Castilla y León

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t A richly decorated altarpiece depicting the life of Christ, found in the Catedral Vieja

Experience Castilla y León

The territories of the two rival medieval kingdoms of Castile and León, occupying the northern half of the great plateau in the centre of Spain, now form the country’s largest region, or comunidad autónoma.

Castile and León were first brought together under one crown in 1037 by Fernando I, and the powerful kingdom became one of the driving forces of the reconquista, seizing territory from the Moors. El Cid, the legendary Christian hero, was born near Burgos. The two kingdoms were divided again on the death of Alfonso VII in 1157 and were only consolidated into one kingdom in 1230. Alfonso IX of León had bequeathed his kingdom to his two eldest daughters, Sancha and Dulce, on his death, but his son, Fernando III of Castile, successfully contested the will and formed the united kingdom of Castilla y León.

This kingdom became the cradle of the nation. Through the marriage of Isabel I of Castile to Fernando II of Aragón in 1469, Catalonia became part of the domain and Isabel and Fernando’s reign saw the beginnings of a united Christian Spain, with the conquest of Moorish Granada in 1492.

In the 16th century, wealth poured into the area as a result of the wool trade and spoils seized from the New World. These newfound riches financed the building of great monuments to Castilla y León’s eminence, including Burgos’ exuberantly decorated Gothic cathedral, León Cathedral, with its wonderful stained glass, and Salamanca’s respected university.

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