El Cid’s Castle (Almonacid)

Almonacid Castle

With family in town for the past week and a half, we have had the opportunity to see much of the city and also to travel outside of Madrid for several new adventures.  One of these new adventures took us south of Toledo, roughly an hour and a half from Madrid, to the small town of Almonacid.  Almonacid is not a town you will come across in any of the major tour books.  The only reason we even knew of its existence was a small entry at the back of a guide on the city of Toledo.  It was listed as an entry for a Castle Route looping through Castile-La Mancha.

Village of Almonacid

            At first glance it should come as no surprise that this town of only 813 inhabitants fails to make any best of lists.  It is a run of the mill small Spanish town with few restaurants and no famous historical events to its credit.  The one outstanding characteristic of Almonacid is the ruins of its castle high on a ridge overlooking the town. 

Almonacid Castle (Taken just outside the outer wall)

            The Almonacid castle is an imposing structure of dark stone.  Its claim to fame was that it was once a favorite residence of Spain’s greatest military commander, El Cid.  El Cid was born Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar in a small village about six miles north of Burgos in Spain.  He first earned acclaim fighting under Sancho II.  This continued until the leader’s untimely assassination.  After his death Sancho’s brother, Alfonso VI, assumed the throne.  El Cid and Alfonso immediately clashed after the commander was part of a group that demanded that Alfonso swear an oath saying that he had nothing to do with his brother’s murder.  Rumor had circulated through the court that Alfonso had a part in the killing. 

            Even with the rocky start, El Cid acted as Alfonso’s military commander for the next seven years until the two had another falling out.  This time the dispute arose after El Cid carried out a successful, albeit an unauthorized, raid into Granada.  This appears to have been the final straw for the king.  On May 8, 1080, Alfonso VI exiled El Cid.  He then travelled through Spain as an exile before eventually settling in the Moorish City of Zaragoza.   At Zaragoza, El Cid’s talent was recognized by his former enemies and he was put into their service as a military leader.  In this position he led a Moorish army against the Christian forces of Spain winning a number of battles.

            Desperate and without another choice King Alfonso VI recalled his exiled commander allowing him almost complete freedom in leading his new army which was made up of both Christians and Moors.  With this new army, El Cid  conquered the Mediterranean city of Valencia.  Unfortunately for El Cid his victories couldn’t last forever.  After three relatively peaceful years in Valencia, he was killed by an arrow after the city fell under siege.  After his death, his wife  escaped the city with his body.  It was buried at the monastery of San Pedro de Cardeña in Castille.  Later the body was moved and placed at the center of Burgos Cathedral.

            After arriving in Almonacid, we spent the first twenty minutes just trying to find a way up to the castle.  What we eventually learned was that the castle is only accessible by foot.  There are two paths winding their way to the top of the ridge.  The easier of the two is a meandering path that switches back and forth taking probably a half an hour on foot to reach the castle.  The other option was a very steep path straight up to the castle taking only ten to fifteen minutes.  This path though is not for the weak of heart.  It was steep enough that even though I elected to go up that way, I wasn’t about to go down on the same path for fear of falling.

            Because it was late afternoon when we arrived at the castle, I was the only one that elected to make the hike to the top.  It was probably one of the best decisions I’ve made since arriving in Spain.  What I found in the castle ruins was a unique, genuine experience with Spanish history.   It’s something I’ll carry with me as a memory of this experience for the rest of my life.

View from the back side of the castle

            Arriving at the top of the ridge and at the base of the castle wall, I was greeted with beautiful panoramic views of the town and the surrounding countryside. It was also apparent from up close that the state of castle was poor.  Although the walls were largely intact, there were several large holes providing access to the inner wall and eventually the keep.

            After making a circle of the exterior wall, I entered through a gap and walked around the inner wall.  The inner wall was fascinating because of the insight it provided into the castles defenses.  Between the inner and outer walls were small indentations with room for archers to keep attackers at bay.

Small protected areas for the archers.

            From the inner wall I was able to find my way into the courtyard and eventually the castle keep. To my surprise, the keep was intact and open.  It was quite an experience to stand inside the central tower, looking up at the remains of its stone roof and imagining the history that took place there.

Castle Keep (taken from the courtyard)

            Later, to my surprise, I was joined by my five year old, Benjamin, and my father-in-Law Greg.  I was pleased to show them the castle and share the experience.  That said, I’m glad that I spent some time in the ruins alone.  It provided me with an experience I’ll always treasure.

Castle Walls from the inside looking out.

View from the base of the outer wall.