The Castilian Language is a Western Romance language that originated in the Castile region of Spain. Nowadays, it is the second most-spoken language in the world, but it would not have this international standing without its complex yet fascinating history. The development of the language was due to an accumulation of events in the history of the Iberian Peninsula that had serious impacts on it. Without the history and culture of Spain, the Spanish language would not be what we know it as today. The thirteenth century is said to not only be a crucial period in the history of Castile and Spain, but also in the history of the Spanish language. The majority of the century was dominated by the reigns of Fernando III and Alfonso X el Sabio, who is said to be the most important figure in the establishment of the Castilian language. He was the reason for the transition from Latin to Medieval Castilian as he was more focused on the learning and knowledge than the sovereignty of his kingdom. This century is a pivotal point in the history of the language due to the events that happened throughout. The demise of Al-Andalus, the Islamic territories in Spain, and the end of the ongoing warfare between Muslims and Christians allowed the language to be spread throughout the Peninsula. The reigns of Fernando III and Alfonso X el Sabio were also crucial as they were the first kings to write legal documents in the Castilian language. The focus of the century was for social inclusion and accessibility for all which allowed the Castilian language to be recognised as the official language of the Peninsula.
Religion is, and always has been, at the forefront of Spain. It has always caused a lot of controversy within the country, which can be seen since the invasion of the Moors. It has always been perceived as a dominantly Christian country, with a focus more on Catholicism, yet there is a lot of Arabic influence not only on the country itself, but also on the Castilian language. The territorial demise of Al-Andalus, the Islamic territories within Spain, and the end of the ongoing warfare between the Muslims and Christians during the 13th century epitomises the effects the Arabs had on the language. The Reconquista began in 711, with the Moors invading over half of the Peninsula, and ended in 1492, with the Christians having territorial dominance of Spain. The Christians began resisting during the 9th century with the creation of Castile. From the moment the Christians started resisting against the Moors and attempted to recapture conquered lands, the Castilian language spread around the Peninsula. This Christina dominance allowed the language to spread to previously Arabic speaking places during the 11th and 13th centuries. Critic, Eberenz, summarises the effects the Reconquista had on the Castilian language:
Desde el final de esta fase expansiva (1050-1250), la lengua presenta un grado de homogeneidad que otros idiomas no alcanzarán sino mucho más tarde (Eberenz, 1991: 94)
The demise of Al-Andalus created military weakness for the Arabs, allowed the Castilian language to spread to the conquered lands. The Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212 marked the end of the Reconquista as the Christian victory against the Moors signified that there was not enough military power to continue conquering. Fernando III was able to complete this ‘fase expansiva’ due to the death of Yusuf II, the head of Almohades, in 1224. The military weakness and political crisis at the time allowed him to conquer what was left to be conquered of Al-Andalus. Despite the Reconquista spreading the language, there is no concrete evidence that those in charge of each territory forced the Castilian language upon the people who lived in said area. However, it can be inferred that the language naturally unfolded and developed due to the Reconquista and the spreading of the language throughout the newly conquered territories. The Christian dominance throughout these territories meant that the Arabic language faded away from the Peninsula, allowing Castilian to fully establish itself. The military accomplishments of the Reconquista would have not been legally finalised without the civil codes, known as Fuero Juzgo. These were written by Fernando III as a contract of the resettling of the reconquered areas. As the King of Castile, he majorly influenced the development of the Castilian language during the 13th century as he was the first king to write all legal documents in Castilian as opposed to Latin like those who preceded him. That being said, his legal documents were published in a variety of the Castilian language known as Hispano-Romance which was spoken particularly in the Northern part of the Peninsula.
Despite Fernando III being the first monarch to write all legal documents in the Castilian language, Alfonso X el Sabio is said to be the most important figure in the history of the language. He is the most important and renowned person in the Peninsula during the 13th century, and one of the most celebrated of all medieval monarchs. He ruled the Kingdom of Castile, Leon and Galicia from 1252 to 1284. Despite him ruling for so long, there are many historians who believe his reign as King to be a fiasco as he failed with regards to his sovereign duties, despite him flourishing in other aspects, particularly in the realm of knowledge and learning. These historians believed he lacked the power and strength to be king. This is summarised perfectly by Historian Juan de Mariana who scared Alfonso X stating that, “while he contemplated the heavens and observed the starts… lost his earthly realm”. (Mariana and Miñana, 1733: 649) However, other historians have blamed the reasons for his lack of progress on the circumstances within Spain rather than due to the powerlessness believed by many others. While his sovereign duties are not highly commended, he succeeded in creating an official language in the Peninsula. Alfonso X enriched the language not only by authorising works, but also through the works he created. The great amount of work produced in Medieval Castilian portrays how astounding his efforts were in making Castilian the official language of the Peninsula. No other ruler had gone through such an effort to establish a language in the Peninsula. However, during the process of standardising the language and making it the official language, a number of problems arose for Alfonso X. Despite the restrictions, Rafael Lapesa believes that by the end of Alfonso X’s reign:
Castilian prose had been definitively created. The enormous effort that had gone into the Alphonsine oeuvre had converted it into a cultural vehicle. (Lapesa, 1981: 245-46)
Alfonso X el Sabio set the standards which everyone was to follow with regards to the language. The transition from Latin to Medieval Castilian was made possible by Alfonso X as he was more determined and regimented with the use of Latin in the Peninsula than previous kings. He would only use Latin when attempting to converse with other Kingdoms. The difference in texts produced prior to Alfonso X’s reign and those produced during, and after, is very noticeable. The more Castilian was used, the more Latin was rendered useless in the Peninsula. Latin increasingly had less meaning and purpose within society, eventually causing it to become a language that is no longer used. (Pharies, 2015:17) Alfonso X’s attitude towards Latin and his passion for knowledge and learning, encouraged him to establish an official language with the Peninsula. Him, as the main figure of the Castilian language, convey just how pivotal the thirteenth century was for the language.
The amount of work produced by Alfonso X in Castilian is remarkable and is the reason for his status with regards to the language. The works he created were so prestigious that they exceeded the works of all other monarchs in Europe at the time. (O'Callaghan, 1993: 146) As a King, he wrote many political, historical and legal works in Castilian. One of his most famous pieces of legal works is Siete Partidas which is a constitutional book establishing rules for the Kingdom of Castile. While writing this book, there were many clashes with regards to the meanings of words, yet the King fixed this by stating that any unknown words should be used how they are in Toledo, where the original translation school was established. Alfonso X’s supervision on this piece of work and the power he had over it portray his status within the language. He wanted to create a language that would be accessible and understood by all. It was made mandatory by him that all legal documents be written in Castilian for this very reason. In addition to his legal works, Alfonso X el Sabio also created many scientific works and works of literature. His literary works take the form of Galician-Portuguese song poetry and are his only pieces of works not written in Castilian. This was due to the popularity of this literary genre within Castile during his reign that he needed not to translate them. With regards to literary works, in addition to composing this specific type of poetry, Alfonso X also acted as a literary editor due to the power he had over the Castilian language. His influence on it within this field is astounding and is aptly summarised by Lapesa:
he removed the expressions that he felt were superfluous or duplicated and that were not written in the correct Castilian, and he added others that were more appropriate; and as for the language, he himself corrected it. (Lapesa, 1981:240)
The sheer importance and influence Alfonso X had on the Castilian language is portrayed through Lapesa’s words. He and those who worked alongside him in the Kingdom of Castile were the only people who could adapt the language as they felt necessary. They were attempting to create a language which is accessible to all those within the Peninsula.
The development of the language is interesting as it has been adapted from Latin, which was slowly eradicated during Alfonso X’s reign, to Medieval Castilian, the official language of the Peninsula. While those who critiqued his role as King and his sovereign duties are justifiable, they are also not taking into consideration the impact he had on the country. It can be inferred that without him, the Castilian language would not have developed until much later. Despite failing in some political respects, he flourished in the matters that were important to him, knowledge and making an official language for the Peninsula. His influence on the Castilian language during the 13th century can be seen through Antonion de Nebrija’s first publication, Grammar of Castilian Language, which was published following Alfonso X’s reign in 1492, at the end of the century. It was the first grammatical book on the Castilian language to be published. It is fair to infer that the thirteenth century was a pivotal point for the Castilian language due to Alfonso X’s dedication to making an official language within Peninsula. His many publications throughout his reign as King and the influence he had are crucial were crucial when establishing the official language.
During the 13th century, there were many conflicts with regards to the different languages and religions present in the Peninsula at the time. Despite the territorial demise of Al-Andalus, the Muslim culture within Spain was still evident. Their language, Arabic, was still viewed very highly by all due to its historical and cultural importance. The Arabic language was crucial with regards to the culture of Spain due to the influence it had on the Castilian language. (Pountain, 2013: 83) Alfonso X el Sabio set up a stadium generale in Seville for Latin and Arabic studies as he seemed to have an interest in the language and culture. In 1254, he stated that a “estudios and general school of Latin and Arabic” ought to be started in Seville. (O'Callaghan, 1993: 133) In addition to his interest in the Arabic language, he also believed in the notion of learning and knowledge being accessible to everyone. He thought a school should be dedicated to Arabic culture and the Muslim population as they played an important part in the history of Spain. Despite the success of this school, there was evidently a lot of problems because as Alfonso X wanted, it was open to everyone. Werner Bahner aptly summarises the problems that arose due to this school:
it was necessary to find an official language that could unite Spaniards, Mozarabs, Jews, and Muslims. And keeping in mind the political and cultural circumstances of the period, this could only be the ‘Castilian language’ (Bahner, 1966:29)
The accessibility of this school caused a lot of problems as the translators spoke an array of languages meaning the school could not function properly nor could the translation of documents. At this time period, there was a vast Jewish population within Spain who were involved in the translation of documents from Arabic to Latin. They, controversially, worked alongside a Christian who composed the work. However, the Jews never spoke Latin and found it distasteful as it was the principal language of Christianity. It was only natural for a common language to be found within Spain at the time. Despite Alfonso X not actually translating the documents, he supervised them all. It can therefore be inferred that that the progression from Latin to Castilian was a natural process aided by him. In addition to this stadium generale he also started many language schools in Toledo and Murcia. The translation school in Toledo is said to be the most famous of all of them and the original translation school. As stated earlier, the originality of this translation schools means it is the main source of language and can be classified as the medium for any uncertainties with regards to the Castilian language. The thirteenth century saw the creation of Castilian as the official language and it can be clearly understood that this was due to the social inclusion and accessibility that was needed during this period of time.
In conclusion, the thirteenth century is a pivotal point in the history of the Castilian Language. It saw the demise of Al-Andalus which allowed the language to spread throughout the Iberian Peninsula. The reign of Fernando III saw the first legal documents being published in Castilian while the reign of Alfonso X el Sabio saw the establishment of Castilian as the official language within the Peninsula. As many people state, he is the main figure within the history of the language as he was the official reason for the transition from Latin to Medieval Castilian. Due to the sheer influence and power he had over the Peninsula, he was able to convince the population to naturally progress from Latin and towards Castilian. His renowned publications back up his success with regards to the history of the language. The importance of the 13th century for the Castilian language is summarised in the first grammatical publication was seen at the closing of the century.