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41-483: Valdelavilla is an uninhabited village in the Spanish province of Soria , in the autonomous community of Castile-León . A former municipality, it is located in the region of Tierras Altas and in the judicial district of Soria. It belongs to the municipality of San Pedro Manrique . Valdelavilla gained popularity around 2020, after the release of Spanish series: El Pueblo . The town of Valdelavilla simulates Peñafría,

82-536: A fortress was under construction. He intended on barring the access to the rich Tagus valley, and did not wait for the reinforcements the Kings Alfonso IX of León and Sancho VII of Navarre were sending. When on July 16 the Almohad host came in view, Yaqub al-Mansur did not accept battle on this day or the day after, preferring to give rest to his forces; but early the day after that, Wednesday, July 18,

123-625: A programme of reconstruction for the neighbouring villages. The poet Antonio Machado (1875–1939) spent five years in Soria teaching French in a secondary school, before moving to Segovia nearer Madrid. These years in Soria proved significant in his literary development. He married and lost his wife there and discovered much about the nature of the Castilian people – a subject the Generation of '98 authors were very interested in. Campos de Soria

164-692: Is formed by the city, and four rural hamlets: Las Casas, Oteruelos , Pedrajas and Toledillo ; both Oteruelos and Pedrajas were small municipalities later absorbed by Soria by the 1970s. The shape of the municipality is highly irregular and it is not even continuous, as it comprises three disjointed areas. Soria has an oceanic climate ( Köppen : Cfb ). Due to its altitude, winters in Soria are very cold by Spanish standards (3.2 °C (38 °F) in January) with almost 84 frost days per year. Summers are dry and warm (average 20.5 °C (69 °F) in July) with

205-548: Is the Museo Numantino , devoted to the archaeological remains of this and other sites in the province. The city is served by the Soria Railway Station , with daily services to Madrid via Guadalajara . There are also many bus lines to neighbouring cities. A new highway has reduced the trip to Madrid by car down to 2 hours. Soria sits on the banks of Douro river, in its upper course. Its municipality

246-650: Is the agri-food industry, while an increasing number of tourists are attracted by its cultural heritage. Soria was mentioned by UNESCO as a good example when including the Mediterranean diet in its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. It is claimed that in Roman times there was a castle called Oria, purportedly named after a Greek knight called Doricus. Based on this folk etymology, some historians guessed that

287-507: The Hintata tribe; to the left the Arab host under Yarmun ibn Riyah; and to the right, the al-Andalus forces under the popular Caid Ibn Sanadid. Yusuf Ya'qub al-Mansur himself held command of the rearguard, which comprised the best Almohad forces commanded by Yabir ibn Yusuf, Abd al-Qawi, Tayliyun, Muhammad ibn Munqafad, and Abu Jazir Yajluf al-Awrabi and the black guard (of black Africans). It

328-657: The Order of Calatrava , plus some knights from nearby castles, tried to gather news about the Almohad strength and its heading; they were surrounded by Muslim scouts and almost massacred, but managed to provide information to the Castilian king. Alfonso gathered his forces at Toledo and marched down to Alarcos (al-Arak, in Arabic), near the Guadiana River, a place which marked the Southern limit of his kingdom and where

369-473: The archbishop of Toledo (Martín López de Pisuerga), which included the military Order of Calatrava , ransacked the province. Having successfully crushed his brother's ambitions, Yaqub al-Mansur was left with no choice other than to lead an expedition against the Christians, who were now threatening the northern province of his empire. On the first day of June, 1195, he landed at Tarifa . Passing through

410-602: The Almohad army formed for battle around a small hill called La Cabeza, two bow-shots from Alarcos. Yusuf Ya'qub al-Mansur gave to his vizier, Abu Yahya ibn Abi Hafs, command of a very strong vanguard: on the first line the Bani Marin volunteers under Abu Jalil Mahyu ibn Abi Bakr, with a big body of archers and the Zenata Tribe; behind them, on the hill itself, the vizier with the Amir's banner and his personal guard, from

451-574: The Almohads and the Christian kings of Castile and León ensued. At the expiration of the truce, and having received news that Yaqub was gravely ill in Marrakesh and that his brother Abu Yahya, the governor of Al-Andalus , had crossed the Mediterranean to declare himself king and take over Marrakesh, Alfonso VIII of Castile decided to attack the region of Seville in 1194. A strong host under

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492-518: The Amir's standard, they charged uphill: Vizier Abu Yahya was killed, and the Hintata fell almost to a man trying to protect themselves. Most of the knights turned to their left and after a fierce struggle they routed the al-Andalus forces of Ibn Sanadid. Three hours had passed; just afternoon, in the intense heat, the fatigue and the missiles which kept falling on them took their toll of armoured knights. The Arab right under Yarmun had been enveloping

533-665: The Aragonese king Alfonso I the Battler . A strategic enclave due to the struggles for territory between the kingdoms of Castile, Navarre and Aragon, Soria became part of Castile definitively in 1134, during the reign of Alfonso VII . Alfonso VIII was born in Soria, and Alfonso X had his court established when he received the offer to the throne of the Holy Roman Empire . In Soria, the deposed king James IV of Mallorca died, and John I of Castile married. Booming during

574-531: The Battler seized the territory away from the sphere of the Kingdom of León, controlling the territory from 1109 to 1134, entrusting the role of first tenant of Soria to Íñigo López already by 1119, when the effective repopulation should have started, although there are claims tracing it back some time earlier. Soria was granted a short fuero in March 1120, that also fixed limits to the medieval concejo . After

615-399: The Castilian flank and rear; at this point the best of the Almohad forces attacked, with the sultan himself clearly visible in the front ranks; and finally the knights were almost completely surrounded. Alfonso advanced with all his remaining forces into the melee, only to find himself assaulted from all sides and under a rain of arrows. For some time he fought hand-to-hand, until removed from

656-613: The Late Middle Ages thanks to its border location and its control over the cattle industry, Soria went into a slow decline over the next few centuries. It was damaged greatly during the Peninsular War . The city preserves an important architectural heritage (extensive medieval walls, Renaissance palaces and architecturally distinctive Romanesque churches) and is home to the Numantine Museum (with pieces from

697-843: The Masters of the Order of Santiago, Sancho Fernández de Lemus, and of the Portuguese Order of St. Benedict , Gonçalo Viegas. Losses for the Muslims included the death of the vizier and Abi Bakr, commander of the Bani Marin volunteers, who died of his wounds in the following year. The outcome of the battle shook the stability of the Kingdom of Castile for several years. All nearby castles surrendered or were abandoned: Malagón, Benavente, Calatrava, Caracuel, and Torre de Guadalferza, and

738-464: The Spanish promotional bank, has made an equity investment in the project. The project plans to provide 80 GWh of renewable energy per year, which will heat 8,000 homes, saving 28,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions. Battle of Alarcos Battle of Alarcos (July 18, 1195), was fought between the Almohads led by Abu Yusuf Ya'qub al-Mansur and King Alfonso VIII of Castile . It resulted in

779-633: The action, almost by force, by his bodyguard; they fled towards Toledo. The Castilian infantry was destroyed, together with most of the Orders which had supported them; the Lord of Vizcaya tried to force his way through the ring of enemy forces, but finally had to seek refuge in the unfinished fortress of Alarcos with just a fraction of his knights. The castle was surrounded with some 3,000 people trapped inside, half of them women and children. The king's enemy, Pedro Fernández de Castro, who had taken little part in

820-456: The action, was sent by the Amir to negotiate the surrender; López de Haro and the survivors were allowed to go, leaving 12 knights as hostages for the payment of a great ransom. The Castilian field army had been destroyed. Those killed included three bishops (from Avila, Segovia, and Siguenza); Count Ordoño García de Roda and his brothers; Counts Pedro Ruiz de Guzmán and Rodrigo Sánchez;

861-468: The annual Cross Internacional de Soria meeting – one of Spain's most prestigious cross country running competitions. The European Youth Orienteering Championships were held in Soria in July 2010. Soria has a biomass district heating plant called Red de Calor de Soria , which uses woodchip residue fuel from the local timber industry. Venture capital firm AXIS, part of Instituto de Crédito Oficial (ICO),

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902-524: The caliph was losing interest in the affairs of the Iberian Peninsula ; he was in poor health, his objective of retaining a hold over al-Andalus appeared to be a complete success, and in 1198 he returned to Africa . He died in February 1199. However, the success of the battle proved to be short-lived. When the Almohad caliph Muhammad al-Nasir attempted to build on it 16 years later with

943-554: The city several privileges which it maintained until modern times. In 1195 the town was stormed by Sancho VII of Navarre , but later recovered and continued to develop its splendour and trades. Soria lost most of its importance after the unification of Aragón and Castile in 1479, and above all after the decree of exile issued against the Jews in 1492 . In the War of Spanish Succession (early 18th century), Soria sided for Philip V . In 1808 it

984-543: The city's motto. Unlike the current official coat of arms, the king who now appears on the bust of the castle's keep on the castle's bell tower, is represented in the bell of San Gil with his entire body at the foot of the castle, leaving through its door. The first recorded inhabitants in the area of Soria were the Celtiberians , around the 4th century BC. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire ,

1025-480: The coast. It is the coldest Spanish provincial capital. The city's professional football club is called CD Numancia . Two of Spain's foremost runners of the late 20th century lived and trained in Soria: Fermín Cacho , a gold medallist at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics , and Abel Antón , a two-time World Champion in the marathon . The area in which they trained, Monte Valonsadero, is now host to

1066-414: The daytime temperature usually around 29 °C (84 °F). Temperatures above 35 °C (95 °F) are not rare in summer, while lows can go under 10 °C (50 °F) at nights. It has scant rainfall (512 mm per year) and spring is the wettest season. The low rainfall is in spite of its high elevation as the maritime Atlantic low-pressure systems are often blocked by the mountains closer to

1107-571: The death of Alfonso I in 1134, Alfonso VII of León, the Emperor took control of the territory. The short fuero was confirmed by Alfonso VII in 1143. Due to its strategic placement at the borders of the Kingdoms of Castile , Aragon , Navarre and León, Soria in the Middle Ages was at the centre of several conflicts between them. Alfonso VIII of Castile , in reward for its support, gave

1148-582: The defeat of the Castilian forces and their subsequent retreat to Toledo , whereas the Almohads reconquered Trujillo , Montánchez , and Talavera . In 1189 the Almohad caliph Yaqub al-Mansur returned from Marrakesh to fight the Portuguese who, with the help of a Christian alliance, had taken over Silves . He successfully recaptured the city and went back to his capital. An armistice between

1189-499: The fictional town where most of the action in the series takes place. 42°37′00″N 2°20′00″W  /  42.6167°N 2.33333°W  / 42.6167; -2.33333 This Spain -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Soria Although there are remains of settlements from the Iron Age and Celtiberian times, Soria itself enters history with its repopulation between 1109 and 1114, by

1230-512: The first inhabitants of this city might have been the Dorians . Archaeology has not confirmed that story. Instead it has suggested that the first inhabitants were the Suebi , whose kings (as reported by Tutor and Malo in their Compedio historial de las dos Numancias ) established one of their courts there. These two hypotheses have been abandoned because of lack of evidence. It seems more likely that

1271-566: The following legend: "Soria Pura Cabeza de Estremadura", written in saber letters. The king in the coat of arms is Alfonso VIII , born in Soria, and the red field represents the blood shed by the Sorians, particularly in the battles of Alarcos , Navas de Tolosa and Aljubarrota . The oldest preserved example of the coat of arms is found in the high-medieval bell of San Gil, today the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Mayor , which already reflected

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1312-440: The name Soria may have its origin in the word dauria from the river Durius ( Douro ). The shield of Soria has the following heraldic description: In a field of gules (red), a castle , of argent , crenellated with three battlements, lined up and marbled with sabre, rinsed with azure (blue) and a king's bust crowned with gold and with its attributes coming out of his homage, in its colour; silver embroidery loaded with

1353-452: The nearby Celtiberian city of Numantia ). Soria's football team CD Numancia is named after this city. It is one of the smallest cities to ever have had a team in Spain's top division La Liga . Today, its population of 38,881 makes Soria the least populated provincial capital of Castile and León and the second least populated in Spain (after Teruel ). Particularly important in its economy

1394-436: The province of Seville, the main Almohad army reached Cordova on June 30, reinforced by the few troops raised by the local governors and by a Christian cavalry contingent under Pedro Fernández de Castro , who held a personal feud against the Castilian king. On July 4 Ya'qub moved out of Cordova ; his army crossed the pass of Muradal (Despeñaperros) and advanced through the plain of Salvatierra. A cavalry detachment of

1435-457: The rebuilt city was occupied by the Suebi . Later, after the Arab conquest of Spain , it grew in importance due to its proximity to the border of the Christian lands, which in the 8th century had settled along the Duero river. In 869 Soria was the centre of the rebellion of Suleyman ibn-Abus against the emir of Córdoba , who sent his son Hakan to quench it. Alfonso I of Aragon and Navarre,

1476-402: The renegade Pedro Fernández de Castro . Most significantly, however, these raids did not lead to any territorial gains for the caliph, although Almohad diplomacy did obtain an alliance with King Alfonso IX of León (who had been enraged when the Castilian king had not waited for him before the battle of Alarcos) and the neutrality of Navarre . These alliances proved to be temporary only. But

1517-523: The way to Toledo was wide open. However, Abu Yusuf Yaqub al-Mansur moved back to Seville to make good his own considerable losses; there he took the title of al-Mansur Billah ('The one victorious by God'). For the next two years, al-Mansur's forces devastated Extremadura, the Tagus valley, La Mancha and even the area around Toledo; they moved in turn against Montánchez, Trujillo, Plasencia, Talavera, Escalona and Maqueda. Some of these expeditions were led by

1558-573: Was a bishopric, its St. Peter's Church became the Co-Cathedral of the bishopric of Osma when that was renamed Roman Catholic Diocese of Osma-Soria on 9 March 1959. The province of Soria has a Minor Basilica , the Marian Basílica de Nuestra Señora de los Milagros, in Ágreda . A few kilometres north of the town are the ruins of Numantia , a Celtiberian town whose inhabitants destroyed it rather than let it fall to Scipio . In Soria

1599-563: Was a formidable army, whose strength Alfonso had badly underestimated. The Castilian king put most of his heavy cavalry in a compact body, about 8,000 strong, and gave its command to Diego López de Haro , lord of Vizcaya. The king himself would follow with the infantry and the Military Orders. The Christian cavalry charge was somewhat disordered. The knights crashed against the Zanatas and Bani Marin and dispersed them; lured by

1640-486: Was a series of poems lamenting his wife's early death. They formed part of a major collection Campos de Castilla . The firewalking rituals performed at the Sorian village of San Pedro Manrique every June as part of the festival of San Juan have been declared as a tradition of National Tourist Interest and have attracted global attention through ethnographic and scientific studies and media coverage. Although Soria never

1681-565: Was captured and set on fire by the French troops. The economical and social crisis of Spain in the early 20th century, and the Spanish Civil War with Francisco Franco 's dictatorship which followed, had negative effects on Soria and its neighborhood, which became depopulated due to strong emigration. The policy of the current authorities aims to strengthen the local economy pivoting on Soria's tourism potential, and has also launched

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