Journey to Italy through the Cantigas of Alfonso X the Wise

Abstract

In the year 1256, the city of Pisa sent several embassies to Soria to propose to Alfonso X the candidacy to occupy the Imperial throne. These embassies appealed to the existence of blood ties that binded Alfonso the Wise to the Staufen dynasty. The offer made by these Italian ambassadors culminated in an imperial policy that had a great impact in the artistic production of Alfonso X. In the case of the Cantigas de Santa Maria, it is possible to find miracles that took place in different Italian cities that were very important due to their relation to the Holy Roman Empire, as well as allusions and representations of important figures of the Imperial field—such as Conrad IV—or of works of art that were created in Italy at that moment in time. Through these artistic and literary expressions, it is possible that Alfonso X wanted to create a record of a Journey to the Empire that never happened, of an imperial aspiration that could never take place. The analysis of these artistic expressions can contribute valuable information regarding the relations between both countries and the artistic production carried out in each of them.