MORELLA CASTLE
Costa del Azahar, Spain
Morella stands high in the mountains inland from the Costa del Azahar near the border with Catalonia. Morella is one of this part of Spain’s oldest settlements being first inhabited by the prehistoric Iberians and then by the Romans who built their “Castro Aelia” on this site. The Goths soon followed and built their own fortification but it wasn’t until the arrival of the Moors that Morella gained any of the structures we see today.
The Taifa de Tortosa was in charge of Morella which is positioned in one of the few easy crossings of the Maestrazgo hills, as such it was frequently under attack and features heavily in the Christian-Arab conflicts of the time. El Cid took the town twice during his campaign against Valencia, but on neither occasion was he able to hold the town for long. The castle itself proved almost impossible to take until 1232 when Blasco de Alagón finally won it and the town for the Aragonese Crown. Blasco remained in charge of Morella until his death in 1250.
After the Reconquest of Spain new constructions were started by Pedro IV. These new fortifications included the huge walls which wind around the hilltop town and down to the valley, giving the town the appearance from afar of an elaborate snail shell, topped by the castle.
In the 15th Century it became necessary to undertake an extensive rebuild, although by that time the castle was beginning to function as a prison rather than a fortress. Both the Countess d’Urgell and the Prince of Vienna were held here.
During the Catalan Succession War of 1640-52 the castle held a crucial position being one of the chief border points between traditional Catalonia and Castillian Spain. This war seques almost invisibly into the general Spanish Wars of Succession at which time the castle was, oddly, garrisoned by Austrian troops.
One of the last wars on the European mainland to do with a Royal Succession were the so-called Carlist Wars of 1833 to 1876 when the followers of Don Carlos fought for a free Spain. During this turbulent time the castle was occupied by General Cabrera, the so-called “Tiger of Maestrazgo”. The castle was shelled heavily receiving a bombardment of 19,000 or so projectiles in just three days. One of these landed in the ammunition dump and a huge explosion tore a sizeable chunk from the castle. Cabrera, interestingly enough, ended his life as an English country gentleman and is buried at Virgina Water in Surrey!
After 1876 the castle and its walls were allowed to fall into ruin until rennovation and rescue began, a process which is still continuing today. The castle and town are breath-taking, if rather remote, and when we visited it was in January and consequently very cold indeed. However, if you are in the area the town is well worth a look not only boasting the spectacular fortifications but also a cathedral, ruined abbey and the kind of beautiful winding lanes one would associate with an hilltown in Tuscany.
© Text copyright - Raving Loony
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2019
