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Castile and Léon History
Throughout the ages the regions of Castile and Leon have at times been a unified entity while they have also seen periods of conflict as well. It is apparent then that the two regions have distinctly overlapping paths. More recently, since 1983, they have combined to form Spain’s largest autonomous community and this could be, perhaps a lasting union.
Castile
The first references to the densely-castled Kingdom of Castile were made around 800 AD in a region that combined people of various origins. In 1035 Castile officially became a kingdom and proceeded to get involved in conflict with neighbouring Leon which it won and promptly united the two kingdoms. Other wars were fought and won against other areas of northern Spain proving its dominating military might.
By the 12th century Castile was making a number of intellectual achievements; it was involved in a programme of translations from classical Greek to Latin, while the Way of Saint James forged cultural exchanges and links. There was also a growth in the construction of religious buildings at this time, as well as the initiation of a court in 1250. Before the unifying Crown of Castile was formed in the mid-13th century there was still time for more rivalry and conflict between the regions as King Alfonso VII divided the area between his children.
The famed marriage of Ferdinand and Isabella took place in the Castilian city of Valladolid in 1469 which brought about some unity between Castile and Aragon and shortly after led to civil conflict. The new monarchs sought to ensure peace and justice reigned as they created the Cortes of Castile. And so after further times of good and poor relations the regions united most recently in 1983 with the advent of a new liberal constitution under the name Castilla y Leon.
Leon
The region of Leon was founded a little later that Castile in 913 AD when some Asturian princes moved from Oviedo to Leon. It was the Romans who had initially begun settling in the city of Leon although it later fell into the hands of the Visigoths and then the Moors in 717. It was brought back under Spanish control relatively early on in the Reconquista however.
In the 10th century Leon sought to expand beyond its borders, in doing so taking control of the city of Burgos. Castile responded by expanding at the expense of Leon, however Sancho I of Leon defeated the Earl of Castile in 966. The Kingdom of Leon subsequently became one of Iberia’s most important regions despite its comparative poverty when contrasted with the likes of the mighty Cordoba.
The year 1085 marked a turning point in the history of Leon as it took Toledo out of Moorish hands and so sparked a turning of the tide. The union that had existed between Castile and Leon was abandoned towards the end of the 12th century before various conquests of the likes of Merida and Extremadura as well as the founding of the famous university at Salamanca.
By 1230 the two regions united once again following the death of King Alfonso. Around this time Portugal also began to take shape. Centuries later, in 1833, the province of Leon was formed sparking a nationalist sentiment in subsequent years. Finally, the regions united most recently in 1983 under the new constitution after the death of General Franco.