Escalona is a municipality located in the north of the province of Toledo, which in turn is part of the

autonomous community The autonomous communities () are the first-level administrative divisions of Spain, created in accordance with the Spanish Constitution of 1978, with the aim of guaranteeing limited autonomy to the nationalities and regions that make up Sp ...

of Castile-La Mancha, Spain. According to the 2017 census ( INE), the municipality has a population of 3,240 inhabitants, many of whom live in the several

housing estates A housing estate (or sometimes housing complex, housing development, subdivision or community) is a group of homes and other buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country. Popular through ...

outside the town itself. The town lies 30 metres above the right bank of the river

Alberche The Alberche is a river in the provinces of Ávila, Madrid and Toledo, central Spain. It begins its course at 1,800 m in Fuente Alberche, San Martín de la Vega del Alberche municipal term, Ávila Province. It forms the natural division betwee ...

, in the

comarca A ''comarca'' (, , , ) is a traditional region or local administrative division found in Portugal, Spain, and some of their former colonies, like Brazil, Nicaragua, and Panama. The term is derived from the term ''marca'', meaning a "march, mark ...

of Torrijos, which is a part of the historical region of New Castile.

History

Escalona's strategic location, on the Alberche river and between Avila and Toledo, suggests there may have been a fortress there in Roman times or during the

Visigoth The Visigoths (; ) were a Germanic people united under the rule of a king and living within the Roman Empire during late antiquity. The Visigoths first appeared in the Balkans, as a Roman-allied barbarian military group united under the comman ...

period. Following the conquest of Toledo (1085), by

Alfonso VI of León and Castile Alfonso VI (1 July 1109), nicknamed the Brave (''El Bravo'') or the Valiant, was king of Kingdom of León, León (10651109), Kingdom of Galicia, Galicia (10711109), and Kingdom of Castile, Castile (10721109). After the conquest of Toledo, Spai ...

, it was a key defensive point against raids by the Almoravides and

Almohades The Almohad Caliphate (; or or from ) or Almohad Empire was a North African Berber Muslim empire founded in the 12th century. At its height, it controlled much of the Iberian Peninsula (Al-Andalus) and North Africa (the Maghreb). The Almohad ...

that attacked the place in 1131, 1137 and, again, in 1196. The

Mudéjar Mudéjar were Muslims who remained in Iberia in the late medieval period following the Christian reconquest. It is also a term for Mudéjar art, which was greatly influenced by Islamic art, but produced typically by Christian craftsmen for C ...

-style Castle of Escalona, built in the 15th century, Sureda Pons, Joan, ed. (1998)
''España Gótica: Castilla-La Mancha'', pp. 142-5. Ediciones Encuentro.
ISBN 8474905095. ''Google Books''. Retrieved 15 March 2023. is the most characteristic building of the town. Historically, there was a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

community in Esacalona, dating to before the Christian conquest in 1083, but remained in the town after it. The rights of the Jews in Escalona were established by the town's municipal charter, granting them equal status with Christians and

Moors The term Moor is an Endonym and exonym, exonym used in European languages to designate the Muslims, Muslim populations of North Africa (the Maghreb) and the Iberian Peninsula (particularly al-Andalus) during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a s ...

. A

Jewish quarter Jewish Quarter may refer to: *Jewish quarter (diaspora), areas of many cities and towns traditionally inhabited by Jews *Jewish Quarter (Jerusalem), one of the four traditional quarters of the Old City of Jerusalem *Jewish Quarter (), a popular name ...

existed from 1477 to 1489; in 1483, the Muslim

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

was included in the Jewish quarter.

Isaac Abarbanel Isaac ben Judah Abarbanel (;‎ 1437–1508), commonly referred to as Abarbanel (; also spelled Abravanel, Avravanel or Abrabanel), was a Portuguese Jewish politician, statesman, philosophy, philosopher, Rabbinic commentaries, Bible commentator ...

had business interests in Escalona. The community continued to exist until the 1492 expulsion of the Jews.

Demographics

Twin towns

* Villena, Spain * Peñafiel, Spain

Notable people

* Jerónimo de Cevallos (1560–1641), jurist. He was the subject of

El Greco Doménikos Theotokópoulos (, ; 1 October 1541 7 April 1614), most widely known as El Greco (; "The Greek"), was a Greek painter, sculptor and architect of the Spanish Renaissance, regarded as one of the greatest artists of all time. ...

's '' Portrait of Jerónimo de Cevallos'' (1613) *

Dukes of Escalona Duke of Escalona () is a hereditary title in the Spanish nobility, peerage of Spain, accompanied by the dignity of Grandee and granted in 1472 by Henry IV of Castile, Henry IV to Juan Pacheco, 1st Marquess of Villena. The title refers to the vi ...

Juan Manuel Don (honorific), Don Juan Manuel (5 May 128213 June 1348) was a Spanish medieval writer, nephew of Alfonso X of Castile, son of Manuel of Castile and Beatrice of Savoy (died 1292), Beatrice of Savoy. He inherited from his father the great Lordshi ...

(1282–1348), writer * Esteban de Aguilar y Zúñiga, theologian

References

External links

Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE) websiteOfficial website of the Diputación Provincial de Toledo

Municipalities in the Province of Toledo {{CastileLaMancha-geo-stub