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58-460: Cuéllar ( Spanish pronunciation: [ˈkweʎaɾ] ) is a municipality in the Province of Segovia , within the autonomous community of Castile and León , Spain. The municipality had a population of 9,730 inhabitants according to the municipal register of inhabitants (INE) as of 1 January 2010, divided into 4,929 men and 4,801 women. Cuéllar is located on a hill and is 60 km northeast of

116-435: A lordship to his favorite nobleman, Beltrán de La Cueva, the first Duke of Alburquerque . Since then, the town has been bound to this family. The duke's great-grandson was raised as a marquess . In the 17th century, the town suffered a recession, along with many cities and villages in the country. The monarchy moved to Madrid and settled the royal court within this city, which forced the aristocracy to relocate to Madrid. It

174-492: A low number of inhabitants. The area of the municipal territory (Spanish: término municipal ) usually ranges 2–40 km , but some municipalities span across a much larger area, up to the 1,750.33 km of Cáceres ', the largest municipality in the country. The average land area of a Spanish municipality is about 62.23 km (24.03 sq mi), while the average population is about 5,988 people. Municipalities were first created by decree on 23 May 1812 as part of

232-458: A quaternary mass characterised by a sandy terrain with lush vegetation, a Miocenic mass in which the soil is primarily clay, and another belonging to the Pliocene epoch, which is mixed with the previous one. The municipality had a population of 9,730 inhabitants according to the municipal register of inhabitants (INE) on 1 January 2010, divided between 4,929 men and 4,801 women. The figure includes

290-412: A term often also used to refer to the municipal headquarters (city/town hall). The ayuntamiento is composed of the mayor (Spanish: alcalde ), the deputy mayors (Spanish: tenientes de alcalde ) and the deliberative assembly ( pleno ) of councillors ( concejales ). Another form of local government used in small municipalities is the concejo abierto (open council), in which the deliberative assembly

348-450: A total area of 1,025 m and its highest point is located in the keep, with a height of 20 m. It is difficult to attribute a precise date to the construction of the castle of Cuéllar. The walled enclosure already appears in documents from 1264, and it was Alfonso X the Wise who granted the council of Cuéllar the possibility of investing the proceeds of certain fines in its repair. Despite this,

406-479: Is extended to Spanish citizens living abroad. A Spaniard abroad, upon registering in a consulate , has the right to vote in the local elections of the last municipality they resided in. A Spanish citizen born abroad must choose between the last municipality his or her mother or father last lived in. As of 2022, there were a total of 8,131 municipalities in Spain, including the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla . In

464-451: Is formed by all the electors in the municipality. The operation of the municipalities is broadly outlined by the 1985 Local Government Act. The Statutes of Autonomy of the various autonomous communities also contain provisions and many sectorial laws from national and autonomous community government determine the functions and powers of ayuntamientos. In general, municipalities enjoy a large degree of autonomy in their local affairs: many of

522-436: Is located in the heart of the natural region of Tierra de Pinares, on the border of the province of Segovia , where it meets the province of Valladolid, 60 km and 50 km respectively from both capitals. It is bordered to the north by Bahabón , Campaspero , Torrescárcela and Viloria , all in the province of Valladolid; to the west by Chañe , Arroyo de Cuéllar, Samboal , San Cristóbal de Cuéllar and Vallelado ; to

580-429: Is no implied hierarchy or primacy of one over the other. Instead the two entities are defined according to the authority or jurisdiction of each ( Spanish : competencias ). Some autonomous communities also group municipalities into entities known as comarcas (districts) or mancomunidades (commonwealths). The governing body in most municipalities is called ayuntamiento ( municipal council or corporation ),

638-497: The Junta de Castilla y León recognised the town's ownership of the mountain called Común Grande de las Pegueras, and ruled that it belonged to Cuéllar, increasing the municipality's area by 74.46 km². Due to its location in the centre of the northern plateau, it has a gentle topography, except in the large gorge that delimits its municipal area along with the river Cega. From a geological point of view, three zones can be distinguished:

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696-486: The Principality of Asturias , municipalities are officially named concejos (councils). The average population of a municipality is about 5,300, but this figure masks a huge range: the most populous Spanish municipality is the city of Madrid , with a population of 3,305,408 (2022) , while several rural municipalities have fewer than ten inhabitants ( Illán de Vacas , had a population of three in 2022 ). Almost 40% of

754-462: The 10th century. Al-Mansur Ibn Abi Aamir (Spanish name: Almanzor) sacked the town and enslaved and deported its citizens to Andalusia . King Alfonso VI of León and Castile rebuilt the town, bringing in new settlers at the end of the 11th century. This was the origin of the municipality, which was ruled by its town council. In 1184, King Alfonso VIII of Castile assembled the parliament in Cuéllar. In

812-405: The 13th century, Cuéllar was one of the most important towns in northern Spain, and the wool trade enriched the local economy. Many palaces and Mudéjar churches were constructed during this period. In 1256, Alfonso X of Castile granted Cuéllar a royal fuero . Queen María de Molina, Sancho IV of Castile 's wife, inherited the town after her husband's death. During her troubled regency, the town

870-423: The 17th century, there was a significant decline at the end of the 16th century, when the population of Cuéllar dropped to 2,400 inhabitants; in 1751, it had 2,194 inhabitants. The recovery of the kingdom in the 18th century and the commercial and economic importance of the town again allowed for immigration, reaching 3,000 inhabitants in the mid-19th century. In the 20th century, one of the greatest population growths

928-544: The 17th century, when they moved with the Court to Madrid, where it became their summer residence and a place for family celebrations. This marked the beginning of a dark period for the monument, which, frequented occasionally and without specific use, deteriorated over the years, and the scarce news that we have of this period reiterate the collapse of the roofs and other details that the dukes always restored, although without showing any special interest in their conservation or in all

986-573: The Catholic , who already possessed other places that eventually became part of the Community of Villa y Tierra de Cuéllar: the lordship of Montemayor . She was mistress of the town until 1464, when her half-brother Henry IV of Castile and Beltrán de la Cueva entered local history. Henry IV, who felt a great predilection for Cuéllar, where he held the first Cortes of Castile of his reign in 1455, refused to accept his father's will, and persisted in managing

1044-525: The Cortes of Salamanca the following year confirmed the king's grant. Perhaps for this reason, the work he carried out on the castle was based on fortifying the existing building in order to defend it in the event of an attack by the Infanta Isabella. In addition, he signed relief agreements with different members of the high nobility, with the aim of securing possession of the castle. When Isabella ascended

1102-513: The Dukes of Alburquerque is the most emblematic monument in the town of Cuéllar , located in the province of Segovia , autonomous community of Castile and León , in Spain . It was declared Bien de Interés Cultural (Property of Cultural Interest) on 3 June 1931. The castle is conserved in good condition, and it has been built in different architectural styles between the 13th and 18th century. Much of

1160-526: The French. The Duke's administrator, complying with orders from Segovia, sent all the firearms stored in the castle, for which four wagons were necessary. In 1812 General Arthur Wellesley , Lord Wellington, arrived in Cuéllar with a large number of soldiers. His arrival in Cuéllar must have been a shocking one: on 1 August 1812, the cavalry and infantry soldiers, victorious at the Battle of Arapiles , were seen crossing

1218-638: The Queen's rights at the Battle of Toro on 1 March 1476, in the context of the War of the Castilian Succession . From that time until 1811, due to the abolition of the lordships, the town remained in the hands of the Ducal House, and the works begun by Beltrán de la Cueva were continued by the second, third and fourth dukes, converting the military fortress into a Renaissance palace, where they had their residence until

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1276-467: The Spanish population resides in just 62 municipalities with more than 100,000 inhabitants. 84% (6,817) of municipalities have less than 5,000 inhabitants. Castile and León alone account for 28% of municipalities but they constitute less than 6% of the population of Spain. A European report said that one of the most important problems facing local governments in Spain is the very high number of little towns with

1334-519: The band for her dowry and marriage). Once in his possession, it was then that in 1464 he granted the villa to his favourite Beltrán de la Cueva, in compensation for the latter's renunciation of the Maestrazgo de Santiago , and on condition that he absented himself from the court: Although it belonged by inheritance to the Infanta Isabella, Beltrán de la Cueva took possession of the manor in December 1464, and

1392-407: The capital city of Segovia and 50 km south of Valladolid . It occupies an area of 272 square kilometres (105 sq mi), and it is 857 metres (2,812 ft) above sea level. The Cerquilla and Cega rivers flow near the town. To the north, the town borders the municipality of Bahabón (the province of Valladolid); to the south, it borders Sanchonuño ; to the east is Frumales , and to

1450-430: The castle as such dates from 1306, when on 2 October of that year Ferdinand IV granted a document from Burgos similar to that of his grandfather Alfonso X the Wise, granting the use of the proceeds from the fines to "refurbish the castle". Nothing is known about its structure at that time, and it was not until 1403 that the infante Fernando de Antequera, lord of Cuéllar, granted a licence to the council of Cuéllar to repair

1508-471: The castle for leisure and holidays, abandoning the building slowly. In the late 19th century the castle was almost completely abandoned, and was the victim of robberies. In 1938 a political prison was created within the castle, and later a sanatorium for prisoners affected by tuberculosis . It was used as a prison until 1966. In 1972, the Department of Fine Arts carried out an intensive restoration, and made it

1566-506: The castle in the Gothic and Renaissance styles. The military building was extended and transformed in the 16th century, turning it into the palace of the Duke of Alburquerque. During its different building stages, masters such as Juan Guas , Hanequin of Brussels and her son Hanequin de Cuéllar , Juan , Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón , and Juan Gil de Hontañón "el mozo" or Juan de Álava have worked on

1624-462: The castle. Among its historical owners, stands out Álvaro de Luna and Beltrán de la Cueva , as well as the successive Dukes of Alburquerque. Distinguished guests on it were some Castilian monarchs , as Juan I and his wife the Queen Leonor de Aragón y de Sicilia , that died on it, or María de Molina , that took refuge on this castle when her Kingdom was rejecting her. Also stands out figures as

1682-518: The castle. They were never recovered. In 1833, the writer and politician Jose de Espronceda was exiled to Cuéllar because of his liberalism. Espronceda wrote the novel Sancho Saldaña o el Castellano de Cuéllar when he lived near the church of Santo Tomé. During the Spanish Civil War , the town remained part of the country controlled by nationalist forces, so its churches were preserved from destruction. Cuéllar Castle served as headquarters to

1740-422: The commanding officers, the army made its way to Cuéllar, where they stayed for at least six days. On 7 January 1813, the French returned and broke down the door of the monastery of Santa Clara and beat up the chaplain and sacristan of the church. The castle was also destroyed: they lit a bonfire fuelled by the castle furniture and continued the plundering begun by their compatriots the previous year. In May of

1798-507: The convents of San Francisco and La Trinidad or the church of San Pedro, the castle also fell victim to the theft and destruction of the French. On 28 February 1808, the first French soldiers arrived, settled in the house of one of the noble families of Cuéllar and were fed and cared for by the population. Shortly afterwards, the Segovia Artillery Academy and General Gregorio García de la Cuesta from Valladolid took up arms against

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1856-409: The fascist Italian troops, and later as a prison for different political prisoners. Many years after, the castle became a hospital for consumption patients and a jail for criminals. Today it functions as a high school and tourism center. Due to local agricultural production, the people of Cuéllar were affected less after the civil war and did not emigrate as much as other people in the region. Cuéllar

1914-495: The functions of the comarcas and provinces are municipal powers pooled together. All citizens of Spain are required to register in the municipality they live in, and after doing so, they are juridically considered "neighbors" (residents) of the municipality, a designation that grants them various rights and privileges, and which entail certain obligations as well, including the right to vote or be elected for public office in said municipality. The right to vote in municipal elections

1972-573: The home of a Vocational Education school, which continues to this day. The castle of Cuéllar stands on the top of a hill, at the highest point of the town, above the so-called citadel and enclosing the walled enclosure. It is located at number 4 in the Plaza del Palacio, with the north and east façades bordering it; the south façade with the Huerta del Duque, and the west façade with the Camino de Santo Domingo. It has

2030-407: The largest number of inhabitants in the province, with the exception of the capital. However, from 2022 onwards, it was overtaken by El Espinar . The demographic history of Cuéllar was influenced by the discovery of America in the 15th century, due to the large number of cuellaranos who travelled to the new lands and changed the demographic course of the town. It could not be reliably studied until

2088-527: The liberal reforms associated with the new Spanish Constitution of 1812 and based on similar actions in revolutionary France. The idea was to rationalise and homogenise territorial organisation, do away with the prior feudal system and provide equality before the law of all citizens. Between 1812 and 1931, the legislation regarding municipal organisation was changed more than 20 times, and there were 20 addition and unsuccessful proposals for change. Cu%C3%A9llar Castle Cuéllar Castle or The Castle of

2146-428: The lordship of Cuéllar to his sister Violante de Aragón, so that there were two lords of the town at the same time. This anomaly can only have one explanation: Don Fadrique would have fallen out of favour with the king as early as July 1433 and dispossessed him of the villa, giving it to Álvaro de Luna; renegade, Don Fadrique, considering his lordship in danger, ceded it to his sister Violante, and so we find both lords at

2204-502: The lordship of the town on 23 July 1444, taking possession of it the following year. It was then that he carried out most of his work in the castle that defended him from his enemies, as he gathered up to 300 lances in his town to fight in the revolts that preceded his execution in Valladolid . Precisely one of those twelve judges who saw the trial and condemned him to be beheaded was a cuellarano, Juan Velázquez de Cuéllar, who could not bear

2262-416: The municipal capital, and the neighbourhoods and smaller local entities belonging to the municipality since 1981. The total is divided as follows: Cuéllar (8,374), Arroyo de Cuéllar (381), Chatún (262), Campo de Cuéllar (221), Torregutiérrez (126), Dehesa Mayor (112), Lovingos (96), Escarabajosa de Cuéllar (79), Fuentes de Cuéllar (48) and Dehesa (31). Since long time ago until 2021, it was the municipality with

2320-422: The municipality of San Cristóbal de Cuéllar , as they paraded to the sound of trumpets in the direction of the town, the display lasting from seven o'clock until eleven o'clock in the morning. The parish priest of the municipality, a witness and reporter, had to shelter an English captain and his wife, and claims that Wellington rode past, "smilingly reciprocating the greetings of the crowd". After offering lunch to

2378-501: The painter Francisco Javier Parcerisa , or the writer José de Espronceda , the generals Joseph Léopold Sigisbert Hugo and Arthur Wellesley , the Duke of Wellington , who set his garrison barracks in this castle during the Spanish War of Independence . The Dukes of Alburquerque lived in this castle for centuries until they moved to Madrid to be close to the court . Thereafter they used

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2436-494: The population fell by 300, but began to recover again from the 1990s onwards, rising steadily until the present day. Factors include immigration from the surrounding municipalities and its industries and services, which have made it an economic and commercial centre in the area. [REDACTED] Media related to Cuéllar at Wikimedia Commons Municipalities of Spain Although provinces are groupings of municipalities , there

2494-422: The present day. From then on, a tangled history began in the lordship of Cuéllar. On 23 July 1433, John II granted the town of Cuéllar to Constable Álvaro de Luna , who swore an oath of homage to its inhabitants on 3 October of the same year. The following year he still held the title of Lord of Cuéllar. Curiously, on 24 October of the same year, 1433, Don Fadrique de Luna, son of Martín I of Sicily , handed over

2552-459: The remains of an 11th-century wall were found in the section of the wall on which the castle stands after restoration work. Also from an earlier period, perhaps from the late 12th or early 13th century, is the Mudejar gate located on the south façade of the castle, so that the most complete hypothesis suggests that the castle must have arisen at the same time as the walled enclosure. The first record of

2610-545: The remorse and had himself donated to the Monastery of Santa María de la Armedilla , ordering a wax head to be placed on his grave at his death, in memory of the one that was cut off the head of the Constable of Castile for his signature. After the death of Álvaro de Luna, the lordship returned to Juan II of Castile, and in the same year that the constable died (1453), it was granted to the still Infanta of Castile, future Isabella

2668-524: The rights he might have to the town in 1476: ...Acatando e considerando los muchos e buenos e leales servicios que con toda lealtad e fidelidad vos avedes fecho e facedes de cada dia al mi muy caro e muy amado fijo primogenito Don Fernando Rey de Castilla.... I grant you, the said Duke of Alburquerque, a mercy, grace, perpetual and non-revocable donation of all the right and action that I have and have and belong to me and that may and must belong to me in any way and by any title and title and reason that may be, to

2726-479: The same time. It is possible that even then Álvaro de Luna began to plan the new fortress of Cuéllar, but he had little material time to carry it out: in 1439 he was banished from the court, and the lordship of the town was ceded by John II of Castile on 26 April of the same year to his namesake, the King of Navarre , who held it until 1444. Perhaps for this reason, because he had begun a project in Cuéllar, he again obtained

2784-429: The south by Gomezserracín , Pinarejos , Samboal , San Martín y Mudrián and Sanchonuño and to the east by Frumales and Olombrada , all in the province of Segovia. Its exact coordinates are 41°24′10″N 4°19′12″E  /  41.40278°N 4.32000°E  / 41.40278; 4.32000 and it is 857.93 m above sea level. Until 2008, its municipal area covered an area of 272.4 km², but in that year

2842-585: The throne in 1474, Beltrán de la Cueva handed her a memorial with certain petitions. In the first of these, he asked her highness to "confirm the grants he has from the Lord King Don Enrique, which God grant him of the towns of Cuéllar and Roa and Alburquerque and Mombeltrán and El Adrada and Ledesma and Huelma ". The queen, together with her husband, agreed to all of Beltrán de la Cueva's requests in 1475, and King Don Fernando also managed to get his father, John II of Aragon , to cede to Don Beltrán all

2900-456: The town personally, despite the fact that the manor belonged to his half-sister. Thus, on 22 July 1462, he ordered Alfonso Pérez de Segovia to give him 20,000 maravedíes each year for the tenancy of the castle, and similar deeds were issued in 1463 and 1464.7 John II bequeathed the villa to Isabella in his will, and Henry, in order to take possession of it, had to pay his half-sister 200,000 "doblas de la Banda para su dote e casamiento" (doubloons of

2958-463: The towns of Cuellar and Roa, and to their fortresses and vassals. ... and I give, transfer and renounce it all to you, the said Duke of Alburquerque and to your heirs and successors.... Mª Rosario Mondéjar Manzanares Beltrán de la Cueva went from fearing a possible attack by Isabella to being well regarded at her court. He undoubtedly gained royal favour for having fought against the Portuguese defending

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3016-407: The walls and the castle, the cost of which amounted to 30,000 maravedíes, paid by the residents of Cuéllar and its Land. In 1431, John II of Castile granted a privilege similar to the previous one, according to which the fines were to be for the "refurbishment of the castle walls". The same privilege alludes to another similar one granted by his father, Henry III of Castile, which has not survived to

3074-409: The west are San Cristóbal de Cuéllar and Vallelado . Inhabitants of Cuéllar traditionally grow different crops (such as cereals , vegetables, chicory , legumes , and beets ) and raise livestock, including pigs, sheep, and cows. Forestry and resin production were once important economic resources. Professor Ubieto Arteta reported that there is some historical evidence of Cuéllar's existence in

3132-488: The works of art stored there, among which were important gold and silver tableware, a well-known armoury and various canvases by renowned painters. Because of its geographical location, halfway between Segovia and Valladolid, and the existence of the castle, the Villa played a role of some importance during the War of Independence , and the fortress a place coveted by the French. As they did with other monuments in Cuéllar, such as

3190-415: The year 1528 when the first complete population census appeared. By the end of the 16th century Cuéllar's population totalled around 3,000, attributed to a growth derived from the new economy, which was mainly devoted to agriculture to the detriment of livestock farming, and from becoming a migratory enclave for nearby towns that sought the tax advantages offered by the town to foreigners. At the beginning of

3248-495: Was a refuge while her son, the future King Ferdinand IV of Castile , was still a child. In the middle of the 14th century, King Pedro I "the Cruel" married Doña Juana de Castro in Cuéllar. The marriage was a fraud because the King was unlawfully divorced from his former wife and because he deserted Doña Juana after their wedding night. In 1464, King Henry IV of Castile gave the town as

3306-415: Was also a period of poverty, due to the decadence of the wool trade, the taxes to pay for prior wars, and the various plagues that ravaged the country. In the 18th century, laws enacted by Charles III allowed Cuéllar to recover some of its social and economic prosperity. When Napoleon invaded Spain, Cuéllar was looted by the French troops, who stole all the treasuries from the churches, monasteries, and

3364-402: Was recorded between 1930 and 1940, with more than 2,000 inhabitants, as well as in the period between 1970 and 1975, the most fruitful period in the demography of Cuéllar in that century, although this was because it incorporated the disappeared municipalities of Arroyo de Cuéllar, Campo de Cuéllar, Chatún, Dehesa, Fuentes de Cuéllar and Lovingos into its territory in 1971. At the end of the 1980s,

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