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00:00Fortress, prisons, towers, the castles have witnessed our history for centuries.
00:30In Europe, over a hundred thousand are still standing, thousand years later.
00:40Let's visit the most spectacular and most mysterious castles.
00:47We will discover the secrets that are hidden behind their walls.
00:53And we will relive their long lasting legends.
01:29Looking at the best preserved Romanesque castle in Europe.
01:36From the 11th century until the present, Loare has remained one of the most spectacular fortresses we can still see today.
01:45Both because of its location, overlooking the Olla de Huesca valley in northeastern Spain.
01:52And because of its robust construction, sitting on top of a rocky limestone outcrop that prevented attacks from underground.
02:03It was a defensive bastion used by King Sancho III the Great to halt the advance of Islam.
02:11Dating from that time is the central core of the military complex, which was later extended to even include a church.
02:19Which was difficult and complicated to locate, St. Peter of Loare.
02:27Loare was constructed using the rocky formations, turning any extension work into a challenge.
02:41The church is on two floors and is accessed via a steep staircase.
02:47And its interior contains some very audacious elements, considering that it was built a thousand years ago.
03:01The whole of the complex is a succession of twists and turns on different levels.
03:07Intelligent solutions to overcome the problem of height.
03:17Loare was the gateway to the Pyrenees, the central Pyrenees, the area of the Aragonese Pyrenees.
03:23Because to the north are the mountainous barriers of difficult crossing.
03:27And to the south we go down to the Ebro valley, to the area of Zaragoza.
03:32In such a way that we are very close to Jaca, which was the first capital of the future Kingdom of Aragon.
03:37And it has an extraordinary importance.
03:42Loare had both a military and religious purpose.
03:46It was not a castle designed for luxury.
03:50For years it was home to a community of Augustine monks.
03:55Whose rules of behavior also initially followed the order of the Templars.
04:16From there, religious and military orders that will have an enormous importance in the future of the Reconquista.
04:28One of Loare's oldest legends stems from that military and religious character associated with Christianity and the Holy War.
04:37The legend of Saint Demetrius of Thessalonica.
04:41Saint Demetrius was a military saint, a Byzantine saint, an old legionary of the Roman legions, who abandoned the army and became a Christian.
04:54He was a high-ranking soldier in the Roman Empire, whose position led to him being executed by his guards, who ran him through with their lances.
05:03It is said that hundreds of years later his remains performed miracles, and so the Christian community decided to move them.
05:34And one says, let's leave it until the mule stops.
05:39And the mule went on and on until Loare, and in Loare it stopped.
05:50The legend goes that the clerics following the mule, upon witnessing this sign, decided to deposit the remains in the castle, leading to the construction of the Church of Saint Peter.
06:03But Loare also has its mysterious and ghostly aspects.
06:17One of the legends has it that on the night of St. John in June, the figure of a woman appears looking out from the balcony known as the Queen's Balcony.
06:27She is waiting for her love, her own cousin, to return from France where he has gone to recruit troops.
06:35She is Doña Violante, niece of the Pope Luna, Benedict XIII.
06:57This happened in 1413, and Loare, which had held out against the army, had to surrender to King Ferdinand.
07:05Doña Violante was imprisoned in the castle dungeons, and nothing more was heard of her.
07:27This is Spain's most visited castle, and without doubt, the most familiar in the world.
07:37The Alcazar, or Fortress of Segovia, 100 kilometres from Madrid.
07:47But hardly anyone knows that this marvel of architecture owes part of its appearance to a bolt of lightning.
07:56The term Alcazar, which comes from Arabic, means fortified royal residence.
08:27But there can be no doubt that the king who left an indelible mark on the Alcazar was Alfonso X the Wise,
08:35so named because of his love of culture, knowledge of the sciences, astronomy and writing.
08:43He was an innovator who laid the foundation stones for democratisation of the crown,
08:49and who saw Segovia as an important venue to carry out his modernisation plans.
08:57The kings at this time do not have a stable and fixed capital, but the court is itinerant.
09:03The court is changing cities, and in each of the cities of Castile and Leon they need a palace.
09:09They need a defensively powerful palace, but they also need the comforts of a palace.
09:18The reign of Alfonso X saw the beginnings of the majestic castle we can admire today.
09:28For this reason, he began the construction of the keep.
09:34The legend of the Alcazar, however, tells that the renovations had a divine beginning.
09:48If he had built the world, he would have done much better than God, he would have built other different things.
09:52The church considers it blasphemy.
09:54A Franciscan goes to see him and tells him that he has to give up what he had said.
09:56He says no.
09:58That provokes, according to the legend, provokes the wrath of God,
10:02launches a lightning that struck the Alcazar,
10:06at the moment when the Alcazar of Segovia is occupied by the court,
10:10at the moment when several prelates, nobles, the king himself is in the Alcazar,
10:14and the Alcazar is on fire.
10:16There are all kinds of lightning, thunder and rain,
10:20and the Alcazar, the room where he is sleeping with his wife,
10:22there is a piece of wall next to it,
10:24and the Alcazar falls on them.
10:30Alfonso X apologized to the clergy, but took advantage of the fire to renovate the palace to his liking.
10:40The castle has a number of rooms intended for royal audiences and celebrations.
10:46The work of successive monarchs.
10:52One of them experienced a tragic event that became a historical legend.
11:00The youngest son of Henry II, King of Castile,
11:04fell to his death from a window in the palace.
11:09The kings lived in that place,
11:11their children ran through their corridors,
11:13and the misfortune came at a certain moment.
11:17What the chronicles tell us,
11:19and what the legend has later built,
11:21is that the witch who watched over the infant,
11:25when she saw that tragedy, she threw herself,
11:27she rushed through the window,
11:29she committed suicide immediately after,
11:31fearing the wrath of her lord, the king.
11:33The child's grave is in Segovia Cathedral,
11:37very close to the castle.
11:41It was always said that he was around 12 years old,
11:45but recent investigations into the contents of the tomb
11:49place his age at just under a year old.
11:53What really happened?
11:55Perhaps the legend is a true reflection of the reality.
12:00As the centuries went by,
12:02the Alcázar changed from being a royal residence
12:06to a prison for noblemen.
12:08And in the 20th century,
12:10it was converted into a military artillery academy.
12:14But it continues to delight anyone who comes to see it,
12:18or who admires its outline from far away.
12:22The history of Peñíscola Castle
12:26is inevitably linked with the order of the Templars
12:30and a mythical figure, Pope Benedict XIII,
12:34the so-called Pope Luna,
12:36the man at the center of the Catholic Church's
12:40most turbulent episode of the Middle Ages.
12:44In fact, he was one of the first people
12:49Peñíscola Castle is on the Mediterranean coast
12:53of the province of Castellón de la Plana
12:57in eastern Spain.
12:59It was a small Islamic fortification
13:03which was reconquered by the Christians
13:07at the end of the 13th century.
13:09In 1294, the Templars were handed over
13:13and the Templars were going to build
13:17an even more immeasurable fortress,
13:21a truly powerful castle,
13:23also in a very short time,
13:25until 1304, practically.
13:27That construction lasts very little time.
13:29The castle became an imposing bastion
13:33on the Mediterranean coast,
13:35considered a key location in the Crusades.
13:39The order of the Temple was an international order.
13:43It had possessions throughout Europe.
13:46European possessions,
13:48mainly Catalan,
13:50Aragonese, Castilian.
13:52It was necessary to send the so-called
13:56responses to the Holy Land.
13:58That is, money, horses, weapons and men
14:02who had to move to the Holy Land
14:06to support the war effort against the Muslims
14:08in that place,
14:10which was the great frontier of Christianity.
14:12Peñíscola served as a bridgehead,
14:15as a port,
14:17from which many of these resources
14:19were embarked to support the wars
14:21against the Muslims in the Crusades,
14:23in the space of the Crusades,
14:25which was the Holy Land.
14:27A few years after construction
14:29of the castle was completed,
14:31the Knights Templar were forced
14:33to hand over Peñíscola
14:35to the King of Aragon.
14:37Temporary horses disappear on the map.
14:41They have to flee everywhere.
14:43In theory, they have boats in France,
14:45in Lorient, and flee to America.
14:47And others flee through the peninsula
14:49because the American peninsula is also being chased
14:51through Castile and Extremadura
14:53and flee to Portugal.
14:57Peñíscola remained in the hands
14:59of the Crown of Aragon.
15:01But soon afterwards,
15:03it took on huge importance again
15:05when it became the headquarters
15:07of the Pope Lunar, Benedict XIII,
15:09who was forced to flee from France
15:12because of the so-called Western Schism.
15:14The Schism of the West
15:16meant a break
15:18of Western Christianity
15:20between two obediences,
15:22that of Rome and that of Avignon.
15:24Pope Lunar, Benedict XIII,
15:26was the Pope of Avignon.
15:28He had to flee from Avignon
15:30and took refuge in the castle of Peñíscola,
15:32where he will always find the protection
15:34of the Aragonese kings.
15:36He was a person
15:38who was, of course, ambitious.
15:40He was a smart person.
15:42No one becomes Pope
15:44if they are not smart, ambitious,
15:46and they have the ability
15:48to gather around their person
15:50a lot of support
15:52and, of course, to manipulate a lot.
15:58Who was the Pope Lunar?
16:02His name was Pedro Lunar.
16:05He was elected Pope in France
16:07on the death of Clement VII
16:09when Urban IV
16:11also occupied the position of Pope in Rome.
16:13The Christian faith
16:15now had two Popes at the same time
16:17and a problem.
16:25With the French option defeated,
16:27Pope Lunar took refuge
16:29in Peñíscola.
16:31He took refuge there
16:33and remained Pope until his death.
16:39The legends about the Pope Lunar
16:41draw their inspiration
16:43from his fierce character.
16:45It is said that he had
16:47supernatural powers,
16:49perhaps based on the level
16:51of his knowledge in many fields.
16:55It is said that he built
16:57some stairs at night
16:59on the seashore
17:02and he had a magical boat
17:04with which he could fly
17:06to Rome.
17:12There were stories of how
17:14he was very familiar
17:16with the properties of numerous herbs,
17:18leading to him being considered
17:20an esoteric man.
17:22Pope Lunar was an alchemist
17:24and he made some special herbs
17:26so that some people
17:28around him
17:31could be influenced.
17:33The Pope Lunar died at the age of 94
17:35and despite being
17:37declared the anti-Pope
17:39and a heretic,
17:41it is said that he continued to be Pope
17:43until the end of his days.
17:51Welcome to
17:53Coca Castle
17:55in Segovia, central Spain.
17:57An effusion
17:59of warlike and technological
18:01imagination constructed
18:03by a master architect of Muslim
18:05origin called Ali Caro.
18:23Commissioning Ali Caro
18:26to build the castle had another
18:28objective, to save costs,
18:30given that the Mudejar master
18:32architects were experts
18:34in the use of materials,
18:36such as bricks and mortar,
18:38eliminating the use of stone.
18:44Coca is a sunken castle.
18:46It wasn't built on a hill,
18:48but rather rose up from below
18:50the surface of the land.
18:52The idea was to make it less
18:54which at that time was beginning to wreak
18:56havoc in sieges.
19:00Brick was also better
19:02at absorbing impacts.
19:24In addition, the artillery
19:26meant a change in the way
19:28the castle was built.
19:54And at the same time
19:56prevent the enemy from climbing
19:58the walls using ladders.
20:20Coca has numerous
20:23technical details that continue
20:25to provoke admiration
20:27because of the intelligence of the person
20:29who designed it.
20:31Or because of his malicious way of thinking.
20:37This is not a normal vault.
20:39This was the dungeon.
20:43There was no other opening into the room.
20:47Prisoners were thrown down through the hole in the top.
20:49The fall from six meters
20:51usually broke a number of bones.
20:55But they received no attention.
21:03One part of the circular wall
21:05was made of brick with the mortar
21:07sloping downwards
21:09to prevent any attempt to climb up.
21:11Quite a useless endeavor.
21:15In a place like this
21:18with no points of spatial reference
21:20prisoners went out of their minds.
21:22They were taken out
21:24after four months completely mad.
21:34The castle has an underground
21:36tank for water emerging from a spring.
21:38The entrance to which
21:40is at the base of disbattlement.
21:42It is said
21:44that to test whether
21:46the water was permanently drinkable
21:48they kept a single
21:50freshwater fish in the tank.
21:54If it died
21:56the water could be poisoned.
21:58And they only kept
22:00one fish there to prevent it reproducing.
22:04A most curious system
22:06to warn of poisoning.
22:12The water galleries were also used
22:14to detect possible incursions
22:16through the tunnels
22:18as the water could transmit
22:20the vibrations of the excavations.
22:24As time passed
22:26the castle became
22:28a courtesan area.
22:30A courtesan area
22:32where people
22:34went to see the troubadours
22:36to party
22:38and do all kinds of things.
22:41It was very noble
22:43to have a large number
22:45of squires,
22:47knights, pages
22:49dressed all the same,
22:51horses all the same,
22:53in a kind of representation
22:55of elemental power.
22:57In those meetings
22:59the historic legend
23:01of the love between
23:03Maria Fonseca,
23:05the daughter of Antonio de Fonseca,
23:07captain of the Catholic Monarchs
23:10The captain, who had other plans for his daughter,
23:12rejected this relationship
23:14and married her to another.
23:16The Marquis, in a crazed attempt
23:18to rescue his loved one,
23:20attacked the castle with his small army
23:22and was severely burnt
23:24by the boiling oil
23:26poured through the Macchi collations
23:28in the battlements.
23:32Maria was widowed
23:34soon afterwards.
23:36When he heard the news
23:38he kidnapped Maria
23:40and married her a short time later.
23:48He was sent to prison
23:50for his pains by Queen Isabella
23:52and was released upon the sovereign's death.
23:58In a castle designed
24:00for war, but which has no
24:02ghosts, spectres or impossible
24:04legends, this love story
24:07with a happy ending
24:09gives these magnificent towers and walls
24:11a human feel.
24:19A German traveller wrote
24:21in the 15th century
24:23No king has a more beautiful
24:25palace and castle
24:27with so many gilded rooms.
24:29He was talking
24:31about this one, Ollite Castle
24:33in Navarra, northern Spain.
24:35And on his travels around Europe
24:37he had seen nothing to compare with it.
24:43The castle was built
24:45as an absolute expression
24:47of power and elegance.
24:49Charles III, the monarch
24:51of the then Kingdom of Navarra
24:53known as Charles the Noble
24:55ordered the construction of a fortified
24:57residence that would be a symbol
24:59in response to the political ambitions
25:01of other Spanish and European
25:04nobles.
25:24Ollite is notable
25:26for its innovation and a certain
25:28extravagance.
25:30This perception of luxury
25:32prompted Charles III
25:34to bring numerous exotic animals
25:36from different parts of the world.
26:02Lions, zebras
26:04parrots
26:06parrots
26:08The royal cage was
26:10in this courtyard
26:12and covered with a net
26:14that prevented the birds from flying off.
26:16You have the impression
26:18of still being able to hear
26:20the singing of some tropical birds
26:22here, where the walls
26:24still have the holes that supported
26:26the bars on which they slept.
26:29It is said
26:31that there were also camels
26:33ostriches
26:35and even a lion
26:37the protagonist
26:39of one of the most
26:41curious legends.
26:59It is said
27:01that the lion's roaring
27:03can sometimes be heard
27:05from the nearby hotel
27:07in the converted outside portion
27:09of the palace castle.
27:17The zoo was perhaps
27:19the most extravagant part
27:21of the palace.
27:23It is said
27:25that the lions
27:27It is said
27:29that it also had hanging gardens
27:31covering a large part of the facades
27:33which were the admiration
27:35of its visitors.
27:37The secret
27:39to keeping the enormous tropical
27:41and climbing plants fresh
27:43was none other than an
27:45innovative irrigation system
27:47using lead pipes
27:49that circulated around the inside
27:51of the walls.
27:53Quite
27:56extraordinary.
28:00Also worthy of note
28:02is this oval shaped construction
28:04a huge refrigerator.
28:06They would fill it
28:08with snow and use it both
28:10for preserving foods
28:12and for medicinal purposes
28:14to treat bruising
28:16or to reduce fever.
28:20But so much luxury
28:22and the pressure involved
28:25who it was said
28:27went out of his mind
28:29and began hearing voices and laments.
28:31It is claimed
28:33they can still be heard today.
28:49A portrait of Charles III
28:51nearing the end of his life
28:53shows us a terrified man
28:55staring at what looks like
28:57a diabolical mask
28:59reflected in the painting.
29:23In 1813
29:25Ollite was burnt down
29:27by the Spanish general
29:29Francisco Espoz
29:31to prevent it falling
29:33into the hands of Napoleon.
29:35It was rebuilt
29:37in 1937.
29:41But you can still hear
29:43whispers,
29:45laments
29:47and cries
29:49of the people
29:52laments
29:54and the roaring of a lion.
30:08One of Spain's
30:10most original castles is this one.
30:12The Castle Palace
30:14of Belmonte
30:16in the southwest
30:18of the province of Cuenca
30:20in central Spain.
30:24Despite being
30:26a genuine defensive fortification
30:28it was designed more
30:30as a palace for nobles.
30:34During its almost
30:36eight centuries of history
30:38it has been a royal residence,
30:40a palace of retreat,
30:44a monastery.
30:50Its two major protagonists
30:52are two women with great personality
30:56Joana la Beltraneja
30:58and the Empress Eugenia de Montijo.
31:04The history of Belmonte
31:06is closely associated with the tremendous
31:08confusion surrounding the
31:10succession to the Spanish throne
31:12in the 15th century
31:14which finally ended up in the hands
31:16of the Catholic monarchs.
31:20Joana is the daughter of Enrique IV,
31:22the impotent,
31:24because it seems he neglected
31:26his marital duties.
31:28In fact, Joana
31:30is the daughter
31:32of a noble
31:34named Beltran de la Cueva.
31:42To cut a long story short,
31:44Joana and her supporters
31:46became involved in a civil war
31:49at the beginning of Portugal.
31:51Although never clearly defeated,
31:53her army gradually withdrew
31:55in favor of her cousin
31:57Isabella of Castile,
31:59the Catholic Queen.
32:01On her withdrawal,
32:03Joana la Beltraneja was held
32:05in Belmonte Castle
32:07for a period of time.
32:09It is not clear whether she remained
32:11in the castle as a guest
32:13or whether she was actually imprisoned.
32:19Joana la Beltraneja fled from Belmonte
32:21and it is not clear
32:23whether she did so with help
32:25or whether she had to use her own wits
32:27to escape.
32:49Back then,
32:51prisoners were subjected
32:53to cruel forms of torture.
32:55At Belmonte,
32:57there are records,
32:59as in other castles,
33:01of the use of Chinese water torture,
33:03which is sometimes erroneously
33:05confused with the
33:07Malay-Belmonte torture.
33:09In fact,
33:11it is not clear
33:13whether Joana was actually
33:15imprisoned or not.
33:17It is not clear
33:19whether Joana was actually imprisoned
33:21or not.
33:23It is not clear
33:25whether Joana was actually imprisoned
33:27or not.
33:29It is not clear
33:31whether Joana was actually imprisoned
33:33or not.
33:35It is not clear
33:37whether Joana was actually imprisoned
33:39or not.
33:41It is not clear
33:43whether Joana was actually imprisoned
33:46or not.
34:07The decoration in the current
34:09Belmonte castle is reminiscent
34:11of some French palaces.
34:13This is because the person
34:15restoration was none other than an empress, the Spanish empress Eugenia de Montijo, married
34:23to Napoleon III, Emperor and last King of France.
34:28Eugenia de Montijo, from France, commissioned an architect to carry out a restoration.
34:35They built some galleries in the courtyard, conditioned to be residences, and part of
34:42the Almenaje, which was very damaged, and part of the exterior enclosure.
34:49More recently, Belmonte has been the setting for a number of film shoots.
34:55One such case was the 1961 filming of El Cid, starring Charlton Heston.
35:02One day, when the actor was leaving his caravan, he claimed to have seen the ghost of a woman
35:08looking out of a window in the keep.
35:10It was never discovered whether this was true, or just a product of the palace's
35:15power of suggestion.
35:23On the ruins of a Roman settlement, the Arabs who conquered the Iberian Peninsula understood
35:30the importance of this hill, and built this spectacular fortress, Almodovar Castle.
35:42It stands in a strategic location, dominating the course of the river Guadalquivir, as it
35:49flows south towards Seville in southern Spain.
35:53The importance of this spot was also understood by the Christian nobles, in their slow but
35:59steady task of reconquering captured territory.
36:03We are talking about the 11th century, when King Felipe VI, who had just conquered Toledo,
36:10was now looking towards Córdoba and Seville.
36:16The Muslim king of Córdoba gave his wife a safe haven, El Almodovar Castle.
36:22Her name was Faida, and she is the protagonist of the legend that still endures today in
36:27the fortress.
36:29The legend has various versions.
36:32Some say that Faida, who had no news of her husband's death, could sense him from far
36:38away, and from that moment on began to wander around the castle, refusing to eat and drink,
36:45dying of starvation.
36:50This is the legend of La Encanta, the Charmed One.
37:00The more historical version has it that Faida asked for protection from King Felipe VI, who
37:05fell in love with her.
37:08Some write that she was his lover, others say that she converted to Christianity, married
37:12the king, and gave him his first male child, the heir to the throne.
37:16But this boy, who was going to be the heir to Castile and León, and the whole area of
37:24northern Portugal, etc., they decided to take him to the Battle of Ucles against the Almoravids,
37:30and he died.
37:31He died in the war at the age of 11.
37:34It seems that they took the children to the battles, which is impressive, and especially
37:38in the case of a heir.
37:40And that changed the history of Castile.
37:46The reality is that ill fortune pursued this beautiful princess, who lived out her days
37:52in the court at Toledo.
37:54However, numerous employees working on the reconstruction of the castle, eight centuries
37:59later, claim to have been surprised by the sight of the ghost of a woman dressed in white,
38:06with a sad appearance, appearing within the walls of Almodovar.
38:19In the 14th century, it was for a long time the residence of King Peter I of Castile,
38:26nicknamed the Cruel.
38:27Let's look at some of the reasons why he got his nickname.
38:33Peter the Cruel would lock his prisoners in the dungeons at Almodovar.
38:40Below them was the death cell, a common feature of several castles.
38:48Prisoners were thrown down into a spherical, doorless cell from a great height.
38:57It was impossible to escape from there, and the prisoners died of starvation.
39:08This cell gives rise to the legend.
39:11Seeing that it was a place that no one could escape from, Peter the Cruel had the idea
39:16of keeping his treasure there, and installed a chain that could be used to descend and
39:21retrieve it if necessary.
39:24And then, so the legend goes, he invented a macabre security system.
39:30He brought in a trainer of venomous spiders, so that the most lethal spider was permanently
39:36on the chain, and the spider learnt that if the chain moved, it had to crawl down immediately
39:42to attack whoever was hanging from it.
39:45A malicious and twisted system.
39:48Of that there is no doubt, but Peter the Cruel was even more malicious.
39:53He asked the trainer to train the spider to obey him as well, and when he achieved
39:59his aim, he beheaded the spider trainer.
40:04The king didn't want anyone else to be able to reach the treasure at Almodovar del Río.
40:20This charming castle, 50 kilometres from Madrid, is the castle of Manzanares el Real.
40:28The fruit of a royal donation, and the brilliant historical period of the Mendoza family, the
40:34Marquises of Santillana.
40:50And like other elegant nobles, who feature in romantic legends and stories, the story
41:08of this castle is centred on an heir of the Mendoza family, and a young local shepherdess.
41:15So what happened?
41:21In fact, Manzanares castle is actually two castles.
41:26700 metres away from the site of this one is where the old one stood, the first to be
41:31built by the Mendoza family.
41:45King John of Castile had donated these lands to Pedro González de Mendoza, the fifth son
41:56of the first Marquis of Santillana.
41:58His son Diego built the first castle, of which only these remains are left.
42:05We don't know for sure if it will be completely built, or if at some point it will be abandoned.
42:13What we do know about the old castle is that it is a ruined castle, it is a castle that
42:18legends and local historians tell us that it is being demolished, it is being destroyed
42:25to use its materials in the construction of the new castle, but we are not yet sure.
42:35It appears that the first castle was not worthy of the family's nobility, however, it is
42:41said that there was a tunnel that originally connected the two castles.
42:47Imagine a passage that would pass under the river Manzanares.
42:54Nowadays, this watercourse has given way to a reservoir that bears the name of Santillana,
43:00in an area surrounded by mountains of granite rock.
43:05A material that was used to construct the castle, and which would have made digging
43:11a secret passageway very complicated.
43:16The supposed passageway forms part of the legend known as the Maricantina legend.
43:24It would appear that one of the Marquises of Santillana fell in love with a young goat
43:29herder from the village, who they called Maricantina.
43:38The story goes that they both used this passageway to meet in secret.
43:44However, the family forced the young man to marry someone of his noble rank.
44:00Until just a few years ago, the village children would not venture near the castle,
44:06where people claim to have seen, on a number of occasions, the ghost of Maricantina
44:12wandering the battlements, bemoaning her sad fate.
44:29They enjoyed great privileges and fortunes that allowed them to host
44:35ostentatious banquets, ostentatious parties, to entertain their guests in this type of event,
44:42and it also allowed them to exploit the lands and the people
44:48where their territories were settled, where their suns settled.
44:53The legend of Manzanares el Real is an excellent example of the extreme social differences
44:59that existed in the society of the Middle Ages.
45:09This enormous brick construction, built just as we see it today in the 15th century,
45:15was a luxury prison in a story that has become a royal legend.
45:21The legend of Joana, nicknamed Joana the Mad, the Queen of Spain who never reigned
45:27and whom everyone claimed had a mental disorder.
45:33Mota Castle also signified a huge step forward in fortress defence.
45:51The first thing the Mudéjar builders did was sink the castle in an enormous moat,
45:57which was not created to be filled with water, but to prevent explosions from undermining the base.
46:07It was also done like this to provide three levels for shooting.
46:11It was also done like this to provide three levels for shooting.
46:42Those 100 cannons were arranged in galleries measuring almost a kilometre long
46:48on the different levels of the outer wall.
47:12With so much noise from the cannon fire, it was difficult to make yourself heard.
47:17This is why the builders created distribution areas from which the officers gave orders
47:23that reached the wall clearly, thanks to the carefully studied architectural design.
47:31Designs such as the right-angled entrance to prevent direct attacks on the main door
47:36and which culminated in a bastion designed to prevent the artillery from being effective,
47:41with the addition of round towers which repelled projectiles better.
48:06They ended up being prisoners in the castles of the monarchy,
48:09always treated as the body of a king.
48:13It was a luxury prison because the most famous characters went there.
48:18The cells were not prison cells as you can see elsewhere.
48:25This was where Hernando Pizarro, brother of the conquistador Francisco Pizarro, was imprisoned.
48:33His penchant for killing other illustrious soldiers earned him a 20-year stay in the prison at Mota.
48:42And then there was Cesar Borgia, a Spanish nobleman and nephew of Pope Alexander VI,
48:48taken prisoner in Naples in the war against Spain.
48:52As an exemplary punishment, he was incarcerated in Mota.
49:03However, undoubtedly, the most well-known prisoner in the castle was Joana,
49:09daughter of Queen Isabella, who has always gone by the name of Joana the Mad.
49:16Joana never showed the slightest interest in matters relating to religion,
49:20but she was a very active member of the royal family.
49:24She was a very active member of the royal family.
49:28Joana never showed the slightest interest in matters relating to religion or the crown.
49:33By all accounts, she was a very sensitive and introverted woman.
49:38Her wedding to Philip the Handsome, the incumbent Spanish emperor in Flanders,
49:43gave him six children, but she was always very jealous of her husband.
49:58She was held captive for two years in Mota Castle on her mother's orders.
50:03It is said that she would sit in her boudoir for hours gazing out of the window.
50:09The death of her husband, with whom she was deeply in love,
50:13sank her into a depression that bordered on dementia, or so it was classified at the time.
50:19The historical legend of Joana has been revised in recent years
50:23in an attempt to show that she was never mad,
50:27but rather a shy and insecure person,
50:30who was forced to suffer in the imposing Mota Castle
50:34because of the Queen Mother's strong personality.
50:40In this bedroom, Joana's mother, Joana the Mad,
50:45In this bed, just a few metres from the castle,
50:48Isabella the Catholic dictated her will,
50:51in which she recorded that the Queen should be her daughter Joana,
50:58the Queen who never got to reign.
51:15Coming up, who will ace this specialist subject?
51:18Find out in a new episode of Celebrity Mastermind.
51:21Or over on SBS World Movies,
51:23Mads Mikkelsen stars in the critically acclaimed film The Hunt.
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