"This is a masterly revisiting of the period, every clause ofLinehan's sentences embodying not only that eloquence of rhetoricalstyle he so admired in the work of another Fellow of St. John's,Prof. John Cook (see the obituary by Lineham in The Independent, 15September 2007), but a freshness and vitality of vision that findtheir fullest expression in his portrait of King Alfonso el Sabio."(Speculuma Medieval Studies, April 2011)
"His expertise in both the history and the historiography ofthat period provides a complex, multifaceted perspective on an erathat demands nothing." (English Historical Review, 1 August2010)
"As the author of a survey of Spanish history in the latetwelfth and early thirteenth centuries, Peter
Linehan is a naturalchoice. His expertise in both the history and the historiography ofthat period provides a complex, multifaceted perspective on an erathat demands nothing less." (English Historical Review,August 2010)
"The work presents a valuable scholarly addition thatdetails medieval Spain through a large primary source body ofevidence, and offers valuable insight into the multifaceted realitythat was medieval Spain between 1157 and 1300." (ChoiceReviews, May 2009)
"Peter Linehan's remarkable scholarly productivity richlyqualifies him to be the author of such a book." (TheAmerican Historical Review, February 2009)
"The balance of the book represents in essence a study ofthe course and impact of Alfonso X's long and problematic reign, inthe context of peninsular, European and Mediterranean politics andculture. The book is written in Linehan's trademark style, whichreaders will either find entertaining, frustrating or both. It isdense and detailed, written in breathless prose, peppered withironies and inside jokes." (The Medieval Review,February 2009)"Both unified Spain and the multiple Spains of the reconquest arehere superbly narrated and explained by one of the foremostspecialists of Medieval Spain."
-Jacques Le Goff, Ecoles Des Hautes Etudes en SciencesSociales
