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Page 4 - Seville Impressions The Alcazar
The Royal Garden is reputed to be the project of the various queens that occupied the palace, including Isabella. It contains flora brought by Spanish explorers from all over the world.
Historians believe the Alcazar was started in 913 by Abd Al
Raman III, and then expanded by Mohammed V.
The credit for today’s Alcazar, however, belongs to King Pedro the
Cruel, who lived here in the 1360’s along with the love of his life, Maria de
Padilla. He engaged the services of
Moorish architects from Granada to produce what you see today.
His was an interesting life, portions of which are dramatized in the play
El Medico de su Honra, and some of his exploits would bring the Hundred
Years War to Spain. Born to King Alfonso XI and Maria Affonsez (Princess of
Portugal) in 1334, Pedro I succeeded his father as King of Castile and Leon.
Now, how can a fellow named Pedro be cruel, you ask?
If the play were to be believed, it appears that he murdered his brother
the Maestre Fadrique as well as his wife Blanche, Princess of Bourbon, so he
could carry on his relationship with Maria de Padilla.
His longtime nemesis was his illegitimate half-brother, Henry (Enrique)
of Trastamara who led several rebellions against him. In 1366, Henry enlisted the help of France and French
mercenaries and succeeded in overthrowing Pedro who fled Castile.
But Pedro had friends in high places, as he was astute enough to form an
alliance with England several years back. He
sought assistance from Edward III who, ignoring the Peace of Calais, sent his
son Edward the Black Prince with an army to aid Pedro, thus making Spain a
battlefield in the Hundred Years war between France and England.
In 1367, Pedro defeated Henry and regained the crown.
In 1369, Edward left Spain. Not
long after that, Henry and a new army defeated Pedro the Cruel in the Battle of
Montiel, and then killed Pedro in one-on-one combat after the battle.
Henry crowned himself king as Henry II.
John of Gaunt (brother of Edward the Black Prince) used his marriage to
Constance, daughter of Pedro the Cruel, to lay claim to the Castilian throne and
contest Henry’s rule. Shopping in Seville
The old Jewish quarter (Santa Cruz)
is just outside the Alcazar. You
can spend a lot of time here shopping for ceramics with elaborate Arabesque
designs. You can also shop for
personalized bullfighting posters and fancy abanicos--Spanish fans. The five-star hotel, Alfonso XIII,
is a short walk from the Alcazar. It
is government-owned, having been commissioned by the King of Spain in 1928 to be
(arguably) Europe’s most luxurious hotel.
Those who can’t stay at Alcazar would probably stay here.
Given the accommodations, it is not exorbitantly expensive. The same historic city center that contains the Alcazar and the Cathedral has some of Seville’s best restaurants. We have lunch today at Casa Robles, which has superb food. Tonight we will be guests of Gerardo Quintana, General Manager of Turismo de Sevilla. The venue? Modesto Restaurant. Objective? Serious Sevillano dining of –what else—tapas. No tapa-hopping tonight. It will be raciones time, once again. Yum! --- 0 --- Pete Olympia is President of Pacific Asia Network of Association Executives. A Chemical Physicist by education and training, he is also Chief Technology Officer of a Washington-based computer software company. Reach him at polympia@email.com. |
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