Castillo de la Peña, Martos: A Calatrava Fortress in Spain
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.7
- Popularity
- Low
- Country
- Spain
- Primary era
- Medieval
- Eras represented
- Iron Age, Classical, Medieval
- Civilizations
- Iberian, Order of Calatrava, Roman, Umayyad
- Site type
- Military
- Remains
- Castle
On this page12 sections
History
Castillo de la Peña is a ruined fortress in Spain, built by the Order of Calatrava on the Peña de Martos in the fourteenth century. The present castle replaced an earlier Andalusi fortress, which itself stood over an Iberian-Roman fortification. An Andalusi building phase on the site dates to the tenth century.
Earlier Fortifications
The summit was used for defence before the existing castle was built. An Iberian-Roman stronghold occupied the site, followed by an Andalusi fortress whose tenth-century construction phase formed part of the site’s earlier medieval history. The later castle therefore continued a long sequence of fortified use on the rocky summit.
The Calatrava Frontier
In the fourteenth century, the Order of Calatrava built the present fortress over the earlier remains. The Order was a military religious institution that controlled fortified territories and took part in frontier warfare between the Christian kingdoms of medieval Iberia and Muslim-ruled territories. Together with Castillo de la Villa, the lower fortress, Castillo de la Peña formed one of the principal defensive strongholds held by the order against the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada, the last Muslim-ruled kingdom in medieval Iberia.
Legend and Later Status
The castle and its surroundings are traditionally associated with the alleged murder of the Carvajal brothers by Ferdinand IV of Castile. The episode belongs to a traditional account connected with the king’s reign, and the legend holds that it may have contributed to his death.
The fortress was declared a historic monument in 1985 together with Castillo de la Villa and is registered as a Spanish Asset of Cultural Interest. Since 2012, it has also appeared on the Red List of Endangered Heritage. Abandoned and ruined, the castle survives as a fragmentary record of the successive fortified occupations of the Peña de Martos.
Remains
Castillo de la Peña occupies the summit of the rocky Peña de Martos at approximately 1,003 metres above sea level. Its trapezoidal plan follows a position chosen for defence, while a winding approach from the southern slope made access more difficult. Inside, the fortress was divided into two enclosures: the alcazarejo, a smaller fortified citadel within the larger castle, and the arms courtyard, an open area for assembling and organizing the garrison.
The Keep
In the elevated southwestern part of the fortress, the rectangular keep was built against the shape of a natural stone platform. Its walls consist of mortar and rubble masonry, reinforced by ashlar blocks at the corners. The building was large enough to accommodate a substantial garrison and probably had three storeys.
The lowest storey is buried but retains its vaults, and the original entrance was probably located at that level. Repeated collapses changed the access arrangement, so that the keep is now entered through the second storey. The southern wall preserves its original height and three arrow slits from the first storey. The second storey retains the springings of its vaults and parts of the pillars that divided the interior into two aisles and three bays. It had no arrow slits. Fragments of the side walls and the remains of three arrow slits probably belonging to the third storey also survive.
Water Systems and Southern Defences
Western Cistern and Moat
A possible cistern occupies the western side of the fortress, although it is now covered by rubble. A moat lies directly in front of this area, forming part of the defensive arrangement around the elevated stronghold.
Southern Towers
The southern side preserves remains of three round towers and two square towers. These surviving structures belong to the defensive line that protected the fortress along the approach from the slope.
Perimeter Walls and Interior Space
Northwestern Cistern
At the northwestern extremity stands a cistern with three bays. It is positioned beside a basin supplied by two channels, providing a surviving example of the fortress’s water-management installations.
Enclosing Wall
The wall that enclosed the perimeter of the rock has largely collapsed. Its remaining elements include a gate tower, a circular tower with a buried storey, two additional solid square towers, and fragments of the curtain wall. The surviving open interior may have served as a large arms courtyard, while other buildings that once occupied the area have disappeared.
