We are back to my dear Spain again !! love it !! We came by car of course and took time to see new areas and old repeat with some of them as introduction to my sons and our dog Rex ! I came into Simancas for the first time! and it was sublime ! I like to continue my road warrior stories this time in Simancas, Therefore, here is my take on the Castle Archives of Simancas !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
The town of Simancas is located in the province of Valladolid and the autonomous community of Castilla y Léon in the kingdom of Spain, It is 15 km from Valladolid City ,11 km from our rental house in Velliza, and 199 km from Madrid, We walked all over the small town, and saw wonderful monuments. I like to keep them in my blog for the memories of always and return, eventually.
The Castillo de Simancas (castle) is since September 16, 1540 the headquarters of the General Archive of Simancas. In the 15C, the Enriquez family, Admirals of Castile, exercised the lordship of Simancas. He rebuilt the old Arab fortress and of this era is the chapel. Shortly after, the Catholic Monarchs claimed it for the crown and turned it into a state prison. King Felipe II transformed the castle into the general archive of the kingdom hosting one of the most important archives in the world with 35 million documents. The king in August 24,1588 signed instructions in 30 chapters that take into account the principals work of the Archives and its employees that became the first procedures of archives in the modern era of our world, The reforms that were made gave rise to the appearance it has today. In 1844 under a liberal government , the Archives came from being an administrative archive to one of historical proportions,
The initial archives were from the Austrian dynasty of the 15-17C and the Bourbons from the 18C,It has many advisory groups according to the different regions of Spain such as Castilla, Aragon, Indies, Italy, Flanders, and Portugal and with various council disciplines such as the area of war, state, finances, insquisition, law and order, and crusades, All regulations passed by them,With the arrival of the Bourbons dynasty changes were made a la Française leaving most intact but introducing ordering secretariat to replace the above councils such as secretaries of war, state, justice, finances, and naval and indies.
The wall that surrounds it, the cubes, the battlements, the pit, the entrance and two bridges are of the medieval era, the end of the 15C. The chapel was renovated by the Enriquez family in the 15C; the current one is a reform of the 1950s. It has a beautiful starry vault painted, where the weapons of its founders are represented. The Camara de Tormentos or Torments Chamber is also preserved. The castle itself is due to the reforms of the 16C. The light in the Torre del Obispo or bishop’s tower was projected with a chipped shape. There were more reforms in the 17-18C. Great and important works have been carried out to conserve the building as a general archive. Among other valuable stays there is an incombustible camera where most documents are. The fortress is protected with an outer barrier and a pit that presents a strong slope in the form of a wing, the entrance was made through two bridges located west and north.
The inner fortress is structured around a central courtyard. In its corners are 3 towers. The fourth tower, stronger, has a Casamata structure. The barrier is irregularly, adapting to the internal structure of the castle. The most important transformations inside were carried out from the 16C, at which time Felipe II ordered the work of the patio, reading room and pointed towers with a view to adapting their facilities as the general archive of the Kingdom. It is at this time when the light in the Torre del Obispo was projected with a chipped shape.
Fitting of this post to tell you a bit on the famous battle of Simancas! Simancas was a strong place of strategic importance for the kingdom of León. Here took place on August 1, 939 the battle of Simancas. A coalition of Leonese, Castilian, Aragonese and Navarras forces faced the powerful Caliph Abderramán III in front of the walls of the town. After several days of siege and continuous fray Abderramán III decided to leave the camp and undertake the withdrawal. Ramiro II came out in persecution of the Caliph defeating him in the place of Alhandega, named for the Arab chroniclers of the time.
The town of Simancas on the castle archives: https://aytosimancas.es/10-archivo/
The province of Valladolid onthe castle archives of Simancas: https://www.provinciadevalladolid.com/en/-/castillo-archivo-general-de-simancas
The Castilla y Léon tourist office on the castle archives of Simancas: https://www.turismocastillayleon.com/en/art-culture-heritage/castles/castle-simancas-general-archive-simancas
The official Ministry of Culture of Spain on the General Archives of Simancas: https://www.cultura.gob.es/cultura/areas/archivos/mc/archivos/ags/portada.html
There you go folks , another wonderful nostalgic, sentimental trip to my dear Spain, Simancas was a pleasant surprise ,quant,near our house,and historical I like, We will be back ,eventually, we love it !, Again, hope you enjoy this post on the Castle Archives of Simancas !!! as I
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 