The town’s position and role in the historical development of the region

The reason people settled in Segovia from ancient times, was its strategic position in controlling the southern plains, such as the fertile soil of its lands, its mining wealth and the development of industry.
A legend says that Segovia was founded in the year 1076 B.C. by the Egyptian Hercules, great-grandchild of Noah. What is certain is that the city began to be populated with the arrival of the first communities of farmers and shepherds back in the Neolithic Age.
Occupation of the hills began during the Iron Age. Not many archaeological remains have been found dating back to that time, except for some ceramic artefacts that indicate the importance of the population before the 2nd century B.C.
Its contact with the Romans must have taken place very early in time, and perhaps the defeat of a coalition of Vacceos, Vetones and Celtiberians by Flaminius in the year 192 B.C. marked the beginning of Segovia’s contacts with the Roman Republic.
Without doubt Segovia had friendly contacts with Rome when Luculus in 151 B.C. and Escipion in 134 B.C. attacked Coca (50 km to the north-west Segovia).
The presence of indigenous and Roman populations must have given rise to an important process of union. This can be demonstrated by the temporary existence of the mint of Segovia in early Augustan times.
Augustus and Agrippa's policy in the Hispania Citerior consisted of founding cities with “Pilgrim Status”. The purpose of these was to create important urban nuclei with the function of being the administrative centres for a territory where the population was scattered in villages. This was the case of Segovia and of other cities in its surroundings, such as Avila, Caesarobriga or Consabura.
In Flavian times, Segovia held municipal status (Pliny the Elder - H. Nat, III, 30 - tells us that Vespasian granted Hispania the Latin right), which coincided with erection of the aqueduct and certainly the thermal baths as well, and, probably, the forum near San Martin.
In Low Empire times, there was a system of walls which followed the same wall building process of that in the Iberian peninsula and is attested to by the magnificent wall of Bernardos, in the vicinity of Segovia.
The Visigoths arrived in Hispania at the beginning of the 5th century. They tried to preserve the cities of Roman times, simply reshaping urban areas at the peak of Christianity and reorganizing the walls as containing and defence elements.
This must have been the case of Segovia, since it is documented as an Episcopal diocese. From the year 527, Segovian bishops appearing in various Toledan councils were:
Pedro in the III of 589; Miniciano in that of King Gundemaro of 610; Anserico in the IV, V, VI; VII and VIII between 633 and 653, Sinduito in the XI of 675, Deodato in XII, XIII, XIV and XV between 681 and 688, and Decencio in the XVI in 693. This demonstrates the continuation and importance of the walled Segovian enclosure in Visigothic times, even at moments of depopulation of Visigothic nuclei, such as in the 7th century, when it is presumed that towns like Valeria, Castulo or Segobriga disappeared in the wake of civil wars.
The arrival of the Muslims in Hispania in 711 took place through the pact made between the Witizianos and Rodrigo, continuing the construction of old towns. All Muslim populations had one or more walled enclosures for the defence of the inhabitants and as a space for separating the town from the outside.
Segovia probably continued to be populated and was given a fence between the 8th and 11th centuries. Almakri, talks about a raid by Alphonso I and his son Fruela on Segovian territory. The Islamic importance of Segovia is attested to by the discovery of ceramics and of an important capital found in the new canongía with the following inscription: “In the name of God. Perennial happiness has been promised to the obedient and complete happiness to those obedient to their sovereign. May God prolong their permanency in what he ordered to be made. And this (was made) in the year 349 (of the hegira) and praise be to God.” This capital tells us of a public building in the proximity of the Fortress dating from the times of Abderraman III.
Another element telling us about Islamic presence is the toponymy. For instance, the space in front of the Aqueduct is called Azoguejo and Alcazar derives from Al-qasr, which means fortress.
In those times, a Mozarabic population (Christian) lived inside the enclosure if the deed of donation in 940 by Bishop Ilderedo is to be believed, as well as the Mozarabic origins of San Briz and certainly of San Martin.
As Christianity advanced in the 10th Century, Segovia become a border territory which, although suffering a notable decrease in population, did not disappear. This was due to the repopulation policy of Fernan Gonzalez, and the presence of Christian buildings prior to 1075, such as the San Millan or San Gudumian churches.
The attack in 1075 by Ali Mamun, the Arab king of Toledo, caused destruction of a stretch of the aqueduct, but also demonstrated that there was a population ready to defend its city.
In 1088, Alphonso VI repopulated Segovia, taking charge of building its walls and giving this task to his son-in-law, Raimundo of Burgundy - who also took charge of constructing of the walls in Avila.
After the conquest of Toledo in 1085 by Alphonso VI, Arab attacks no longer took place in Segovian territory and the city began to play an important political, economic and administrative role, developing on a large scale at that time.
Segovia got involved in political battles, and the importance of its walls and fortress made their reinforcement necessary.
1114 - Segovians killed Alvar Fanez Minaya, Cid's nephew and one of the most important Castilian knights.
1118 - Segovia witnessed another scandal in 1118, when the armies of Galicia, Leon and Castile gathered there around Queen Urraca and Prince Alphonso to turn against the King of Aragon. There was serious dissent between the Queen’s followers and those of her son.
1122 - In an Aragonese document, Inigo Jimenez appeared as domians Secobie et septempublicae et toti stremature.
1124 - Count Pedro Gonzalez de Lara, Queen Urraca’s lover, was named governor of Segovia.
1131 - Enneco Ximenones (Inigo Jiménez) appeared in the will of Alphonso "El Batallador".
1133 - Rodrigo Gonzalez de Lara appeared as Consule in Secovie Roderico Gonzalo.
1137 - Diego Munoz appeared as alcaid in Secovia.
1148 - Count Manrique de Lara adopted the title of Domino in Secovia, and Sancho Velasco appeared as Castellano.
These quotes may serve to illustrate the power of Segovia and of its walled enclosure in the early 12th century, when control of Segovia fell into the hands of important members of the Castilian nobility, and was considered a good base for attacks against other Christian kings. It is also underlines the importance of the enclosure in the political sphere of the times.
From the time of Alphonso VI, Segovia became a royal residence, and was also that of Alphonso VII. It was one of Alphonso VIII and his wife Alienor of Plantagenet’s favourite residences, as well as of Queen Urraca, of Sancho III and of the other Castilian kings.
Alphonso X summoned the Courts of his kingdom to Segovia in 1256 and in 1293 Sancho IV granted the city its jurisdictions.
The 14th century was a tumultuous period in which the Segovian walls once again played an important military role. In 1320, when Alphonso XI was still a minor, a war to gain power began between the regent, Maria, and Prince Juan Manuel together with his partisans found shelter in the enclosure of the canongía and inside the fortress.
This occurred again during the war between Pedro I and his successor Henry of Trastamara, who took refuge in the fortress and within the walls of Segovia.
After the accession of the new dynasty, Segovia continued to keep its strength. Juan I called the Courts to the city on three occasions. Henry III resided from time to time in the fortress and his widow, Catalina of Lancaster, took cover in the fortress.
Their son Juan II, and their successor Henry IV, carried out active duty in the walled enclosure and in the fortress. Henry IV's death caused another civil war among those in favour of Juana, the Beltraneja, and Isabella, the Catholic, who won and was proclaimed Queen in Segovia on 13th December 1474.
After the civil wars of the 15th century, a notable abandon of the wall was seen, parallel to the economic expansion of the city associated with the textile industry.
During the war of the “comunidades” (1520-1521), Segovia rose against Charles V, resisting the imperial troops for six months in the fortress under the command of Diego de Cabrera, preventing the fortress being taken by the comuneros who had become powerful in the walled enclosure of the city. The Romanesque Cathedral in front of the fortress was destroyed as a consequence of this.
The process of rebuilding the city, which coincided with its maximum demographic boom in the 16th century, led to demolition of different parts of the wall. Permits were granted to build houses closer to the walls and even above them, in exchange for their compulsory repair, as can be seen in some contracts. For instance, in 1569, the notary Juan de Segovia Portillo signed a notarial deed confirming possession of some houses in the San Martin parish.
The wool crisis produced a process of depopulation of the walled city, arriving at a point of maximum abandonment at the end of the 18th century. At that time the city had 10,000 inhabitants and a massive presence of ecclesiastical buildings, with 25 parishes and 21 convents, and a wall in ruins.
In 1764, Charles III decided to use the fortress as an Artillery Academy, although the rest of the fortified enclosure was in a lamentable state of ruin and abandonment.
The last military effort the wall underwent coincided with the first Carlista war, during which the troops of don Carlos attacked the city unsuccessfully.
The growth of the city and the disappearance of part of the wall took place in parallel during the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. The enclosure limited expansion of the city and this obstacle to development therefore had to disappear.
This led to the disappearance of the San Andres outpost, the San Juan and San Martin gates and many stretches of the walls.
From the mid 20th century, and when the Castilian- Leonese Autonomy took charge, there was a new trend in cultural policy. Consideration of heritage as something to be preserved and enhanced brought about the development of activities aimed at conservation and improvement of monuments like the Walls of Segovia.