Bellver Castle
Encyclopedia
Bellver Castle is a Gothic
style castle
on a hill 3 km northwest of Palma on the Island of Majorca, Balearic Islands
, Spain
. It was built in the 14th century for King James II of Majorca
, and is one of the few circular castles in Europe. Long used as a military prison
throughout the 18th to mid-20th century, it is now under civilian control, being one of the main tourist attractions of the island, as well as the seat for the city's History Museum.
, which is also circular and has as well a large principal tower and three minor towers. The minor towers are attached while the principal one is coupled to the complex by a high bridge over the surrounding moat
.
The main part of the fortification was built by architect Pere Salvà, who also worked in the construction of the Royal Palace of La Almudaina
, together with other master masons between 1300 and 1311 for king James II of Aragon and Majorca. Rock from the hill where the castle sits was used for the building, which has eventually led to the appareance of cracks.
Once the castle had been built, and following the introduction of artillery, the battlements on the top balconies and the barbican
disappeared, being soon followed by those in every tower, and loopholes were built instead.
s during the Middle Ages
, the first of them in 1343, during Peter IV of Aragon
's campaign to reincorporate the Majorcan territories to the Crown of Aragon
, and then again in 1391 during an anti-semitic peasant
revolt. The castle has only fallen once into enemy hands in its history, in 1521 after an assault during the Majorcan seconds Revolt of the Brotherhoods.
The castle was usually governed by a Lord Warden
. In 1408, King Martin I of Aragon
gave the lordship of Bellver to the Charterhouse of Jesus of Nazareth in Valldemossa
. Charles of Viana
arrived in 1459 to take possession of both the island and the castle, as he had agreed with his father King John II of Aragon
, even though finally the king granted not the lordship nor the Bellver Castle.
Being an enclosed site, since the end of the 14th century it was used as a prison, firstly to lock queen Violant of Mallorca, her children James and Isabella and other supporters of King James III of Mallorca after his death in the Battle of Llucmajor
in 1349. During the War of Spanish Succession it was used to imprison first supporters of Phillippe d'Anjou
, and after the Bourbon
victory, Maulets (supporters of the Habsburg
pretender). During the Spanish Independence War it was used to hold several prisoners captured at the battle of Bailén
and later, political prisoners, the most famous of these being the minister Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos
(1802–1808) who first made a description of the castle and commissioned the first blueprints and drawings of it. The prison served from then on as a political prison, used to lock up several important supporters of the subsequent Habsburg pretendants to the Spanish Throne during the 19th century, and later notable republican and Catalanist leaders during the 20th century, including Alexandre Jaume, Member of the Parliament who first won the castle for the city, and Emili Darder, who was the mayor of the city, both fusilated later.
. Both its surrounding wall and the inner yard are circular, and so are the three minor towers and the donjon. A moat is found surrounding the castle and its donjon.
The circular inner yard must be highlighted. It has a well in the middle of it, which indicates there is a cistern underneath. The palace itself is structured as a two-story building around the central yard. All its dependencies face this yard through a gallery of gothic semi-circular archs.
The surrounding forest encloses the stables of the city's Mounted Police. There is also a chapell dedicated to SaintAlphonsus Rodriguez
, built between 1879 and 1885.
The Sunday following Easter Sunday, the citizens gather at the forest and the castle for the celebration of the Diumenge de l'Àngel.
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
style castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
on a hill 3 km northwest of Palma on the Island of Majorca, Balearic Islands
Balearic Islands
The Balearic Islands are an archipelago of Spain in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula.The four largest islands are: Majorca, Minorca, Ibiza and Formentera. The archipelago forms an autonomous community and a province of Spain with Palma as the capital...
, 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...
. It was built in the 14th century for King James II of Majorca
James II of Majorca
James II was King of Majorca and Lord of Montpellier from 1276 until his death. He was the second son of James I of Aragon and his wife Violant, daughter of Andrew II of Hungary...
, and is one of the few circular castles in Europe. Long used as a military prison
Military prison
A military prison is a prison operated by the military. Military prisons are used variously to house prisoners of war, enemy combatants, those whose freedom is deemed a national security risk by the military or national authorities, and members of the military found guilty of a serious crime...
throughout the 18th to mid-20th century, it is now under civilian control, being one of the main tourist attractions of the island, as well as the seat for the city's History Museum.
Origins and Evolution
The castle's plan, circular floor with circular towers attached to it seems to have been inspired by the upper complex of the Herodion in the West BankWest Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
, which is also circular and has as well a large principal tower and three minor towers. The minor towers are attached while the principal one is coupled to the complex by a high bridge over the surrounding moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
.
The main part of the fortification was built by architect Pere Salvà, who also worked in the construction of the Royal Palace of La Almudaina
Royal Palace of La Almudaina
The Royal Palace of La Almudaina is the Alcázar of Palma, the capital city of the Island of Majorca, Spain. It is the royal summer official residence and administered by the Patrimonio Nacional.- External links :*...
, together with other master masons between 1300 and 1311 for king James II of Aragon and Majorca. Rock from the hill where the castle sits was used for the building, which has eventually led to the appareance of cracks.
Once the castle had been built, and following the introduction of artillery, the battlements on the top balconies and the barbican
Barbican
A barbican, from medieval Latin barbecana, signifying the "outer fortification of a city or castle," with cognates in the Romance languages A barbican, from medieval Latin barbecana, signifying the "outer fortification of a city or castle," with cognates in the Romance languages A barbican, from...
disappeared, being soon followed by those in every tower, and loopholes were built instead.
History
The castle originally served as a residence for the Kings of Mallorca whenever they were not staying at mainland Europe, and was seldom used as a residence again for viceroys during the 17th century. As a fortification, it suffered and successfully resisted two siegeSiege
A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit". Generally speaking, siege warfare is a form of constant, low intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static...
s during the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, the first of them in 1343, during Peter IV of Aragon
Peter IV of Aragon
Peter IV, , called el Cerimoniós or el del punyalet , was the King of Aragon, King of Sardinia and Corsica , King of Valencia , and Count of Barcelona Peter IV, (Balaguer, September 5, 1319 – Barcelona, January 6, 1387), called el Cerimoniós ("the Ceremonious") or el del punyalet ("the one...
's campaign to reincorporate the Majorcan territories to the Crown of Aragon
Crown of Aragon
The Crown of Aragon Corona d'Aragón Corona d'Aragó Corona Aragonum controlling a large portion of the present-day eastern Spain and southeastern France, as well as some of the major islands and mainland possessions stretching across the Mediterranean as far as Greece...
, and then again in 1391 during an anti-semitic peasant
Peasant
A peasant is an agricultural worker who generally tend to be poor and homeless-Etymology:The word is derived from 15th century French païsant meaning one from the pays, or countryside, ultimately from the Latin pagus, or outlying administrative district.- Position in society :Peasants typically...
revolt. The castle has only fallen once into enemy hands in its history, in 1521 after an assault during the Majorcan seconds Revolt of the Brotherhoods.
The castle was usually governed by a Lord Warden
Warden
Warden may refer to:Officers: having care or custody of some institution; the word is related to guardian.* Warden , head of some University colleges and academic institutions...
. In 1408, King Martin I of Aragon
Martin I of Aragon
Martin of Aragon , called the Elder, the Humane, the Ecclesiastic, was the King of Aragon, Valencia, Sardinia, and Corsica and Count of Barcelona from 1396 and King of Sicily from 1409...
gave the lordship of Bellver to the Charterhouse of Jesus of Nazareth in Valldemossa
Valldemossa
Valldemossa or Valldemosa is a village and municipality on the island of Majorca, part of the Spanish autonomous community of the Balearic Islands....
. Charles of Viana
Charles of Viana
Charles, Prince of Viana , sometimes called Charles IV of Navarre, was the son of King John II of Aragon and Queen Blanche I of Navarre.- Background :...
arrived in 1459 to take possession of both the island and the castle, as he had agreed with his father King John II of Aragon
John II of Aragon
John II the Faithless, also known as the Great was the King of Aragon from 1458 until 1479, and jure uxoris King of Navarre from 1425 until his death. He was the son of Ferdinand I and his wife Eleanor of Alburquerque...
, even though finally the king granted not the lordship nor the Bellver Castle.
Being an enclosed site, since the end of the 14th century it was used as a prison, firstly to lock queen Violant of Mallorca, her children James and Isabella and other supporters of King James III of Mallorca after his death in the Battle of Llucmajor
Battle of Llucmajor
The Battle of Llucmajor occurred in 1349 when Peter IV of Aragon's forces defeated and killed his cousin James III of Majorca in the town of Llucmajor on the Balearic Islands, resulting in the end of the independent Kingdom of Majorca.-References:...
in 1349. During the War of Spanish Succession it was used to imprison first supporters of Phillippe d'Anjou
Philip V of Spain
Philip V was King of Spain from 15 November 1700 to 15 January 1724, when he abdicated in favor of his son Louis, and from 6 September 1724, when he assumed the throne again upon his son's death, to his death.Before his reign, Philip occupied an exalted place in the royal family of France as a...
, and after the Bourbon
House of Bourbon
The House of Bourbon is a European royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty . Bourbon kings first ruled Navarre and France in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Bourbon dynasty also held thrones in Spain, Naples, Sicily, and Parma...
victory, Maulets (supporters of the Habsburg
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...
pretender). During the Spanish Independence War it was used to hold several prisoners captured at the battle of Bailén
Battle of Bailén
The Battle of Bailén was contested in 1808 between the Spanish Army of Andalusia, led by Generals Francisco Castaños and Theodor von Reding, and the Imperial French Army's II corps d'observation de la Gironde under General Pierre Dupont de l'Étang...
and later, political prisoners, the most famous of these being the minister Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos
Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos
Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos was an Asturian-born Spanish neoclassical statesman, author, philosopher and a major figure of the Age of Enlightenment in Spain.-Life:...
(1802–1808) who first made a description of the castle and commissioned the first blueprints and drawings of it. The prison served from then on as a political prison, used to lock up several important supporters of the subsequent Habsburg pretendants to the Spanish Throne during the 19th century, and later notable republican and Catalanist leaders during the 20th century, including Alexandre Jaume, Member of the Parliament who first won the castle for the city, and Emili Darder, who was the mayor of the city, both fusilated later.
Features
Having been built as a seat for the royal court of James II of Mallorca, its structure combines the needs of a palace with defensive elements. The most noted feature in its structure is its circular shape, unique in SpainSpain
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...
. Both its surrounding wall and the inner yard are circular, and so are the three minor towers and the donjon. A moat is found surrounding the castle and its donjon.
The circular inner yard must be highlighted. It has a well in the middle of it, which indicates there is a cistern underneath. The palace itself is structured as a two-story building around the central yard. All its dependencies face this yard through a gallery of gothic semi-circular archs.
Current uses
In 1931, the Spanish Second Republic gave the castle to the city of Palma, along with the forest surrounding it. It became a museum in 1932, being restored in 1976 to become the city's History museum. Thanks to the parking lot and road built next to the castle it currently welcomes a great number of visitors. The main yard is seat to many different public acts, such as protocollary and cultural acts, and concerts. Due to its location and visibility from the sea or any other point of the city, it has become one the city's symbols.The surrounding forest encloses the stables of the city's Mounted Police. There is also a chapell dedicated to SaintAlphonsus Rodriguez
Alphonsus Rodriguez
Saint Alphonsus Rodríguez was a Spanish Jesuit lay brother, now venerated as a saint. He was a native of Segovia. He is sometimes confused with Fr...
, built between 1879 and 1885.
The Sunday following Easter Sunday, the citizens gather at the forest and the castle for the celebration of the Diumenge de l'Àngel.
