Henry II , better known as Henry of Trastámara Henry II (Seville, January 13, 1334 – May 29, 1379 in Santo Domingo de la Calzada), better known as Henry of Trastámara Henry II (Seville, January 13, 1334 – May 29, 1379 in Santo Domingo de la Calzada), better known as Henry of Trastámara also met in the town, in the chapel of San Benito de los Palacios Maestrales and in the church of Santa María de los Llanos, both of which no longer exist.
In the fifteenth century, the office of Master of the Order was incorporated into the
Crown of CastileThe Crown of Castile, as a historic entity, is usually considered to have begun in 1230 with the third and almost definitive union of the monarchies of kingdoms Castile and Toledo in one hand, and the kingdoms of Leon and Galicia in other hand, and with the union of their parliaments a few decades...
in 1487, but this did not harm the town. The Royal Governor now inhabited the Palaces formerly occupied by the Masters of the Order.
In 1493, Cardinal Cisneros ordered the construction of the Franciscan monastery of Santa María de los Llanos, annexed to the church of the same name, but this too has disappeared.
Due to the financial woes of Charles I of Spain, the German bankers of the
FuggerThe Fugger family was a historically prominent group of European bankers, members of the fifteenth and sixteenth-century mercantile patriciate of Augsburg, international mercantile bankers, and venture capitalists like the Welser and the Höchstetter families. This banking family replaced the...
family became beneficiaries of the mines at
AlmadénAlmadén, Spain, is a town and municipality in the province of Ciudad Real, within the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. The town is located at 4° 49' W and 38° 46' N and is 589 meters above sea level. Almadén is approximately 200 km south of Madrid in the Sierra Morena...
and Almagro. They brought with them to the city German administrators such as Wessel, Xedler, etc. Some of these Germans’ manor houses still survive.
16th and 17th centuries
The population grew during the 16th and 17th centuries, and the population expanded beyond the city walls, with the suburbs of San Pedro, Santiago, San Ildefonso, San Juan, San Sebastián, and San Lázaro being established during this time. The Claverian Fernando Fernández de Córdoba founded the monastery and educational institution of Nuestra Señora del Rosario. The knight commander don Gutierre de Padilla founded the Hospital de la Misericordia and the monastery of Asunción de Calatrava. The parish church of Madre de Dios, the convent of La Encarnación, business offices for the Fuggers, and a large number of manor houses were built during this time. Rebuilt during this time were the church of San Blas, the Main Square (Plaza), and the Town Hall. The crisis affecting Spain during the late 16th and early 17th centuries did not affect construction in Almagro; the Franciscans built during this time the Convent of Santa Catalina. The
AugustiniansThe Augustinians, named after Saint Augustine of Hippo , are several Christian monastic orders and congregations of both men and women living according to a guide to religious life known as the Rule of Saint Augustine...
, Jesuits, and Hospitalers established themselves here, and the followers of Juan Francisco Gaona y Portocarrero, Conde de Valdeparaíso, built his palace here.
Almagro flourished due to the patronage both of
Philip V of SpainPhilip V of Spain , fils de France and duc d'Anjou, was king of Spain from 1700 to 14 January 1724, when he abdicated in favor of his son, Louis I of Spain, and from 31 August 1724 to 1746, assuming the throne again upon his son's death. Philip was the first Bourbon king of Spain...
and of Juan Francisco Gaona y Portocarrero, Conde de Valdeparaíso, who served in Philip's government as head of the Exchequer.
The town was named provincial capital of
La ManchaLa Mancha is an arid, fertile, elevated plateau of central Spain, south of Madrid, stretching between the Montes de Toledo and the western spurs of the Cerros de Cuenca, and bounded on the south by the Sierra Morena and on the north by the La Alcarria region...
, a position it enjoyed from 1750 to 1761. The Conde de Valdeparaíso, unsuccessful in his attempts to permanently make Almagro an administrative center, promoted commerce, especially in textiles, encouraging the trade in appliqué lace and pillow lace (
encaje de bolillos).
The sale of church lands under
Charles III of SpainCharles III was the King of Spain and the Spanish Indies from 1759 to his death in 1788.Eldest son of Philip V of Spain and his second wife, Princess Elisabeth of Parma, he became the Duke of Parma and Piacenza under the name of Charles I ; later on in 1734 while Duke of Parma he conquered...
jeopardized the future of many church buildings in Almagro, and the university disappeared by the 19th century. The Order of Calatrava moved from the uncomfortable location of Castillo de Calatrava la Nueva to the Sacro Convento in Almagro proper, but did not remain permanently.
19th century
During the
Peninsular WarThe Peninsular War was a contest between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars...
, an active
BonapartistIn French political history, Bonapartism has two meanings. In a strict sense, this term refers to people who aimed to restore the French Empire under the House of Bonaparte, the Corsican family of Napoleon Bonaparte and his nephew Louis...
masonic lodgeA Masonic Lodge, often termed a Private Lodge or Constituent Lodge in Books of Constitutions, is the basic organisation of Freemasonry. Every new Lodge must be warranted by a Grand Lodge, but is subject to its direction only in enforcing the published Constitution of the jurisdiction...
was established in Almagro. The city suffered during the
Carlist WarsThe Carlist Wars in Spain were the last major European civil wars in which pretenders fought to establish their claim to a throne. Several times during the period from 1833 to 1876 the Carlists — followers of Infante Carlos and his descendants — rallied to the cry of "God, Country, and King" and...
and the sale of church lands by
Juan Álvarez MendizábalJuan Álvarez Mendizábal, born Juan Álvarez Méndez , was a Spanish economist and politician....
and
Pascual MadozPascual Madoz , Spanish politician, statistician, was born at Pamplona.In early life he was settled in Barcelona, as a writer and journalist. He joined the Progresista party formed during the First Carlist War, 1833-40...
. During the 19th century, the city faced competition from
Ciudad RealCiudad Real is a city in Castilla-La Mancha, Spain with a population of 73,124. It is the capital of the province of Ciudad Real. It has a stop on the AVE high-speed rail line and has begun to grow as a long-distance commuter suburb of Madrid. A high capacity airport has been built to serve...
and
Bolaños de CalatravaBolaños de Calatrava is a municipality in Ciudad Real, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. It has a population of 11,374....
. Almagro built a
Plaza de TorosBullfighting also known as tauromachy , is a traditional spectacle of Spain, Portugal, some cities in southern France and in several Latin American countries, in which one or more bulls are ritually killed in a bullring as a public spectacle...
(1845) from materials originally from the stone tower of the ancient parish church of San Bartolomé, which had been demolished in 1845. The bullfighter Cagancho would later compete in this stadium.
The telegraph (1858), railway (1860), and
electricityElectricity is a general term that encompasses a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge...
(1897) were introduced during this time. A general headquarters for the cavalry (1863) was established, as were a casino, coliseum, and theater (1864). In 1886, the city walls and gates were demolished.
Twentieth century
During the 1950s, the Corral de Comedias was discovered and restored. The Town Hall and Plaza Mayor were also restored. In 1972, Almagro was declared a Historical-Artistic Zone (Conjunto Histórico-Artístico). Numerous buildings were restored, including churches, palaces, houses, and hermitages. The Museo del Teatro (Theater Museum) was established in a spot near orchards and wine cellars; a special building was later built for it. Almagro became a center for the dramatic arts in the region, and the International Festival of Classical Theater (
Festival Internacional de Teatro Clásico) was put on here. Almagro is a candidate for becoming World Heritage Site.
Natives of Almagro
- Diego de Almagro
Diego de Almagro , also known as El Adelantado and El Viejo , was a Spanish conquistador and a companion and later rival of Francisco Pizarro...
, conquistador.
- Conde de Valdeparaíso, nobleman.
- Juan Frederic Geldre, writer.
- Fray Antonio de Lorea, writer.
- Vicente and Francisco Rujero, Carlist guerrillas known as “los Palillos.”
- Federico Galiano y Ortega, historian
Local monuments and sights
- Plaza Mayor.
- Manor houses
- Corral de Comedias
- Palaces:
- Palacio de los Marqueses de Torremejía
- Palacio de los Condes de Valdeparaíso
- Palacio de los Medrano
- Palacio de los Fúcares is a misnomer; it is actually an ancient warehouse built by the Fugger Family (Fúcares)
Churches and convents
- Convento del Santísimo Sacramento
- Iglesia de la Madre de Dios
- Convento de Santa Catalina
- Convento de la Encarnación
- Convento de la Asunción de Calatrava
- Iglesia de San Bartolomé
External links
Página de Almagro Página con información sobre la actualidad almagreña Visitas Guiadas a Almagro y diversas actividades en el entorno Información, Guía, Donde Alojarse, Donde Comer y toda la Actualidad de Almagro y El Campo de Calatrava Página del Museo Etnográfico Campo de Calatrava