Castillo de Portillo

The Castillo de Portillo is a historic medieval castle in Portillo, in the province of Valladolid, Castilla y León, Spain; the earliest elements of its present construction date to the fifteenth century.

The site, 23 km from Valladolid, has been fortified since the tenth century, when it is documented in connection with Moorish forays into the region, under Abd al-Rahman III. In the fourteenth century, and until the early fifteenth, it was in the possession of the family of Sandoval; in 1392 it was confiscated from Diego Gómez de Sandoval in the name of Juan II of Castile, who granted it in 1438 to Ruy Díaz de Mendoza. With an interval from 1448 to 1452 when Portillo was held by Juan's favourite, Don Álvaro de Luna, the fortress remained in royal hands; de Luna fell from favour and was detained at Portillo before he was tried at Valladolid and beheaded, 2 June 1453. In 1464 Enrique IV of Castile conferred it upon Alfonso, held in trust by Juan Pacheco, the prince's tutor, until his death (1474), though it had been ceded to Rodrigo Alfonso de Pimentel, whose heirs held it until the nineteenth century, when it passed to the family of Osuna.

Portillo is less celebrated in feats or arms than it is for the distinguished prisoners it has contained. Juan II, retained at Portillo in 1444 by the Conde de Castro, made his escape by bribing one of his guardians. The chronicles relate También nos relatan las crónicas de manera fugaz, la estancia aquí como prisioneros temporales de Don Enrique, hermano del Almirante Don Fabrique y de Suero de Quiñones (el del Paso Honroso) conspiradores del rey castellano. Pero el último y más conocido preso, y al que tras los hechos históricos han forjado la leyenda en el castillo fue el propio Álvaro de Luna, mandado prender por Juan II y traído desde Burgos a Portillo. De aquí y tras dos meses de estancia partió a Valladolid camino del patíbulo. En la mañana del 2 de junio de 1453 (fecha que se da como segura entre diferentes versiones de historiadores) fue decapitado en la Plaza Mayor de Valladolid.

The castle has been a Monumento Nacional since 1931. It is presently a property of the University of Valladolid.

External links

* [http://www.castillosnet.org/valladolid/VA-CAS-018.shtml Castillo de Portillo]
* [http://www.castillosdejirm.com/portillo.htm Castillo de Portillo] timeline