Sepúlveda is a municipality located in the

province of Segovia Segovia () is a province of central/northern Spain, in the southern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is bordered by the province of Burgos in the north, Soria in the northeast, Guadalajara in the east, Madrid in the sou ...

Castile and León Castile and León ( es, Castilla y León ; ast-leo, Castiella y Llión ; gl, Castela e León ) is an autonomous community in northwestern Spain. It was created in 1983, eight years after the end of the Francoist regime, by the merging of th ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

. The town lies next to the Hoces del Rio Duratón National Park and also incorporates the district of Duratón. The town of Sepúlveda is first mentioned in the

Chronicle of Alfonso III The ''Chronicle of Alfonso III'' ( la, Chronica Adefonsi tertii regis) is a chronicle composed in the early tenth century on the order of King Alfonso III of León with the goal of showing the continuity between Visigothic Spain and the later Chris ...

. They referred to their depopulation as a result of the raids of Alfonso I. In the year 940 is charged to

Fernán González of Castile Fernán González (died 970) was the first autonomous count of Castile. Fernán González was a colourful character of legendary status in Iberia, and founder of the dynasty that would rule a semi-autonomous Castile, laying the foundations for it ...

, which stabilizes restocking a Christian area beyond the Duero River. There is a legend which tells the struggle of Fernan Gonzalez and Mayor Abubad Muslim. This legend is reflected on the facade of the "Casa del Moro". Fernan González gave Sepulveda a charter to assist in their recruitment. In 1111, Sepulveda lands came the

Battle of Candespina The Battle of Candespina was fought on 26 October 1110 or 1111 between the forces of Alfonso I of Aragon and those of his estranged wife, Urraca of León and Castile, in the Campo de la Espina near Sepúlveda. Alfonso was victorious, as he would b ...

, in which

Alfonso I of Aragon Alfonso I (''c''. 1073/10747 September 1134), called the Battler or the Warrior ( es, el Batallador), was King of Aragon and Navarre from 1104 until his death in 1134. He was the second son of King Sancho Ramírez and successor of his brother Pe ...

and Count Henry of Portugal fought and defeated

Urraca of León and Castile Urraca (also spelled ''Hurraca'', ''Urracha'' and ''Hurracka'' in medieval Latin) is a female first name. In Spanish, the name means magpie, derived perhaps from Latin ''furax'', meaning "thievish", in reference to the magpie's tendency to coll ...

. This victory resulted in the independence of Portugal. During the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spai ...

, Sepúlveda witnessed the only battle in which Napoleon's Imperial Guard fought. This action is settled with a failure for the French that fail to destroy the Spanish forces, first withdraw to Sepúlveda and then, undisturbed, for Segovia. The action was a delay to the

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

's advance towards

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

before the Battle of Somosierra. Sepúlveda was besieged by French troops on its territory and

Juan Martín Díez Juan Martín Díez, nicknamed El Empecinado ( es, the Undaunted), (5 September 1775 – 20 August 1825) was a Spanish military leader and guerrilla fighter, who fought in the Peninsular War. On October 8, 1808, the privilege of using the nam ...

(which was based in the caves of Duratón River Canyon) acted. A popular town within the province of Segovia to visit for cultural and gastronomic pursuits, a number of traditional restaurants serve roasted cordero and cochinillo.

References

External links

Municipalities in the Province of Segovia {{Segovia-geo-stub