Salvatierra Castle is a fortification near

Calzada de Calatrava Calzada de Calatrava is a Municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain located in the province of Ciudad Real, autonomous community of Castilla–La Mancha. It belongs to the Campo de Calatrava traditional ''comarca''. It has a population of 4,56 ...

in the south of the

province of Ciudad Real The province of Ciudad Real () is a province in the southwestern part of the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha, Spain. It is bordered by the provinces of Cuenca, Albacete, Jaén, Province of Córdoba (Spain), Córdoba, Province of Bada ...

, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain. It is located on a small

hillock A hillock or knoll is a small hill,The Free Dictionary
"hillock" entry, retrieved December 18, 2007 ...

at the foot of the volcanic Mount Atalaya, about from Calzada de Calatrava.

History

Originally an Islamic building tentatively dating back to the 11th or 12th centuries, the castle passed to Christian control in the second half of the 12th century, returning to Muslim hands in 1195, to be soon conquered in 1197 by knights of the Order of Calatrava, who strengthened its defences. It was seized by

Almohads The Almohad Caliphate (; ar, خِلَافَةُ ٱلْمُوَحِّدِينَ or or from ar, ٱلْمُوَحِّدُونَ, translit=al-Muwaḥḥidūn, lit=those who profess the unity of God) was a North African Berber Muslim empire fo ...

in 1211, a year before the Battle of Las Navas. Christians passed over the place during the aforementioned campaign after taking the nearby castle of Calatrava, eventually deciding not to siege Salvatierra, but to directly go to find the Almohad Caliph instead. It was taken again by Christians circa 1225–26.

References

{{coord, 38.6693, N, 3.8218, W, source:wikidata, display=title Buildings and structures completed in the 10th century Buildings and structures in the Province of Ciudad Real Orders of chivalry of Spain Castles in Castilla–La Mancha