Alcaraz is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

located in the

province of Albacete Albacete () is a province of central Spain, in the southern part of the autonomous community of Castile–La Mancha. As of 2012, Albacete had a population of 402,837 people. Its capital city, also called Albacete, is by road southeast of Madri ...

Castilla–La Mancha Castilla–La Mancha (, ; ) is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. Comprising the provinces of Province of Albacete, Albacete, Province of Ciudad Real, Ciudad Real, Province of Cuenca, Cuenca, Province of Guadalajar ...

. The municipality spans across a total area of 370.53 km². The locality lies at 953 metres above mean sea level.

History

Alcaraz was incorporated to Christian domain in 1213. The town was granted the status of city in 1429, by means of the concession of a royal privilege. The urban oligarchy controlling political power and riches in the later Middle Ages was formed by a mix of the '' nobleza hidalga'' (descended from '' knights-villein'') and the so-called ''caballeros cuantiosos''. The Alcaraz's extensive municipal territory during the Middle Ages had decreased fivefold by the end of the 16th century, after the emancipation of several hamlets, and it was further decimated in the ensuing years.

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * * * Municipalities of the Province of Albacete Iberian locality names of Arabic origin {{Albacete-geo-stub