Becoming Alfonso VI: the king, his sister and the "arca santa" reliquary
2012; Complutense University of Madrid; Linguagem: Inglês
10.5209/rev_anha.2011.37492
ISSN1988-2491
Autores Tópico(s)Medieval Architecture and Archaeology
ResumoAlfonso VI became the ruler of a vast kingdom and far outstripped his predecessors in the extent of his sway.Yet few would have predicted this at his birth in c.1040.A series of events between that moment and his triumph in 1072 shaped the king that was to rule a reunited León, Castile and Galicia, and from 1085 Toledo.His parents, Fernando I and Sancha, defined him by giving him a name, Adefonsus.Even more than the family names Sancho and García that were given to his brothers, Adefonsus came with a legacy, material and immaterial.It was not a surprising choice of name as it was that of his maternal grandfather, Alfonso V, King of León.Before him and his ancestor Alfonso IV, it had been the name of two of the most successful early kings of Asturias, Alfonso II and Alfonso III.Both had become symbols of ideal kingship: Alfonso II was celebrated for his piety and purity, whilst Alfonso III's reputation rested more on his conquests.The Crónica de Alfonso III attributed to 'the great king', Alfonso II, the building of the basilica of San Salvador in Oviedo, with its two groups of six altars dedicated to the apostles, as well as a church to the Virgin. 1 Alfonso III was acknowledged as a restorer of churches and a builder of palaces in Oviedo, but the paean to him, recorded in the Crónica Albeldense, concentrated first on his manly virtues and praised him for being 'illustrious amongst the Asturians, strong amid the Vascones, vengeful to the Arabs and protective of his citizens'. 2It was nonetheless careful to recognise that his victories were holy and that they had been given to the prince (princeps) through the aid of Christ, his leader and guide (dux).These eponymous ancestors were surely a heavy burden for a small child but also an inspirational one.It is not known whether Alfonso VI went to Oviedo as a child with his family, since the earliest evidence for such a visit is much later in 1053, 3 but it is possible that he accompanied the court on earlier royal visits.If so, he may have shared his parents' special access to the precious objects donated by his namesakes: the Cross of Angels and the Cross of Victory given by Alfonso II and Alfonso III respectively, 1
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