Castle of La Mota facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Castle of La Mota
Castillo de La Mota
Medina del Campo, Province of Valladolid, Castile and León, in Spain
Castillo de La Mota
Type	Castle
Site information
Owner	Junta of Castile and León
Open to the public	Yes
Condition	Spanish Property of Cultural Interest Castle of La Mota 3 June 1931 RI-51-0000980
Site history
Built	14th century-15th century
Materials	Bricks

The Castle of La Mota (or Castillo de La Mota in Spanish) is an old fortress from the Middle Ages. You can find it in the town of Medina del Campo, in the province of Valladolid, Spain. It got its name "La Mota" because it sits on a high hill, which is called a mota in Spanish. From this spot, it watches over the town and the land around it. Over time, the town grew and was surrounded by walls, but not much of those walls are left today.

This important castle has been protected by the Spanish government since 1904. First, it was called a national monument. Now, it's known as a site of cultural interest, or Bien de Interés Cultural.

What Makes the Castle Special?

The most striking part of the Castle of La Mota is its huge outer barbican. A barbican is like an extra strong wall or gatehouse built to protect the main entrance. The inside of the castle has a shape like a trapezoid, which is a four-sided shape with only one pair of parallel sides. It has four towers and a square courtyard inside.

The castle also has a very tall, square keep tower. This was the strongest and safest part of the castle, often where the lord lived. There's also an inner curtain wall where archers would stand to defend the castle.

To get into the castle, people used to cross a drawbridge. This bridge could be pulled up to stop enemies from entering. The castle is mostly built from local red Bricks. Only a few special parts, like details around windows or doors, use stone.

A Look at History

Old photo of the Keep.

Side view of the castle.

An old image of the castle of La Mota.

Panoramic view of the Castle of La Mota.

The area where the castle stands was first fortified around 1080. This happened after attacks by the Moors, and people started to live there again. The village quickly grew around this early fortress. In 1354, a powerful person named Henry of Trastamara took control of the fortress by force.

Later, in 1390, King John I of Castile gave the town to his son, Ferdinand of Antequera. Ferdinand later became the King of Aragon. After Ferdinand passed away in 1416, his son, John II of Aragon, asked local people for money in 1433 to help build more parts of the Mota.

For many years, the castle and town were often fought over. They changed hands between the kings of Castile and Aragon. Sometimes, the castle and the town were even controlled by different sides! For example, in 1439, the prince of Aragon trapped the Castilian king inside the castle by closing the town gates. In 1441, the Castilian king managed to make about 250 Aragon soldiers inside the castle give up.

After a big battle called the First Battle of Olmedo in 1445, the castle finally became part of the Castilian monarchy for good. In 1460, King Henry IV of Castile built the main central tower. But in 1464, Henry gave the castle to the Archbishop of Toledo, Alonso Carrillo de Acuña. The Archbishop soon turned against the king and supported a rival, Afonso V of Portugal. After being taken by force, the castle fell to Afonso's supporters by 1467, even though the village still supported King Henry.

Later, the castle was also part of the fight between Princess Isabella of Castile and her cousin, Princess Juana la Beltraneja.

After several different owners, the Crown of Castile took back the castle in 1475. They then built a strong artillery bastion. Above its entrance, you can still see the symbols of the famous Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella. These symbols were added in 1483.

Shields over the main gate, from 1483.

The Castle of La Mota also became a famous prison. Many important people were held there. These included Hernando Pizarro, Rodrigo Calderón, Duke Fernando de Calabria, and Cesare Borgia. Cesare Borgia is especially famous for escaping from the castle's nearly 40-meter-high tower by climbing down a rope!

See also

In Spanish: Castillo de La Mota para niños