The Tower of Mendoza ( es, Torre de Mendoza, eu, Mendoza dorretxea) is a tower located in

Vitoria-Gasteiz es, vitoriano, vitoriana, , population_density_km2 = auto , blank_name_sec1 = Official language(s) , blank_info_sec1 = Spanish, Basque , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. It was declared '' Bien de Interés Cultural'' in 1984. The tower is strategically located between the roads of Old Castile and the

Ebro , name_etymology = , image = Zaragoza shel.JPG , image_size = , image_caption = The Ebro River in Zaragoza , map = SpainEbroBasin.png , map_size = , map_caption = The Ebro ...

river. The Tower of Mendoza is a

fortified tower A fortified tower (also defensive tower or castle tower or, in context, just tower) is one of the defensive structures used in fortifications, such as castles, along with curtain walls. Castle towers can have a variety of different shapes and ful ...

located in the village of Mendoza, near

(

Álava Álava ( in Spanish) or Araba (), officially Araba/Álava, is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lordship of Álava, former medieval Catholic bishopric and now Latin titular see. Its ca ...

, País Vasco,

). It was built in the thirteenth century as a residence of the

House of Mendoza The Mendoza family was a powerful line of Spanish nobles. Members of the family wielded considerable power, especially from the 14th to the 17th centuries in Castile. The family originated from the village of Mendoza (Basque ''mendi+oza'', 'c ...

History

The Mendoza's entered to the service of the kingdom of Castile during the reign of Alfonso XI (1312-1350). Álava is one of the Basque territories incorporated into the Castilian

monarchy A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state for life or until abdication. The political legitimacy and authority of the monarch may vary from restricted and largely symbolic (constitutional monarchy) ...

with jurisdictions. Before the Mendoza's went to Castile, Álava was a battlefield, in which the lordly families resolved their fights over generations. In 1332, the Mendoza's had already battled several times with the Guevara. Once this castle entered into the service of the kings of Castilla, those contests were ended. Iñigo Lopez de Mendoza built the Tower of Mendoza in the early 13th century. He participated in the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212 and for having contributed to the breaking of the siege of the chains that guarded the store of Almohade, Muhammad al-Nasir (Miramamolin) (1199-1213), added to his coat of arms a border with chains. The

Dukes of the Infantado Duke of the Infantado ( es, Duque del Infantado) is a Spanish peerage title that was granted to Diego Hurtado de Mendoza y Figueroa, son of Íñigo López de Mendoza, 1st Marquis of Santillana, by the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand II of Aragon a ...

maintained possession of the Tower of Mendoza until its 1856 sale to the Victorian Bruno Martinez of Aragon and Fernandez de Gamboa. For 50 years, it was assigned to the Diputación Foral de Álava and hosted the Museum of Heraldry of Álava, with a collection of medieval shields and clothing and information on Alava's heraldry. On December 15, 2012, it was returned to its owners because it does not meet the accessibility requirements for a museum.

Description

The tower stands out of the whole castle. The wall surrounds the building with four round towers in the corners. It has five floors: the ground floor and the first floor are made of wood and in the three remaining ones there are openings for defence. The top floor is finished with a cover or roof to avoid water entering the castle. The castle now has a room where there are the shields of the most important families of

References

*Real Academia de la Historia (1807). «Partida IV, Título XXV, Ley I: Qué cosa es señor, et qué cosa es vasallo» (PDF). Las Siete Partidas del rey don Alfonso el Sabio cotejadas con varios códices antiguos. Tomo III: Partida quarta, quinta, sexta y séptima. Madrid: Imprenta Real. p. 133. Archivado desde el original el 12 de agosto de 2013. Consultado el 22 de agosto de 2013. Buildings and structures in Álava Castles in the Basque Country (autonomous community) Bien de Interés Cultural landmarks in Álava Mendoza {{Spain-castle-stub