Manzanares el Real Castle ( Spanish: Castillo de Manzanares el Real ) is located in the same city in the Spanish province of Madrid .
Castle History
In 1385 , King Juan I of Castile granted Pedro González de Mendoza ( 1340–1385 ) vast lands. The gift was given in gratitude for the fact that Mendoza gave the king his horse when the Castilian army was defeated by the Portuguese at the Battle of Aljubarrot and Juan I was forced to flee the battlefield. It is believed that the first castle on the site of the current Manzanares el Real was built by the son of Pedro, Diego Hurtado de Mendoza ( 1365 - 1404 ), the 1st Marquis de Santillana.
This fortress has not been preserved to this day, since Diego decided to build a new castle nearby during his lifetime. This intention was realized by his son, Don Diego Hurtado de Mendoza, 1st Duke del Infantado ( 1415 - 1479 ), who, using stones from the old castle, began construction of the new Manzanares el Real in 1475 .
The new castle has been perfectly preserved to this day and is a square stone foundation at the base of 44 by 36 meters. In its corners are three round towers and one square, which is called the “Towers of Honor” ( Spanish: Torre del Homenaje ). Inside the castle is a courtyard surrounded by a two-tier gallery. Outside, Manzanares el Real is surrounded by a battlement with battlements in the shape of the Jerusalem cross. Loopholes of this form were made in honor of the second son of the Marquis of Mendoza - Cardinal Pedro González Mendoza ( 1428 - 1494 ), later the Archbishop of Seville and Toledo , primate of Spain since 1482 .
For about a century, Manzanares el Real was the family castle of the Mendoza family. However, after the death of the 4th Duke del Infantado in 1565 , his relatives could not share the inheritance, as a result, after lengthy lawsuits, the castle did not go to anyone and was abandoned. Over the course of several centuries, Manzanares el Real has become very dilapidated. The first restoration of the castle began only in 1914 under the leadership of the architect Vicente Lampamperes Romera.
In 1931 , Manzanares el Real was recognized as a historical monument and has since been protected by the state. In 1965 , the Duke of Infantado handed over the castle to the Municipal Council of the Province of Madrid , and in 1974 , large-scale restoration work was carried out under the supervision of architect Manuel González Valkarcal.
Links
See also
- List of castles in Spain