Alfonso X's Lapidario: Stones, Stars and Colours

[david]

And Alfonso's nick-name means "the wise" in Iberia, but could also be taken to mean 'the Sabian'

I can assure you it can't. Alfonso X gained his nickname purely from his interest in intellectual pursuits and reform.

[Diane]

David,
Thank you for that.

I wonder if you can clarify something for me - is it true that the term began as a popular epithet at the court, or among the wider population, or have we evidence showing that it was a description invented by one person in particular?

As far as I can discover, it seems to have begun as a term used by the common people, or perhaps those at court, and given that there were Muslims and Jews in the court, and in the population; that the king's keen interest in astrology and astronomy were well known; and that throughout Islam, and among the Jews, such practices were as regularly equated with the 'Sabians' as in Christendom with 'Chaldeans' it does not seem to me unlikely that the term carried a second sense for many.

But it all hinges on whether or not it is a term first coined by some court poet, etc.  I haven't been able to settle the question definitely.

[david]

Not sure, I'm afraid. Jaime Leralta in his monumental history and legend of royal names doesn't give a source for when Alfonso gained the nickname. In his lifetime he was honoured as el rey sabio, the wise king and it seems to have stuck. I suspect the answer is lost in the midst of times, and such things are usually by popular acclaim.
A much better nickname than some of the ones Spain has given to their leaders: Juana "la loca" (the mad) or Carlos "el hechizado" (the bewitched) were both known as that during their lifetimes.