Montealegre Castle

Montealegre Castle lies, in the village by the same name, in the province of Valladolid in Spain.

The name Montealegre appears during the reign of King Alfonso VIII as a Lordship of an Alfonso Téllez. The name continues to be connected to this noble family, when a century later there appears a Lord of Montealegre; Tello Perez de Meneses. He probably built the first castle, more primitive than the present one, on this site somewhere around 1300. The Lordship of Montealegre was then situated on the borderline of defense with the kingdom of Leon.

The present castle, with its austere and strong appearance, has a slightly trapezial ground plan, with four strong towers at its corners. Three of them are rectangular and the fourth is pentagonal and served as the keep. In the middle of its curtain walls it is fitted with slender circular towers. The height of its walls range from 18 to 24 meters, with a thickness of 4 meters. With its functional and horizontal impression it represents an adoption of a Mediterranean-Arab castle, a style known in Europe from the 13th century.

The Military order of Santiago and later King Alfonso X, the Wise, granted several rights and privileges to Montealegre. And it soon became part of the Lordship of Alburquerque. It was elevated to a County by Don Enrique Manuel de Villena. Later it belonged to the Guzmán family. During the reign of King Felipe IV a Martin Guzmán y Rojas becomes Marquess de Montealegre. He is the one that places his coat of arms above the entrance gate.

The history of this castle confirms its strength, since it was never taken by force. King Pedro I, the Cruel, tried to conquer it when its lord; Don Juan Alfonso de Alburquerque, was absent. But when his troops besieged the castle he hadn't counted on the fierce resistance of its lady; Doña Isabel de Meneses. So after a long and useless siege, the king had to raise the siege. Two centuries later, in the 16th century, the Castilian Communeros who had revolted against the emperor Carlos, also tried to take the castle by force. They also failed and had to resort to treason to open its doors.

At the present its exterior is restored but its interior is completely dismantled since it was used as a cereal silo. I don't know what its present use is. It's not accessible. The castle lies on the western end of the village, almost on the end of a large hill and offers superb views of the surrounding countryside in all directions.

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Montealegre Castle

Montealegre Castle lies, in the village by the same name, in the province of Valladolid in Spain.

The name Montealegre appears during the reign of King Alfonso VIII as a Lordship of an Alfonso Téllez. The name continues to be connected to this noble family, when a century later there appears a Lord of Montealegre; Tello Perez de Meneses. He probably built the first castle, more primitive than the present one, on this site somewhere around 1300. The Lordship of Montealegre was then situated on the borderline of defense with the kingdom of Leon.

The present castle, with its austere and strong appearance, has a slightly trapezial ground plan, with four strong towers at its corners. Three of them are rectangular and the fourth is pentagonal and served as the keep. In the middle of its curtain walls it is fitted with slender circular towers. The height of its walls range from 18 to 24 meters, with a thickness of 4 meters. With its functional and horizontal impression it represents an adoption of a Mediterranean-Arab castle, a style known in Europe from the 13th century.

The Military order of Santiago and later King Alfonso X, the Wise, granted several rights and privileges to Montealegre. And it soon became part of the Lordship of Alburquerque. It was elevated to a County by Don Enrique Manuel de Villena. Later it belonged to the Guzmán family. During the reign of King Felipe IV a Martin Guzmán y Rojas becomes Marquess de Montealegre. He is the one that places his coat of arms above the entrance gate.

The history of this castle confirms its strength, since it was never taken by force. King Pedro I, the Cruel, tried to conquer it when its lord; Don Juan Alfonso de Alburquerque, was absent. But when his troops besieged the castle he hadn't counted on the fierce resistance of its lady; Doña Isabel de Meneses. So after a long and useless siege, the king had to raise the siege. Two centuries later, in the 16th century, the Castilian Communeros who had revolted against the emperor Carlos, also tried to take the castle by force. They also failed and had to resort to treason to open its doors.

At the present its exterior is restored but its interior is completely dismantled since it was used as a cereal silo. I don't know what its present use is. It's not accessible. The castle lies on the western end of the village, almost on the end of a large hill and offers superb views of the surrounding countryside in all directions.

Gallery

Details
Hits: 7634