Under the reign of Fernando II (1157-1188) and Alfonso IX (1188-1230) a project was carried out to repopulate the cities. The creation of new villas was promoted, which were erected, in many cases, on ancient fortifications and forts. In 1167 the repopulation of the town of Benavente began, where there was a primitive castle (González, 1998). This fortress had been used for defensive purposes, however, in 1398 Henry III gave the county of Benavente to Juan Alfonso Pimentel, and from that moment on it was used as a residence. With Rodrigo Alfonso Pimentel the first reforms were undertaken, which continued with Alfonso Pimentel. Subsequently, the IV and V counts transformed the castle into a palatial fortress between the XV-XVI centuries. Finally, the castle suffered a fire in 1809 and was progressively dismantled during the 19th and 20th centuries (Regueras, 1998).
Bibliography
GONZÁLEZ, Rafael (1998): "La fortificación de Benavente durante la Edad Media", en El Castillo de Benavente, Centro de Estudios Benaventanos, Benavente, pp. 15-47.
REGUERAS, Fernando (1998): "El Alcázar durante el Antiguo Régimen", en El Castillo de Benavente, Centro de Estudios Benaventanos, Benavente, pp. 59-85.
Read more
1 result
Owned this work in the past [ca. 1611 - pre. 1653]