Fuensaldaña Castle ( es, Castillo de Fuensaldaña) is a

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

in the Spanish village of

Fuensaldaña Fuensaldaña is a municipality located in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census (INE), the municipality has a population of 1,149 inhabitants. See also *Cuisine of the province of Valladolid ...

, situated 6 kilometres from

Valladolid Valladolid () is a municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and de facto capital of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. It has a population around 300,000 peo ...

, the largest city of Castile and León. Construction on the site began in the 13th century, but the castle did not take its current form until the mid-15th. Captive

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 o ...

were used to build it.

Alonso Pérez de Vivero Alonso is a Spanish name of Germanic name, Germanic origin that is a Castilian variant of ''Adalfuns''. Geographical distribution As of 2014, 36.6% of all known bearers of the surname ''Alonso'' were residents of Spain (frequency 1:222), 26.1% o ...

, who ordered its construction, was murdered for conspiring against

Álvaro de Luna Álvaro de Luna y Fernández de Jarava (between 1388 and 13902 June 1453), was a Castilian statesman, favourite of John II of Castile. He served as Constable of Castile and as Grand Master of the Order of Santiago. He earned great influence in ...

, a favourite of

John II of Castile John II of Castile ( es, link=no, Juan; 6 March 1405 – 20 July 1454) was King of Castile and León from 1406 to 1454. He succeeded his older sister, Maria of Castile, Queen of Aragon, as Prince of Asturias in 1405. Regency John was the ...

. The

Catholic Monarchs of Spain The Catholic Monarchs were Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon, whose marriage and joint rule marked the ''de facto'' unification of Spain. They were both from the House of Trastámara and were second cousins, being bot ...

confiscated the castle from the Vivero family due to their opposition in the

War of Castilian Succession The War of the Castilian Succession was the military conflict contested from 1475 to 1479 for the succession of the Crown of Castile fought between the supporters of Joanna 'la Beltraneja', reputed daughter of the late monarch Henry IV of Castil ...

; it was returned in 1490. The Catholic Monarchs themselves spent their honeymoon in the castle in 1469, and in 1521 the castle was occupied in the

Revolt of the Comuneros The Revolt of the Comuneros ( es, Guerra de las Comunidades de Castilla, "War of the Communities of Castile") was an uprising by citizens of Castile against the rule of Charles I and his administration between 1520 and 1521. At its height, th ...

. In July 1983

Demetrio Madrid Demetrio Madrid López (born 1 August 1936) is a Spanish politician and member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) who served as President of the Junta of Castile and León The president of the Junta of Castile and León ( es, Presi ...

, the

President of the Junta of Castile and León The president of the Junta of Castile and León ( es, Presidente de la Junta de Castilla y León) is the executive head of government of the Spanish autonomous community of Castile and León. The president is the head of the Junta of Castile and L ...

, chose the castle to be the seat of the

Cortes of Castile and León The Cortes of Castile and León (Spanish: ''Cortes de Castilla y León'') is the elected unicameral legislature of the Autonomous Community of Castile and León. The tradition of the regional Cortes is traced back to the Royal Council (Latin: ...

, the regional legislature. In 2007 the legislature moved to a brand new building in the city, in an economic blow to both the castle's owners the

Province of Valladolid Valladolid () is a province of northwest Spain, in the central part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It has a population of 520,716 people in a total of 225 municipalities, an area of and a population density of 64.19 people per ...

and the people of the village. Renovations started in 2011 ended in late 2012 when the castle was opened to the public as a tourist site, and venue for weddings, conferences and concerts. By 2015, it was safe for tourists to access the roof of the tower.

References

Castles in Castile and León Buildings and structures in the Province of Valladolid Seats of Spanish regional legislatures {{Spain-castle-stub