Qualla: Castle of Alarcon https://qualla.com/castle-of-alarcon en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:18 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/e/z/n/8/castle-of-alarcon-wp/hero-small.webp Qualla: Castle of Alarcon https://qualla.com/castle-of-alarcon Castle of Alarcon: Introduction https://qualla.com/castle-of-alarcon/ Photo credit AnTeMi, CC BY-SA 3.0. Nine months. That is how long Fernan Martinez de Ceballos besieged the Castle of Alarcon in 1184 before its Moorish defenders finally surrendered to the forces of Alfonso VIII of Castile. As a reward, Ceballos was granted the extraordinary privilege of taking the town's name as his own, becoming Martinez de Alarcon and founding a lineage that would echo through centuries of Spanish history. The castle itself, perched on a limestone promontory nearly encircled by the gorge of the Jucar River, had already been standing for centuries by then. Today, you can sleep in it.

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Image: AnTeMi | CC BY-SA 3.0

]]> Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/e/z/n/8/castle-of-alarcon-wp/ezn8-castle-of-alarcon-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Castle of Alarcon: From Emirate to Kingdom https://qualla.com/castle-of-alarcon/ Photo credit HJPD, CC BY-SA 3.0. The castle's origins are Arab, built when the fortress fell under the jurisdiction of the Emirate of Cordoba. As the Caliphate fragmented into competing taifa kingdoms, Alarcon passed to the Taifa of Toledo, serving as a defensive stronghold during the internal conflicts that wea...

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Image: HJPD | CC BY-SA 3.0

]]> Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/e/z/n/8/castle-of-alarcon-wp/ezn8-castle-of-alarcon-from-emirate-to-kingdom.mp3 0:06 2 full Castle of Alarcon: A Prize Passed Between Princes https://qualla.com/castle-of-alarcon/ Photo credit Jose Luis Filpo Cabana, CC BY 3.0. Few castles in Spain changed hands as frequently as Alarcon, though most of those transfers happened through royal decree rather than combat. Ferdinand IV gave it to Juan Manuel, Prince of Villena, in 1305, and the literary prince wrote some of his famous works within its walls. ...

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Image: Jose Luis Filpo Cabana | CC BY 3.0

]]> Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/e/z/n/8/castle-of-alarcon-wp/ezn8-castle-of-alarcon-a-prize-passed-between-princes.mp3 0:06 3 full Castle of Alarcon: Blood in the Mortar https://qualla.com/castle-of-alarcon/ Photo credit AnTeMi, CC BY-SA 3.0. Local legend offers a darker explanation for the reddish and black spots visible in the castle's mortar. The story tells of a lord whose beautiful sister attracted a suitor from neighboring lands, a young man notorious for his cruelty. When the lord rejected the proposal, the sui...

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Image: AnTeMi | CC BY-SA 3.0

]]> Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/e/z/n/8/castle-of-alarcon-wp/ezn8-castle-of-alarcon-blood-in-the-mortar.mp3 0:06 4 full Castle of Alarcon: From Ruin to Parador https://qualla.com/castle-of-alarcon/ Photo credit No machine-readable author provided. Josemanuel assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 2.5. After the medieval period, the castle followed a familiar Spanish trajectory: abandonment, decay, and a long slide toward collapse. By 1712, master builders warned that urgent repairs were needed to prevent the walls from falling entirely. In 1863, the Duke of Frias sold the cast...

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Image: No machine-readable author provided. Josemanuel assumed (based on copyright claims). | CC BY-SA 2.5

]]> Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/e/z/n/8/castle-of-alarcon-wp/ezn8-castle-of-alarcon-from-ruin-to-parador.mp3 0:06 5 full