Castle of Capdepera

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The Castle of Capdepera
Castell de Capdepera
Capdepera - Castell de Capdepera 03 ies.jpg
Coordinates 39°42′N3°25′E / 39.700°N 3.417°E / 39.700; 3.417 Coordinates: 39°42′N3°25′E / 39.700°N 3.417°E / 39.700; 3.417
Location Majorca
Type Fortress

The Castle of Capdepera is a walled fortress located in the Spanish municipality of Capdepera, on the island of Majorca. It is one of the largest castles on the island. Its construction began in 310, but in the fourteenth century it was rebuilt on the remains of a Muslim village.

Capdepera Place in Balearic Islands, Spain

Capdepera is a small municipality on Majorca, one of the Balearic Islands, Spain.

Contents

History

The Castle of Capdepera is important to the island as it was from here that the surrender of Menorca, the island neighbouring Majorca in the Balearic archipelago, was accomplished. King James I of Aragon, having conquered Majorca, decided he needed his troops for the future conquest of Valencia. He devised a ploy to deceive the Muslims residing on Menorca and cause them to surrender. To do this, he ordered a large number of bonfires lit in Capdepera so that they were visible from the neighbouring island. This was to make the Saracen Menorcans believe that a large army had camped there and were preparing to invade Menorca. [1] The ruse worked. So finally, at this very castle, James I signed the Treaty of Capdepera, [2] through which the Menorcan Muslims were allowed to remain there in submission to the King of Aragon under tribute. [3]

Menorca one of the Balearic Islands

Menorca or Minorca is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. Its name derives from its size, contrasting it with nearby Majorca.

Balearic Islands Archipelago in the Mediterranean, autonomous community, and province of Spain

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James I of Aragon 13th-century King of Aragon

James I the Conqueror was King of Aragon, Count of Barcelona, and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1276; King of Majorca from 1231 to 1276; and Valencia from 1238 to 1276. His long reign—the longest of any Iberian monarch—saw the expansion of the House of Aragon and House of Barcelona in three directions: Languedoc to the north, the Balearic Islands to the southeast, and Valencia to the south. By a treaty with Louis IX of France, he wrested the County of Barcelona from nominal French suzerainty and integrated it into his crown. He renounced northward expansion and taking back the once Catalan territories in Occitania and vassal counties loyal to the County of Barcelona, lands that were lost by his father Peter II of Aragon in the Battle of Muret during the Albigensian Crusade and annexed by the Kingdom of France, and then decided to turn south. His great part in the Reconquista was similar in Mediterranean Spain to that of his contemporary Ferdinand III of Castile in Andalusia. One of the main reasons for this formal renunciation of most of the once Catalan territories in Languedoc and Occitania and any expansion into them is the fact that he was raised by the Knights Templar crusaders, who had defeated his father fighting for the Pope alongside the French, so it was effectively forbidden for him to try to maintain the traditional influence of the Count of Barcelona that previously existed in Occitania and Languedoc.

Capdepera - Castell de Capdepera 07 ies.jpg

The first construction of a fortress on this site was by Romans. It was later enlarged by the Moors. It was destroyed during Christian invasions but they later constructed another structure in the same location in the fourteenth century. [4]

King James II (1285-1295) having already founded the town of Capdepera in 1300 [?][ citation needed ], ordered the population of the area, which had been scattered, to build the walled enclosure surrounding one of its watchtowers now known as Miquel Nunis. Its strategic location on a hill allowed them to view the adjacent lands and sea channel separating the two islands. [5]

The castle was occupied by military troops up to 1854 when it was abandoned. From then until 1983 it was under private ownership. At that time the owners donated it to the Capdepera Town Council. In 2000 the council organized a celebration of the 700th year since the founding of the castle. [6] It remains open for tourist viewing throughout the year.

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References

  1. ↑ Gobierno de las islas Baleares. "Castillo de Capdepera (The Castle of Capdepera)" (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 February 2011.[ permanent dead link ]
  2. ↑ Rubén P. Atienza Ciutadell (24 January 2010). "Recordando el Tratado de Capdepera (Remembering the Treaty of Capdepera)" (in Spanish). Editorial Menorca. Archived from the original on 8 April 2010. Retrieved 11 February 2011.
  3. ↑ "Municipio de Capdepera (Información cultural) (Municipality of Capdepera - Cultural Information)" (in Spanish). Abaces. 2007. Archived from the original on 3 September 2011. Retrieved 11 February 2011.
  4. ↑ "Capdepera Castle, Capdepera" . Retrieved 21 April 2013.
  5. ↑ "Historia medieval de Capdepera (Medieval History of Capdepera)". Arteguías. August 2010. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
  6. ↑ "Capdepera Castle". 13 July 2004. Retrieved 21 April 2013.
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