ABSTRACT
Alfonso XI’s reign (1312–50) coincided with one of the most pivotal periods in Castilian medieval history. The barely 1-year-old monarch rose to the throne following a debilitating period of civil war under his rather incompetent father, Ferdinand IV (1296–1312). A rapid decline in population, a severe reduction in royal income, and the unrestrained ambitions of the regents presented almost insurmountable difficulties for the young king. Many of these long-term and systemic problems would plague the history of Castile for the next two centuries and trouble the realm until the Catholic Monarchs’ reforms at the end of the fifteenth century. That Castile did not sink into a period of anarchy in the first half of the fourteenth century was due in great part to Alfonso XI’s remarkable abilities and policies. Yet for a king of such historical importance who achieved a fair amount of success against considerable odds, his rule has received no full treatment from historians. We do not yet have a biography of the king, nor do we have a full study of his reign. 1
