Excerpts from Books and Wikipedia
"Alfonso X fostered the development of a cosmopolitan court that encouraged learning. Jews, Muslims, and Christians had prominent roles in his court. As a result of his encouraging the translation of works from Arabic and Latin into the vernacular of Castile, many intellectual changes took place, perhaps the most notable being encouragement of the use of Castilian as a primary language of higher learning, science, and law. . . . Alfonso's scientific interests . . . led him to sponsor the creation of the Alfonsine tables, and the Alphonsus crater on the moon is named after him. As a legislator he introduced the first vernacular law code in Spain, the Siete Partidas. . . . He fought a successful war with Portugal, but a less successful one with Granada. The end of his reign was marred by a civil war with his eldest surviving son, the future Sancho IV, which continued after his death." [Wikipedia] "Alfonso failed miserably in his political aspirations; he died abandoned by his political allies, embattled and estranged from his family, never even coming close to attaining the title Holy Roman Emperor. But his audacious vision of the languages of the future prevailed." [Menocal: Ornament of the World, p. 226]