I take you back to my dear Spain again !! love it !! We came by car on our road warrior trails and saw this town of Medina de Rioseco in our radar so decided to take a look, first time, and we love it, will be back for more eventually, Therefore, here is my take on this is Medina de Rioseco !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
The town of Medina de Rioseco is located in the province of Valladolid, in the autonomous community of Castilla y León, and in the kingdom of Spain. It holds the honorary titles of “very noble” and “very loyal,” as well as the title of “city,” and is also known by the nicknames “City of the Admirals” and “Little Old India.”
The town is 42 km from Valladolid, 53 km from Palencia, 54 km from Toro, 144 km from Burgos, and 248 km from Madrid, We came down from France passing by Burgos dir Valladolid but got off a bit in our road warrior trails on the A62 highway exit/salida 78 to connect with the A610 exit/salida 6 road dir Palencia but again get off at exit/salida 1 on the A67 highway or autovia Cantabria-Meseta dir Benavente quickly bear right lane on the A65 highway or Autovia de Tierra de Campos dir Benavente passing around Palencia then bear right on exit/salida 10 to connect with the N610 dir Palencia then passing underneath a concrete bridge bear right onto a loop that takes you on the CL612 road dir Medina de Rioseco to bear right onto the N601 road dir Medina de Rioseco continue on this road until City center continuing on calle de Cantareros making a right turn on Calle Calzada de San Miguel left on Calle Juan Juffré ,and quick right on Calle Mediana to the Church Santa Maria de Mediavilla and parking on Plaza Santa Maria,
Read/See my posts on the monuments of the town in other posts to follow, Therefore, this post will be an introduction in my black and white series, no pictures.
Other things to see here are the Church of San Francisco Convent church built in the time of the Admiral of Castile, Fadrique Enríquez, as the second Franciscan monastery of the town, as a burial place for the members of his family. Church of San Miguel de Mediavilla Founded around 1132. Convent of Santa Clara Founded in 1491 under the protection of Admiral Fadrique II Convent of San José The Carmelite convent is in the Classical style and owes its foundation to a royal decree of March 2, 1603. Hermitage of Castilviejo Following the road to Castilviejo, you will find this hermitage built in the 16C. San Pedro Mártir Church of the Convent of the Order of Preachers, is in the Classical style, built between the 16C and 17C. The medieval city wall, preserved in some sections but hidden by houses, had a total of eight gates, of which only three remain today: The Zamora Gate, on the road leading to Toro (see posts), is a 16C reconstruction with a square floor plan. The Ajújar Gate is the oldest remaining gate of the original wall. Although built in the 13C, the San Sebastián Gate, which was not part of the medieval wall, is a 16C work. Among the houses dating from the 15-17C are notable examples ; among them are the houses of the Núñez de Monroy family on Calle Misericordia, the Pizarro family on Calle Rúa, the Solórzano family on Calle Corro de San Miguel, and of Obispo Caso on Calle de los Lienzos. The old municipal granary, known as “El Torno,” from the 16C, was used as a wheat storehouse and was built on the wall that connected the fortress to the Coal Gate.
A bit of history I like tell us that in the mid-9C and throughout the 10C, this area was a territory of colonization by the Asturian-Leonese kingdom, which also attracted Mozarabs from Andalusia. The confluence of the border limits between the Kingdom of León and the County of Castile placed the armed conflicts between the two kingdoms in this area. In 1258, Alfonso X the Wise established the definitive boundaries with Valladolid, leaving the Montes de Torozos for Medina. In May 1405, Alfonso Enríquez received the title of Admiral of Castile from King Henry III of Castile. In 1423, John II of Castile granted him the lordship of Medina de Rioseco. While Fadrique Enríquez, the second admiral, held the lordship, John II granted him the privilege in 1423 of holding an annual twenty-day fair after the first Sunday after Easter. In 1427, the same monarch granted a second fair, of the same duration, at the beginning of Lent. Under the lordship of Alfonso II Enríquez, the third admiral of Castile, Henry IV of Castile confirmed the town’s second annual fair, and in 1465, Henry IV granted it a weekly Thursday free of taxes. This recognition was repeated by later monarchs, such as the Catholic Monarchs (Fernando II y Isabel I), Juana (Joanna) I of Castile,Carlos (Charles) I, and Felipe (Philip) II. All these valuable documents are now kept in the municipal historical archive, one of the most complete of its kind in Spain. Fadrique II Enríquez de Cabrera, the fourth admiral, began the construction of the Admirals’ Palace and the Church of San Francisco, founded the Convent of Santa Clara, and during his reign, the Church of Santa María de Mediavilla was built.
Revolt of the Comuneros (City/regional wars): For having supported the royalist cause, Emperor (Carlos III) Charles V granted significant privileges to the town and the title of Duke of Medina de Rioseco, with Grandeeship of Spain, to Fadrique II’s brother, Fernando Enríquez, heir to the title of Admiral of Castile. He was succeeded by Luis Enríquez, the sixth admiral, and by Luis II Enríquez. In the War of the Spanish Succession: During the reign of Juan Alfonso Enríquez de Cabrera, the ninth admiral, Philip IV granted Rioseco the title of city in 1632. Juan Gaspar Enríquez de Cabrera was the tenth admiral, and Juan Tomás Enríquez de Cabrera was the eleventh and last. Upon the death of Charles II, during the War of the Spanish Succession, the family declared against Philip V, who abolished the Admiralty. In 1725, upon his death, the confiscated titles, property, and inheritance of the Enríquez de Cabrera family passed to his nephew, Pascual Enríquez de Cabrera, except for the title of admiral. He died in 1739, and only the ducal succession remained in the family until 1797, when, upon the death of the holder, it reverted to the Crown. Subsequently, the dukedom passed to the Osuna family.
At the beginning of the 19C, events unfolded in Medina de Rioseco that would have a profound impact on the fate of the rest of Spain during the War of Independence (peninsula war): the Battle of Moclín. A powerful French army, led by Marshal Jean-Baptiste Bessières, clashed with the Spanish armies of Castile and Galicia, commanded by Generals Cuesta and Blake, near Medina de Rioseco on July 14, 1808. The Battle of Rioseco was the first major battle of the War of Independence. It ended in a crushing defeat for the Spanish troops and paved the way for Joseph (Jose) Bonaparte’s ascension to the Spanish throne. In the 18C, the Canal de Castilla had been built, one branch of which, the so-called Campos Canal, reached the town of Rioseco in 1849. The development of the railway would eventually replace the canal. The one that passed through Medina de Rioseco was popularly known as the “Donkey Train” due to its slow speed.
The town of Medina de Rioseco on its cultural offering : https://medinaderioseco.org/cultura/espacios-culturales/
The Medina de Rioseco tourist office on its heritage :https://turismo.medinaderioseco.org/que-ver
The Castilla y Léon region tourist office on Medina de Rioseco : https://www.turismocastillayleon.com/en/heritage-culture/medina-de-rioseco
There you go folks , another wonderful trip to my dear Spain, This time first time in Medina de Rioseco nice, awesome will be back, eventually, Very convenient on off the A62 highways connecting to all of Castilla y Léon region, Again, hope you enjoy this post on this is Medina de Rioseco !!! as I
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
