The Lordship of Torre de Canals was a lordship in the

Crown of Aragon The Crown of Aragon ( , ) an, Corona d'Aragón ; ca, Corona d'Aragó, , , ; es, Corona de Aragón ; la, Corona Aragonum . was a composite monarchy ruled by one king, originated by the dynastic union of the Kingdom of Aragon and the County of B ...

located in and around the town of Torre de Canals. The town is located in the present day

Valencian Community The Valencian Community ( ca-valencia, Comunitat Valenciana, es, Comunidad Valenciana) is an autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous Spanish autonomous community after Andalusia, Catalonia and the Community of Madrid with ...

and no longer exists as a lordship.

History

Originally created by King

James I of Aragon James I the Conqueror ( es, Jaime el Conquistador, ca, Jaume el Conqueridor; 2 February 1208 – 27 July 1276) was King of Aragon and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1276; King of Majorca from 1231 to 1276; and Valencia from 1238 to 1276 ...

as a reward for Count

Denis of Hungary Denis of Hungary ( la, Dionisius de Ungaria, hu, Magyarországi Dénes, an, Dionís d'Hongría, ca, Dionís d'Hongria, es, Dionisio de Hungría; ''c''. 1210 – 1268/72), was a Hungarian-born Aragonese knight and nobleman in the 13th century. ...

, the title would eventually be inherited by a minor branch of the

House of Borja The House of Borgia ( , ; Spanish and an, Borja ; ca-valencia, Borja ) was an Italian-Aragonese Spanish noble family, which rose to prominence during the Italian Renaissance. They were from Valencia, the surname being a toponymic from the town ...

(the main branch in the early- to mid-14th century, being based in

Xàtiva Xàtiva (, es, Játiva ) is a town in eastern Spain, in the province of Valencia, on the right (western) bank of the river Albaida and at the junction of the Valencia–Murcia and Valencia Albacete railways. It is located 25 km west ...

). This minor branch would soon grow to eclipse the family's main branch with the ascension of two popes,

Calixtus III Pope Callixtus III ( it, Callisto III, va, Calixt III, es, Calixto III; 31 December 1378 – 6 August 1458), born Alfonso de Borgia ( va, Alfons de Borja), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 April 1455 to his ...

and

Alexander VI Pope Alexander VI ( it, Alessandro VI, va, Alexandre VI, es, Alejandro VI; born Rodrigo de Borja; ca-valencia, Roderic Llançol i de Borja ; es, Rodrigo Lanzol y de Borja, lang ; 1431 – 18 August 1503) was head of the Catholic Churc ...

. Throughout their reign, the Borjas or Borgias maintained a base of power from the Torre de Canals and the greater Valencia region. A tower from their former palace still stands today. Calixtus III himself was actually born in this same palace, as it had belonged to his father,

Juan Domingo de Borja y Doncel Juan Domingo de Borja y Doncel (b. circa 1357 - d. ?) was the father of future Pope Callixtus III. He held the title over the Barony La Torre de Canals. He was a member of the House of Borja. Biography Domènec made his fortune in Xàtiva, where h ...

. In 1506, the Señorío was sold to the nearby city of Xàtiva, and the lands and fortifications of the Señorío fell into disrepair.

List of title holders over Torre de Canals

The following is an incomplete list of the Lords of Torre de Canals: * 1244 - Conde

- Granted by order of King

* 1318 - Gizpert, Viscount of Castellnou * 1325 -

Pedro de Urrea Pedro is a masculine given name. Pedro is the Spanish language, Spanish, Portuguese language, Portuguese, and Galician language, Galician name for ''Peter (given name), Peter''. Its French equivalent is Pierre while its English and Germanic fo ...

, the bishop-elect of Tarazona * ? -

Juan de Urrea ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, t ...

* 1350 - Peter IV of Aragon - Control reverts to the king after the deaths of Juan de Urrea and his wife Elvira Cornel. * ? - Beautriu de Borja * ? -

, father of Pope

* 1506 - City of

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Senorio de Torre de Canals History of the Valencian Community Former countries in Europe States and territories disestablished in 1509

History

List of title holders over Torre de Canals

See also

References