{"product_id":"the-life-and-times-of-william-ford-9798232934897","title":"The Life and Times of Alfonso XI of Castile (1311-1350)","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhen thirteen-year-old Alfonso XI seized power from his corrupt regents in 1325, few believed the boy-king would survive a year against Castile's ruthless nobility. Instead, he would rule for twenty-five remarkable years, transforming a fractured kingdom into the dominant power of the Iberian Peninsula.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis compelling biography reveals the extraordinary story of medieval Spain's most effective and enigmatic monarch. A brilliant military strategist who defeated a massive Muslim invasion at the Battle of Río Salado, Alfonso expanded Christian territory and secured control of the strategic Strait of Gibraltar. A visionary administrator, he created sophisticated legal codes and governance systems that laid foundations for the future Spanish state. Yet this same calculating ruler conducted a scandalous decades-long affair with his mistress Leonor de Guzmán, fathering ten children while largely ignoring his Portuguese queen and legitimate heir.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDrawing on rich primary sources, this meticulously researched narrative brings to vivid life the political intrigue, religious fervor, and cultural dynamics of fourteenth-century Iberia. It reconstructs a pivotal moment when the medieval world was giving way to early modern institutions and identities-changes that Alfonso himself did much to advance.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDiscover how this remarkable ruler-ruthless yet innovative, traditional yet forward-thinking-permanently altered the course of Spanish history while embodying the complex reality of power in the late Middle Ages. This book offers both a gripping royal biography and a fresh understanding of how modern Europe began to emerge from its medieval foundations.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e William Ford\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798232934897\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Colloquium Verlag\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/01\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 314\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.80lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.66d","brand":"William Ford","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":47427891069183,"sku":"9798232934897","price":17.45,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_ddee7380-67bf-4ad4-91b6-d301580bf619.jpg?v=1761582242","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-life-and-times-of-william-ford-9798232934897","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}