Castle of Baños de la Encina

The impressive silhouette of the castle of Bury al-Hamma dominates the rural landscape of the town of Baños de la Encina and evidences, already from afar, the beauty of its intricate urbanism and the richness of its cultural heritage. It was ordered to be built by the Cordovan caliph Alhaken II and completed in the year 357 of the hegira (968 AD) and is today the best preserved fortified complex of the Almohad period, at the same time it is one of the best preserved Muslim castles in Spain. The castle was conquered by Alfonso VII in 1147, although, after his death, it returned to Muslim hands. Again, in 1189, the fortress of Baños de la Encina would be taken, although also ephemerally, by the troops of Alfonso VIII of Castile and Alfonso IX of León. After being definitively taken by Fernando III of Castile, in 1225, there is a tradition or rather legend, that while Queen Berenguela was in the castle of Baños de la Encina, in 1189, she gave birth there to her firstborn son Fernando, later known as Fernando III the Saint. Fernando III integrates the town of Baños de la Encina in the jurisdiction of the city of Baeza, of which it will depend until 1626, date in which Baños de la Encina obtains the condition of town. Previously, the castle belonged to the Archbishop of Toledo and the Order of Santiago. In 1458, Enrique IV gave it in lordship to the Condestable Lucas de Iranzo. It was declared a National Historic-Artistic Monument in 1931 and is included in the general catalog of Andalusian historical heritage, also since 1969 has the privilege of honoring in its keep the blue flag crowned with stars of the Council of Europe, a privilege granted on the occasion of the celebration of the millennium of the construction of the castle.