James Fitzhenry

Saint Fernando III is a narrative biography of King Ferdinand III of Castile and Leon, a great leader of the Reconquista. You won't find many footnotes, but you will find adventure, intrigue, and plenty of daring-dos. The book recounts the saint's entire life from his childhood at his maternal grandfather's court in Castile through his tumultuous young adulthood being used as a political pawn between factions in Castile and his father, the King of Leon. Finally, we see him come into his own as King of Castile, bringing a measure of political calm to the domestic politics and beginning a long, but successful campaign to take back Spain from its Moroccan overlords. It's this last bit that takes up the majority of the book, but it also makes for incredibly interesting reading.

If you like biographies that read like adventure novels or have an interest in Spanish history or the Reconquista, this book is for you. Highly recommended.… (mais)