Simancas
Simancas is a town and
municipality of central
Spain, located in the province of
Valladolid, part of the autonomous community of
Castile-Leon. It is situated approximately 8 miles southwest of the provincial capital
Valladolid, on the road to
Zamora and the right bank of the river
Pisuerga. Its population (2002 figures) is approximately 4,009.
Simancas is a town of great antiquity, the Roman
Septimanca, with a citadel dating from the
Moorish occupation in the
9th century, a fine bridge of seventeen arches, and many remains of old walls. In
934 it was the scene of a bloody battle between the Moors and Christians.
The citadel is now the Archivo General del Reino, to which the national archives of Spain were removed by order of
Philip II in
1563. Their transference thither was first suggested to
Charles V by
Cardinal Ximenes de Cisneros. The extensive alterations were made by three celebrated
16th century architects,
Juan de Herrera,
Alonso Berruguete and
Juan Gomez de Mora; the arrangement of the papers was entrusted to Diego de Ayala.
They occupy forty-six rooms, and are arranged in upwards of 80,000 bundles (33,000,000 documents), including important private as well as state papers. The
archives of the Indies were transferred in
1784 to the Lonja of
Seville. Permission to consult the documents at Simancas can be readily obtained.
* http://www.cultura.mecd.es/archivos/visitas/simancas/simancas.html
