Seville and The Alcazar

It is now, as I sit on the roof terrace of Seville’s branch of El Corte Ingles, (not exactly a cultural hotspot, but a symbol of economic prosperity as well as one of the few places with a view of the entire city's skyline) that I contemplate the wonders of this majestic city and just how it managed to flourish in the sweltering heat of Spain’s Andalusian province known by the locals as ‘the frying pan’. The city arguably hosts the largest collection of archaic monuments within the whole of Spain, thus it is with difficulty that I will attempt to truly illustrate the fine history of Seville.

Statue of Hercules, in the
nearby Almeada de Hercules

Mythology claims that Seville was created by Hercules, mortal son of Zeus, in reality however, the settlement was first created by the Tartessians in Eighth Century B.C. Since the foundation of Seville its development has largely revolved around the Guadalquivir River that runs directly through its centre. After Christopher Columbus’ discovery of America in 1492, Seville became the centre of the new world. The navigable Guadalquivir River meant that although inland, Seville could still function as a port and subsequently it did become the most important port in Spain, and the centre of Spanish colonial expansion. The money and gold brought in from the colonies allowed Seville to prosper and led to centuries of grandeur for the city.                                            

Front View of the Alcazar, onlooking the courtyard
 where Peter I would gather his hunting party 

One of the finest monuments within Seville is the Royal Alcazar, more than a thousand years old this fine palace serves to tell a story not just of Seville but Spain as a whole. Originally made by the Muslim king Al-Mutamid, in the 11^th Century, the Alcazar was designed as a fortress to protect the town from the banks of the Guadalquivir River. In the 12^th and 13^th Centuries, the Moroccan Almohad dynasty, now ruling Seville, had the walls further extended to their present boundaries today. After the Christian re-conquest, Seville fell into Christian hands, Alfonso X the Wise, King of Castille, recognised the cultural superiority of his Muslim enemies and treated the fine architecture of the Alcazar with great respect. Alfonso X did however want to make one addition to the glorious Alcazar in order to symbolize Christian triumph over the Moors. Alfonso X contracted the stonemasons of Burgos castle to intricately design and build what is known as the Gothic Palace within the Alcazar, majestically decorated to illustrate its importance, serving no real importance aside decorative.

A bust of Charles V, in the Historic  
Gardens of the Gothic Palace

The construction of the Alhambra palace in neighbouring Granada, the last Spanish settlement in the Muslim Kingdom, was of great influence to development of the Alcazar, During the 14^th Century, both Alfonso XI and his successor Peter I aimed to create a similar palace attracting Moorish artisans to reconstruct the Alcazar in the Mudejar style which had been so well executed at the Alahambra palace. In the 16^th century, the Alcazar became the central hub for trade within Seville, named as the ‘House of Trade’ which served to promote and regulate trade within the colonies of America. In the year 1526, the Alcazar was the location of the marriage of Charles V and Isabella of Portugal, annexing Portugal to the kingdom of Spain. 

The Maiden's patio, most recently restored in 2002

After the loss of trade with America in 1717, the Alcazar became progressively less important. With the arrival of Romantacism in Spain, the Alcazar received a new lease of life, with a multitude of resotrations being undertaken from the year 1832. In addition to this was the creation of the new gardens at the beginning of the 20^th Century, which were described as ‘nature humanised’, in tribute to the British Victoria Eugenia of Battenberg the wife of Alfonso XIII. The Alcazar thus illustrates all the difference influences upon Andalusia, and Spain as a whole, but underlines a recurring theme within Spanish History, a desire not to destroy, but instead to develop. Not only is this what makes Spanish towns like Seville as beautiful as they’re today, but it is what holds the key to the future of Spain, and the prosperity that will certainly flourish once again.