Segorbe is a municipality in the mountainous coastal

province of Castelló A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outsi ...

autonomous community of Valencia 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 ...

, Spain. The former Palace of the

Dukes of Medinaceli Duke of Medinaceli () is an hereditary title in the peerage of Spain, accompanied by the dignity of Grandee. The Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile, created the title and awarded it on 31 October 1479 to ...

now houses the city's mayor. Segorbe's bull-running week (''semana de Toros'') in September attracts 200,000 visitors each year.

Geography

The municipal district area is crossed by the Palancia River from north west to south east. It is located on the natural way from

Aragón Aragon ( , ; Spanish and an, Aragón ; ca, Aragó ) is an autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces (from north to sout ...

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 ...

, between the

Serra d'Espadà Serra d'Espadà (, es, Sierra de Espadán) is a long mountain range in the Alt Palància, Alt Millars and Plana Baixa comarcas, in the Province of Castellón, Valencian Community, Spain. Its highest point is La Ràpita (1,106 m). Road N-234 road ...

on the north and

Serra Calderona Serra Calderona (; es, Sierra Calderona), often referred to as La Calderona is a long mountain range in the Camp de Túria, Horta Nord and Alt Palància comarcas of the Valencian Community, between the provinces of Castellón Province, Castelló ...

on the south. The urban area is located at 358 m height, placed over two hills emerging from the bank of the river.

History

The area of Segorbe was inhabited as early as the mid-

Palaeolithic Age The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic (), also called the Old Stone Age (from Greek: παλαιός ''palaios'', "old" and λίθος ''lithos'', "stone"), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone tool ...

, as testified by archaeological remains. Segorbe was once identified as the ancient ''Segobriga'', described by

Pliny the Elder Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/2479), called Pliny the Elder (), was a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic '' ...

as the capital of

Celtiberia The Celtiberians were a group of Celts and Celticized peoples inhabiting an area in the central-northeastern Iberian Peninsula during the final centuries BCE. They were explicitly mentioned as being Celts by several classic authors (e.g. Strabo) ...

. However, archaeological excavations have uncovered an extensive Roman city in La Mancha which has been identified as Segobriga.http://www.patrimoniohistoricoclm.es/parque-arqueologico-de-segobriga/ During the

Visigothic The Visigoths (; la, Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, Wisi) were an early Germanic people who, along with the Ostrogoths, constituted the two major political entities of the Goths within the Roman Empire in late antiquity, or what is kno ...

rule in Iberia, it became a diocese seat. In the 8th century Segorbe was occupied by

Moors The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or ...

from North Africa and its cathedral became a mosque. Segorbe was the residence of

Zayd Abu Zayd Zayd Abu Zayd (ابو زيد, 1195 – 1265/1270) was the last Almohad governor of Valencia. He succeeded as governor of Valencia to his uncle Abū `Abd Allāh Muhammad. At the death of the Almohad caliph Yaqub al-Mansur, he gained complete auto ...

, the last

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

governor of Valencia. After his conversion to Christianism, Segorbe became a base for the conquest of Valencia in 1238. In 1435 it became part of the royal estates of the

Kingdom of Aragon The Kingdom of Aragon ( an, Reino d'Aragón, ca, Regne d'Aragó, la, Regnum Aragoniae, es, Reino de Aragón) was a medieval and early modern kingdom on the Iberian Peninsula, corresponding to the modern-day autonomous community of Aragon, ...

Main sights

The Cathedral of Segorbe, consecrated in 1534 and extended in 1795 is connected by a bridge with the old episcopal palace. Its tower and its cloister are built on a trapezoidal ground-plan. Segorbe's ancient castle was perhaps located over an Iberian acropolis. It originated as a Moorish alcazar, and lived its period of highest splendor in the later 15th century;

Martin of Aragon Martin the Humane (29 July 1356 – 31 May 1410), also called the Elder and the Ecclesiastic, was King of Aragon, Valencia, Sardinia and Corsica and Count of Barcelona from 1396 and King of Sicily from 1409 (as Martin II). He failed to secure th ...

held his court here. After the administrative center was moved to the new ducal palace in the city, it declined, and, from the mid-18th century, its materials were used for the construction of the hospital and Casa de Misericordia. Other sights include: *Church of St. Martin, built in Baroque style in 1612 *Baroque church of ''San Joaquín y Santa Ana'' (1695) *Medieval walls, dating to before the 13th century, including in their last stretch a 14th-century aqueduct. Its features include the Arch of Veronica, the Botxi Tower (with a height of 17.30 m) and the ''Cárcel'' Tower (14th century) *Town Hall, begun in the 16th century. *Cathedral Museum *Archaeology and Ethnology Museum Also had former sights, now demolished, in which include: *

Castle Alcázar of Segorbe Castle Alcázar of Segorbe was an alcázar (palace or castle) located on the slopes of Sopeña in the town of Segorbe, in the Valencian Community of Spain. Very little remains of the original alcázar, but the large complex was a residence of lord ...

Duchy of Segorbe

The ducal line, in

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...

kingdom, whose members bear the family name of

Aragó Aragó is a family name that descended from the kings of the Aragonese Crown. The kings never used any family name. All lines are now exhausted. The name originated from the rivers Aragón and Aragón Subordán in northern Spain. Lines Originat ...

, was founded by the king

Ferdinand I of Aragon Ferdinand I (Spanish: ''Fernando I''; 27 November 1380 – 2 April 1416 in Igualada, Òdena) named Ferdinand of Antequera and also the Just (or the Honest) was king of Aragon, Valencia, Majorca, Sardinia and (nominal) Corsica and king of Sicily ...

who made his eldest son, Enric I, the first lord of Segorbe, duke of Villena, count of Empúries and count of Alburquerque. His son Enric II was created duke of Segorbe and was also count of Empúries, like his son Alfons I. The son of this last one, Francesc I, inherited from his father the duchy of Segorbe and county of

Empúries Empúries ( ca, Empúries ) was an ancient city on the Mediterranean coast of Catalonia, Spain. Empúries is also known by its Spanish name, Ampurias ( es, Ampurias ). The city Ἐμπόριον ( el, Ἐμπόριον, Emporion, meaning "tradi ...

, and from his mother (Joana of Cardona) the duchy of Cardona. He had no sons and the succession passed through his sister Joana, who was married to Diego Fernández de Córdoba, marquis of

Comares Comares is a town and municipality in the province of Málaga, part of the autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain. The municipality is situated approximately 28 kilometers from the provincial capital and 24 from Vélez-Málaga. It is ...

. His son Lluis Folc de Cardona-Aragó was count of Prades, but he predeceased his mother in 1596 and the heir was the son (grandson of Joana) Enric III d'Aragó Folc de Cardona Córdoba. His son Lluis I succeeded him and deceased in 1670 and his son and successor Joaquin I also deceased in 1670. The heir was Pere Antoni, brother of Lluis I. After his death in 1690, the succession was claimed by Caterina, sister of Joaquin, married with

Juan Francisco de la Cerda ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish language, Spanish and Manx language, Manx versions of ''John (given name), John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronoun ...

, duke of Medinaceli. The

Medinaceli Medinaceli () is a municipality and town in the province of Soria, in Castile and León, Spain. The municipality includes other villages like Torralba del Moral. Etymology Its name derives from the Arabic 'madīnat salīm', which was named afte ...

dukes received the duchy of Segorbe, the duchy of Cardona and the county of Empúries. Lord: * Enric I 1436-1445 Dukes: * Enric II 1455-1522 * Alfons I 1522-1563 * Francesc I 1563-1575 *

Joana Joana the equivalent of Joanna in Catalan () and Portuguese (). The Galician form of the name is Xoana (). It may refer to: * Joana Benedek – a Mexican actress * Joana of Braganza, a.k.a. Joana of Portugal (1635-1653) – a Portuguese princess, ...

1575-1608 *Enric III 1608-1640 *Lluis I 1640-1670 *Joaquin 1670 *Pere Antoni 1670-1690 *

Caterina Caterina is a feminine given name which is an Italian and Catalan form of the name ''Katherine''. Notable people with the name include: In music: * Caterina Assandra, Italian composer and Benedictine nun * Caterina Bueno, Italian singer and folk ...

1690 To dukes of

1690 (later passed to the de Medina y Fernández de Córdoba). The present holder of the dukedom is don Ignacio de Medina y Fernández de Córdoba, Duke of Segorbe, who is married to Princess Maria da Gloria of Orléans-Braganza.

References

External links