Alaejos
Encyclopedia
Alaejos is a municipality located in the province of Valladolid
, Castile and León
, Spain
. According to the 2004 census
(INE
), the municipality has a population of 1,627 inhabitants.
. Its name around the 12th and 13th century was Falafeios. One theory says that it might have been founded by the Castilian monarchs as a hamlet in the reconquered territories during the Reconquista
.
By the mid 14th century, the village had been sold to Medina del Campo
by Diego Fernández de Medina. It was a jurisdictional dominion by the Bishop of Ávila, Alfonso de Fonseca, until the 19th century.
During the 15th century, Doña Juana de Portugal (Enrique IV's wife) was imprisoned in the castle of Alaejos. In 1520, the comuneros destroyed a large part of the town. In 1595 it joined Valladolid
's Bishopric, even though it kept being part of the Province of Segovia.
By year 1785, the Royal Economical Society of Charity (Real Sociedad Caritativo Económica) was founded in the town as a part of the spirit of the Age of Enlightenment
, which promoted several and very advanced economic, social and educational activities for the childhood and the youth of the town.
The town was declared Conjunto Histórico-Artístico
(the equivalent to Heritage Preservation) in 1980.
of the capital of New Zealand
, Wellington
.
Valladolid (province)
Valladolid is a province of central/northwest Spain, in the central part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is bordered by the provinces of Zamora, León, Palencia, Burgos, Segovia, Ávila, and Salamanca....
, Castile and León
Castile and León
Castile and León is an autonomous community in north-western Spain. It was so constituted in 1983 and it comprises the historical regions of León and Old Castile...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. According to the 2004 census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
(INE
Instituto Nacional de Estadística (Spain)
The National Institute of Statistics is the official organisation in Spain that collects statistics about demography, economy, and Spanish society. Every 10 years, this organisation conducts a national census. The last census took place in 2001....
), the municipality has a population of 1,627 inhabitants.
History
Even though the origins of the town remain uncertain, it is known that it was part of the old province of ToroToro, Zamora
Toro is a town and municipality in the province of Zamora, part of the autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. It is located on a fertile high plain, northwest of Madrid at an elevation of 740 meters....
. Its name around the 12th and 13th century was Falafeios. One theory says that it might have been founded by the Castilian monarchs as a hamlet in the reconquered territories during the Reconquista
Reconquista
The Reconquista was a period of almost 800 years in the Middle Ages during which several Christian kingdoms succeeded in retaking the Muslim-controlled areas of the Iberian Peninsula broadly known as Al-Andalus...
.
By the mid 14th century, the village had been sold to Medina del Campo
Medina del Campo
Medina del Campo is a town located in the middle of the Spanish Meseta Central, in the province of Valladolid, Castile-Leon autonomous region, 45 km from Valladolid. It is the capital of a farming area, far away from the great economic centres.-History:...
by Diego Fernández de Medina. It was a jurisdictional dominion by the Bishop of Ávila, Alfonso de Fonseca, until the 19th century.
During the 15th century, Doña Juana de Portugal (Enrique IV's wife) was imprisoned in the castle of Alaejos. In 1520, the comuneros destroyed a large part of the town. In 1595 it joined Valladolid
Valladolid
Valladolid is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales...
's Bishopric, even though it kept being part of the Province of Segovia.
By year 1785, the Royal Economical Society of Charity (Real Sociedad Caritativo Económica) was founded in the town as a part of the spirit of the Age of Enlightenment
Age of Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment was an elite cultural movement of intellectuals in 18th century Europe that sought to mobilize the power of reason in order to reform society and advance knowledge. It promoted intellectual interchange and opposed intolerance and abuses in church and state...
, which promoted several and very advanced economic, social and educational activities for the childhood and the youth of the town.
The town was declared Conjunto Histórico-Artístico
Conjunto Histórico-Artístico
In Spain, the legal designation Conjunto histórico is part of the national system of heritage listing...
(the equivalent to Heritage Preservation) in 1980.
Trivia
Alaejos is the antipodeAntipodes
In geography, the antipodes of any place on Earth is the point on the Earth's surface which is diametrically opposite to it. Two points that are antipodal to one another are connected by a straight line running through the centre of the Earth....
of the capital of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
.