Zafra Castle (Guadalajara)

The Zafra Castle is a castle from the 12th century located in the Spanish municipality of Campillo de Dueñas, in the province of Guadalajara. It is a clear example of a rock castle that stands out for its location in an area of steep orography in which the keep built on the top of the rocky cliff stands out. It is under the protection of the general state of the Order of April 22, 1949, and Law No. 16/1985 of Spanish Historical Heritage and can only be visited outside.

Features

Partially restored, we will find part of the walls that made up its wall, crenellated, and reinforced with towers in its corners. The cistern is preserved in the parade ground, and the keep has a Gothic door with a pointed arch. Its interior has a spiral staircase that allows access to the upper terrace.

Since it is mentioned in the first Charter of Molina, granted by Manrique de Lara, it is assumed to have an Arab fortress origin. During the times of King Fernando III the Saint, the third lord of Molina, Gonzalo Pérez de Lara, rebelling against the monarch, took refuge there. Given the impregnability of the castle, they had to agree on the Concordia de Zafra, by which the current Molina de Aragón would become part of the crown of Castile upon the death of Don Gonzalo, losing its independent status.

An enigma for historians is the space delimited by the walls of the fortress, which barely leaves room for weapons deposits or food warehouses. The hypothesis is considered that there were large caves excavated in the rock on which it sits.

History

Zafra castle and its surroundings have a long history. Fragments of pottery from the Bronze and Iron Age have been found in rock cavities and in the vicinity of the castle. It is possible that the Romans occupied the rock on which the castle now stands, as remains of structures from the classical period have been found on the castle grounds. The oldest known fortress at the site is believed to have been established by the Visigoths before 720. The Muslims also had a fortification here, which was used by the Taifa of Toledo.

The Moorish fortress changed hands in 1129 when the northern Christian kingdoms reconquered Zafra as part of the Reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula. The Kingdom of Aragon assumed control to serve as a key defensive position in the south of their territory, to protect the newly created community of the city and the Land of Daroca. It was proclaimed by the semi-independent ruler of the area, Manrique Pérez de Lara, one of the most important domains of the Charter of Molina de Aragón, proclaimed in 1154.

From the 12th to the 16th century

The current castle was built sometime between the second half of the 12th century and the early years of the XIII, when the Lara family tried to consolidate their dominion in the territory of the Royal Señorío de Molina. Its defenses were tested in 1222 when Gonzalo Pérez de Lara, the third ruler of Molina, aroused the hostility of King Ferdinand III of Castile. The impregnability of the castle meant that the royal army was unable to assault it, and after several weeks of siege, the two sides negotiated a resolution. According to the Zafra Agreement, the Molina lordship would be inherited upon Gonzalo's death by his daughter Mafalda, who would marry Fernando's son, Prince Alfonso, and thus place the territory under the control of the Crown.

During the Castilian civil war of the IV century, Henry II of Castile granted the castle and lordship of Molina to his French mercenary ally Bertrand du Guesclin. However, the people of Molina rebelled and invited Pedro IV of Aragon to govern them. The castle was defeated and was finally awarded to the vassal of Pedro Ximeno Pérez de Vera. Eventually, he returned to Castile by marriage, but in the 15th century Henry IV of Castile provoked another rebellion when he awarded the castle and the city to his favorite Beltrán de la Cueva. Its castellan, the famous Juan de Hombrados Malo, managed to get rid of all opponents and maintained control of the castle's crown until it finally passed into the hands of the Catholic Monarchs of the unified kingdoms of Castile and Aragon in 1479. Juan de Hombrados was rewarded with hereditary custody of the castle, which his family retained for many years afterwards. The reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula and the merger of the two kingdoms deprived the castle of its former strategic importance, and since the 16th century from then on it began to fall into ruin.

20th and 21st centuries

The castle remained property of the Spanish State until 1971, when it was sold at auction for 30,000 pesetas. Its buyer was Antonio Sanz Polo (1913-2008), a descendant of Juan de Hombrados Malo and a distinguished educator. His family had kept the documents of Juan de Hombrados' guardianship for more than four hundred years, transmitting them from generation to generation. However, at that time the castle was completely in ruins. Sanz Polo spent the next thirty years and spent most of his fortune rebuilding the castle, hiring cranes, architects and historians to help him. He was recognized for his efforts by the Medal of Merit from the National Association of Friends of Castles.

Rocky substrate

The rocks that form the base of the castle are sandstones and reddish conglomerates of river origin from 240 million years ago, belonging to the Triassic, first period of the Mesozoic era. They correspond to the characteristic reddish facies of the Buntsandstein type, very abundant in the Sierra de Caldereros.

Filming location

HBO filmed outdoor scenes for the sixth season of its fantasy series Game of Thrones at the castle. According to its current owner, Daniel Antonio Sanz, the producers were "looking for a remote site far from any building. The castle represents the Tower of Joy in three episodes of the season, " Perjuro", "Blood of my blood" and 'Winds of Winter', during flashback scenes that reveal a secret from Ned Stark's past.

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