knew about combinations of chess pieces, Alfonso displayed his ability to strategize and think ahead. On another level, the games in this text—chess, dice, and backgammon—originated outside Europe. In documenting these games and their rules, Alfonso showed his respect for and mastery of non-European intellectual achievements. Finally, the text includes vivid images of Alfonso and his subjects playing games. Much like a contemporary politician’s social media profile, the images in Libro de los Juegos portrayed the ideal likeness of Alfonso and his court. Through self-fashioning a desirable image, highlighting a knowledge of non-European scholarship, and demonstrating his strategic ability, Alfonso's Libro de los Juegos promoted his governing strengths.
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