The role of advices in the Poema de Alfonso Onceno: strengthening of royal power and the exercise of justice

Abstract

When in the Poema de Alfonso Onceno the king decides to intervene to control the tutors, his ayo advises him on how to be a good governor. Regarding the relationship with his vassals, the ayo advises the king to exercise justice without being carried away by “spite.” An exemplary type of action is proposed there: temperance with their own people. However, some of the king’s actions against nobility seem to contradict this model. Therefore, the hypothesis of this article is that advices are used to present the most controversial cases of internal policy in the form of problems related to the exercise of government. In this way, the poem highlights the motivations and justifications that guide the king’s decisions taken in front of each particular problem. Through this mechanism, virtuous qualities linked to decision-making and the fulfilment of royal duties are attributed to the king, which allow him to adapt his figure to the model proposed by the ayo. Then, in this way of constructing the royal image it is possible to read the model of the pacifier and righteous king that the poem presents.