Castle of Jativa
Encyclopedia
Castle of Xàtiva is a castle located in the city of Xàtiva
near Valencia
, Spain
. It is strategically located on the ancient roadway Via Augusta
leading from Rome
across the Pyrenees
and down the Mediterranean coast to Cartagena
and Cádiz
.
In 1092, the castle fell into the occupation of the Almoravids
Dynasty who were expelled in an uprising that took place in 1145. During this uprising, the castle was besieged by the Governor of Valencia, Marwan Abd-al-Aziz. In 1171, the Castle finally fell, along with the rest of the Levante coast, into the hands of the Almohades.
King James I of Aragon
began his crusade there in the summer of 1239 finally capturing Xátiva on 22 May 1244 following a five month siege. After submitting to the Christian monarch and signing the Treaty of Jativa
the Moors
handed over the smaller nearby Castle to James I, while they were allowed to continue occupying the larger castle for another two years based on the terms of the treaty.
After the 2 years had elapsed King James I of Aragon
repopulated a large part of the town with Catalan
and Aragon
ese settlers.
Xàtiva
Xàtiva is a town in eastern Spain, in the province of Valencia, on the right bank of the river Albaida and at the junction of the Valencia–Murcia and Valencia Albacete railways....
near Valencia
Valencia (city in Spain)
Valencia or València is the capital and most populous city of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third largest city in Spain, with a population of 809,267 in 2010. It is the 15th-most populous municipality in the European Union...
, 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 is strategically located on the ancient roadway Via Augusta
Via Augusta
Via Augusta was a Roman road crossing all the Hispania Province, from Cádiz in the southern tip of current Spain, to the Coll de Panissars, where it crossed the Pyrenees close to the Mediterranean Sea, and joined the Via Domitia...
leading from Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
across the Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
and down the Mediterranean coast to Cartagena
Cartagena, Spain
Cartagena is a Spanish city and a major naval station located in the Region of Murcia, by the Mediterranean coast, south-eastern Spain. As of January 2011, it has a population of 218,210 inhabitants being the Region’s second largest municipality and the country’s 6th non-Province capital...
and Cádiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
.
In 1092, the castle fell into the occupation of the Almoravids
Almoravids
The Almoravids were a Berber dynasty of Morocco, who formed an empire in the 11th-century that stretched over the western Maghreb and Al-Andalus. Their capital was Marrakesh, a city which they founded in 1062 C.E...
Dynasty who were expelled in an uprising that took place in 1145. During this uprising, the castle was besieged by the Governor of Valencia, Marwan Abd-al-Aziz. In 1171, the Castle finally fell, along with the rest of the Levante coast, into the hands of the Almohades.
King James I of Aragon
James I of Aragon
James I the Conqueror was the King of Aragon, Count of Barcelona, and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1276...
began his crusade there in the summer of 1239 finally capturing Xátiva on 22 May 1244 following a five month siege. After submitting to the Christian monarch and signing the Treaty of Jativa
Treaty of Jativa
Treaty of Xàtiva was signed in 1244 between the Christian King Jaime I of Aragon and the Muslim commander Abu Bakr in Xàtiva in the Iberian Peninsula. The treaty lays out generous terms of surrender to the Moors where they are allowed to hold on the Castle of Xàtiva for a period of two years before...
the Moors
Moors
The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of the Maghreb region who are predominately of Berber and Arab descent. They came to conquer and rule the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 800 years. At that time they were Muslim, although earlier the people had followed...
handed over the smaller nearby Castle to James I, while they were allowed to continue occupying the larger castle for another two years based on the terms of the treaty.
After the 2 years had elapsed King James I of Aragon
James I of Aragon
James I the Conqueror was the King of Aragon, Count of Barcelona, and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1276...
repopulated a large part of the town with Catalan
Catalan people
The Catalans or Catalonians are the people from, or with origins in, Catalonia that form a historical nationality in Spain. The inhabitants of the adjacent portion of southern France are sometimes included in this definition...
and Aragon
Aragon
Aragon is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces : Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza...
ese settlers.