Castillo de Gormaz

( Castle of Gormaz )

The Castle of Gormaz (Spanish: Fortaleza de Gormaz or Castillo de Gormaz) is a large castle located in Gormaz, Spain. Its current structure was built in 965 to defend the borders of the Caliphate of Cordoba. At the time of its construction, it was the largest fortress in Europe.

The site of the castle, or the surrounding area, was frequently contested between the Muslim-controlled Al-Andalus to the south (ruled by the Umayyad dynasty) and the smaller Christian kingdoms to the north during the 10th century. An existing fortification thus existed here before the current castle.[1] Christian chronicles mention that the site was reconquered by Muslim forces in 925 and 940, indicating that it changed hands multiple times between the forces on either side of the frontier.[2] The current castle was built or rebuilt in 965-66 by Ghalib ibn Abd al-Rahman, a general serving under Caliph al-Hakam II at the time.[3][2] The earliest mentions of the fortress and this reconstruction in Arabic chronicles were recorded by al-Maqqari.[3][4] A foundation stone with an inscription mentioning this date and the caliph's name was also found in the nearby Hermitage of San Miguel de Gormaz (and kept today at the Burgo de Osma Cathedral) and is believed to come from the fortress, further supporting this construction date.[3][2][4] The fortress was the largest fortification built by the Caliphate of Cordoba in this region.[3] It probably acted as the key defensive point in what was an extensive network of fortifications that defended this part of the northern border of Al-Andalus.[3][5][6] According to Roger Collins it was also the largest castle in Europe at the time.[7]

In 974-975, the fortress resisted a major siege by the combined forces of Sancho of Navarre, Garcia of Castile, and Ramiro III of Leon (under the regency of his aunt Elvira Ramírez).[3][8] The castle was relieved by a force led by general Ghalib in the summer of 975, which then pursued Garcia's retreating forces into Castile.[8] The fortress may have nonetheless been captured by a Christian force sometime between 975 and 983, as Christian chronicles report that the Muslims recaptured it in 983.[2][3] There is textual evidence that the caliphs of Cordoba promised to hand over the fortress to Sancho III in 1009 or in 1011 during the political upheaval of the Fitna (civil war) of Al-Andalus, but it is unclear whether this surrender of the fortress actually took place.[3] Likewise, historical sources report that Fernando I captured the fortress in 1059, perhaps permanently,[4] but the same sources also imply that this occupation was brief.[3] Some archeological evidence suggests that Muslims were still maintaining and repairing the castle in the 1060s.[3] By the end of the century, however, the Duero region, along with the major city of Toledo to the south, had come under the definitive control of Castile.

After its definitive Christian conquest, the castle was occupied by a variety of lords. Alfonso VI gave the castle to El Cid in 1087.[2][4] In the 14th century the castle was strategically important in the conflict between Pedro I of Castile and Pedro IV of Aragon, during which period it changed hands multiple times and underwent important restoration and repair work.[2][4] Archeological evidence shows that the main part of the castle was occupied by a small urban settlement during this period.[2] Sometime after the 14th-century conflicts, however, it was abandoned and fell into ruins.[4] Modern excavations of the site began in 1922 and have continued since, with major investigations in the late 20th century led by Juan Zozaya.[4][5]

^ Purton, Peter (2009). A History of the Early Medieval Siege, C. 450-1220. The Boydell Press. p. 131. ISBN 9781843834489. ^ a b c d e f g Almagro, Antonio (2008). "La puerta califal del castillo de Gormaz". Arqueología de la Arquitectura. 5 (5): 55–77. doi:10.3989/arq.arqt.2008.89. hdl:10261/13076. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Scales, Peter (1984). "The handing over of the Duero fortresses: 1009-1011 (399-401 A. H.)". Al-Qantara. 5 (1): 109–122. ^ a b c d e f g "Gormaz Castle". Qantara - Mediterranean Heritage. Archived from the original on 2021-12-07. Retrieved 2021-05-28. ^ a b Zozaya, Juan (1992). "The Fortifications of Al-Andalus". In Dodds, Jerrilynn D. (ed.). Al-Andalus: The Art of Islamic Spain. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. ISBN 0870996371. ^ Barrucand, Marianne; Bednorz, Achim (1992). Moorish architecture in Andalusia. Taschen. pp. 17, 100. ISBN 3822896322. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page). ^ a b Kennedy, Hugh (1996). Muslim Spain and Portugal: A Political History of al-Andalus. Routledge. pp. 100–101. ISBN 9781317870418.
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Juan F. Esteban Barahona - CC BY-SA 4.0
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