Castile

 

(kăstēl') , Span. Castilla (kästē'lyä), historic region and former kingdom, central and N Spain, traditionally divided into Old Castile and New Castile, and now divided into Castile–La Mancha and Castile-Leon. Castile is generally a vast, sparsely populated region surrounding the highly industrialized Madrid area. It includes most of the high plateau of central Spain, across which rise the rugged Sierra de Guadarrama and the Sierra de Gredos, forming a natural boundary between Old and New Castile. The upper Duero, the Tagus, and Guadiana rivers form the chief valleys etched into the plateau. The soil of Castile, ravaged by centuries of erosion, is poor, and rainfall is sparse.

History

The name Castile derives from the many castles built there by the Christian nobles early in the reconquest from the Moors (8th–9th cent.). Old Castile at first was a county of the kingdom of León, with Burgos its capital. Its nobles (notably Fernán González) secured virtual autonomy by the 10th cent. Sancho III of Navarre, who briefly annexed the county, made it into a kingdom for his son, Ferdinand I, in 1035.

León was first united with Castile in 1037, but complex dynastic rivalries delayed the permanent union of the two realms, which was achieved under Ferdinand III in 1230. The Castilian kings played a leading role in the fight against the Moors, from whom they wrested New Castile. They also had to struggle against the turbulent nobles and were involved in dynastic disputes that plunged the country into civil war (see Alfonso X). Peter the Cruel limited the vast privileges of the nobles, but they were permanently curbed only late in the 15th cent.

In 1479, after Isabella I had defeated the dynastic claims of Juana la Beltraneja, a personal union of Castile and Aragón was established under Isabella and her husband, Ferdinand II of Aragón. The union was confirmed with the accession (1516) of their grandson, Charles I (later Emperor Charles V), to the Spanish kingdoms. Charles suppressed the uprisings of the comuneros in 1520–21.

With the decline of Catalan and Valencia during that period, Castile became the dominant power in Spain. It was the core of the Spanish monarchy, centralized in Madrid (the capital after the 16th cent.). Its dialect became the standard literary language of Spain, and the character of its people—proud and austere—typifies the Spanish state. Latin America was largely influenced by Castilian culture.

Castile or Castilia (Spanish: Castilla) may refer to:

• Castile (historical region), an abstract and vaguely defined region in the geographical centre of Spain
• Kingdom of Castile, the historical kingdom from the 9th to the 13th century
• Crown of Castile, the historical Kingdom formed in 1230 from the union of the Kingdom of Castile and Kingdom of León
• Castile-La Mancha, an autonomous community of Spain formed in 1982, composed of five provinces: Albacete, Ciudad Real, Cuenca, Guadalajara and Toledo
• Castile and León, an autonomous community of Spain formed on February 25, 1983, composed of 9 provinces, six Castilian and three Leonese: León, Zamora, Salamanca, Ávila, Burgos, Palencia, Segovia, Soria and Valladolid
• Old Castile, the political name of the region formed by Santander, Burgos, Logroño, Soria, Segovia, Ávila, Valladolid and Palencia. It had some territorial changes in its History, and had this name from 18th century to 1983. It no longer exists
• New Castile, the political name of the region formed by Ciudad Real, Cuenca, Guadalajara, Madrid, Toledo and part of Albacete. It took this name in the 18th century and disappeared with democracy. It no longer exists

Other

• Real Madrid Castilla, a Spanish football team. It is the reserve team of Real Madrid
• Castile soap, a name used in English-speaking countries for soap made exclusively from vegetable oil
• Castilia (butterfly), a butterfly genus
• Castella, a kind of sponge cake popular in Japan. The name comes from the Portuguese phrase pão de Castella, meaning "bread from Castile"

See also:

• Castilian

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