Located in Villena, in the southern Spanish province of Alicante, is a fort

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11-Feb-2026 09 pm

Located in Villena, in the southern Spanish province of Alicante, is a fortress known as the Atalaya Castle. It dominates the historic border between Castile and the Kingdom of Aragon and is situated in the northwest of the province of Alicante, over a spur of the Sierra de la Villa. Arab records describe the castle since 1172, indicating that it was constructed at an unspecified time, but not after the 12th century. Although there is little evidence to support this theory, it has been hypothesized that the structure may have been constructed over a Roman castrum or villa. The resilience of the fortress in the face of three sieges by James I of Aragon is evidence of its importance as a bastion on the northern border of the Islamic emirate of Iberia. In 1240, he ultimately succeeded in taking it by sending an army under the direction of Commander of Alcañiz Ruy Pérez Ponce de León, which was composed of almogavar mercenaries and knights of the Order of Calatrava. The Treaty of Cazola, which claimed Villena was part of the Castilian conquest, was broken by these assaults. With the Treaty of Almizra in 1244, the fortress would undoubtedly go to the Kingdom of Castile. When Infante Manuel became lord of Villena, he quickly inherited it from the Order of Calatrava. His son, writer Juan Manuel, Prince of Villena, lived here. He improved the fortress-defenses to protect his fiancée, Princess Constanza of Aragon. Alfonso of Aragon and Foix, the first Marquis of Villena, succeeded the Lords of Villena as proprietors in the fourteenth century. Encouraged by the Catholic monarchs, populace of Villena rebelled against the marquesses in 1476. Following this incident, the castle ceased to be the home of marquisses and, along with the city, became a royal property. Following his defeat at Gandía, Viceroy Diego Mendoza sought sanctuary in the citadel during the Revolt of the Brotherhoods,1519–1523, from which he led the forces that reinstated Spanish monarchy. The largest portion of the Austrian army besieged 50 Bourbon loyalist troops for eight days during the War of Spanish Succession. With a rectangular barbican creating a bigger inner space in front of the keep and an inner and higher line of walls forming a square, the fortress has a circular layout.

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[Image: Historic Atalaya Castle in Villena on a Sunny Day, Spain; Image-Author: Emilio Sánchez Hernández] [Image_Source-Link: https://www.pexels.com/photo/historic-atalaya-castle-in-villena-on-a-sunny-day-33723560/ ] [License-Link: https://www.pexels.com/license/ ] [Please Also Relate to Original Individual Text and Image URLs for More Usage Property and Sharing, Remixing or Attributing the Contents] [Contents on Wikipedia is covered by -- Disclaimer – Wikipedia-Disclaimer-Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:General_disclaimer ] [Contents in this Website is also covered by Disclaimer linked at the bottom of the Page] [This website article means no intellectual appropriation by any way and only wishes to contribute in sharing of knowledge]