Editing Burgos (section)

==History==
{{see also|Timeline of Burgos}}
[[Homo antecessor|Early humans]] occupied sites around Burgos as early as 800,000 years ago.
When the Romans took possession of what is now the province of Burgos, the site had been a [[Celts|Celtic]] city. In Roman times, it belonged to [[Hispania Citerior]] ("Hither Spain") and then to [[Hispania Tarraconensis]]. In the 5th century, the [[Visigoths]] drove back the [[Suebi]], then the Berbers occupied almost all of [[Castile (historical region)|Castile]] in the 8th century, though only for a very brief period, and left little if any trace of their occupation. King [[Alfonso III of Leon|Alfonso III the Great]] of [[Kingdom of León|León]] reconquered it about the middle of the 9th century, and built several castles for the defence of Christendom, which was then extended through the reconquest of lost territory. The region came to be known as Castile (Latin ''castella''), i.e. "(land of) castles".<ref name=Catholic/>

[[File:Castillo de burgos exteriores.jpg|200px|thumb|Ruins of the [[Castle of Burgos]], of possible Visigothic origin]]
Burgos was founded in 884 as an outpost of this [[Reconquista|expanding Christian frontier]],<ref>Teofilo F. Ruiz, "The Transformation of the Castilian Municipalities: The Case of Burgos 1248–1350" ''Past and Present'' '''77''' (November 1977, pp. 3–32), p. 5.</ref> when Diego Rodríguez "Porcelos", count of [[County of Castile|Castile]], governed this territory with orders to promote the increase of the Christian population; with this end in view he gathered the inhabitants of the surrounding country into one fortified village. The city began to be called ''Caput Castellae'' ("Cabeza de Castilla" or "Head of Castile"). The [[County of Castile|county (''condado'') of Castile]], subject to the [[List of Leonese monarchs|Kings of León]], continued to be governed by counts and was gradually extended;<ref name=Catholic/> one of these counts, Fernán González, established his independence.<ref>It later became the [[Kingdom of Castile]], being sometimes united with Navarre and sometimes with Leon. In the reign of [[St. Ferdinand III]] (c. 1200–1252), Leon and Castile were united, but they continued to be called respectively the Kingdom of Leon and the Kingdom of Castile until the 19th century.</ref>
[[File:Burgos monasterio huelgas lou.JPG|thumb|200px|[[Abbey of Santa María la Real de Las Huelgas]], founded in 1180]]

In the 11th century, the city became the see of the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Burgos]] and the capital of the [[Kingdom of Castile]]. Burgos was a major stop for pilgrims on the [[French Way]] the most popular path to [[Santiago de Compostela]]<ref>The [[Way of St James|Camino de Santiago]] passed directly through the city, where an urban section of it was called the "French Road" (Ruiz 1977:13).</ref> and a centre of trade between the [[Bay of Biscay]] and the south, which attracted an unusually large foreign merchant population, who became part of the city oligarchy and excluded other foreigners.<ref>Ruiz 1977:10.</ref> Throughout the 13th and 14th centuries, Burgos was a favourite seat of the [[Crown of Castile|kings of León and Castile]] and a favoured burial site. The ''[[consejo]]'' or [[Medieval commune|urban commune]] of Burgos was firmly in the hands of an oligarchic class of ''caballeros villanos'', the "peasant knights" of Burgos, who provided the monarchs with a mounted contingent: in 1255 and 1266 royal charters granted relief from taxes to those citizens of Burgos who owned horses and could arm themselves, provided that they continue to live within the city walls.<ref>Ruiz 1977:6–9.</ref> The merchant oligarchy succeeded the cathedral chapter as the major purchasers of land after 1250; they carried on their mercantile business in common with municipal or royal functions and sent their sons to England and Flanders to gain experience in overseas trade. A few families within the ''[[hermandad]]es'' or confraternities like the Sarracín and Bonifaz succeeded in monopolising the post of ''[[alcalde]]'', or mayor; a special court, the ''alcalde del rey'' was first mentioned at Burgos in 1281.<ref>Ruis 1977:23.</ref> By the reign of [[Alfonso X]], the exemption of the non-noble knights and religious corporations, combined with exorbitant gifts and grants to monasteries and private individuals, placed great stress on the economic well-being of the realm.{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}}

In the century following the conquest of [[Seville]] (1248) from the Moors, Burgos became a testing ground for royal policies of increasing power against the ''consejo'', in part by encouraging the right to appeal from the ''consejo'' to the king. In 1285, [[Sancho IV of Castile|Sancho IV]] added a new body to the ''consejo'' which came to dominate it: the ''jurado'' in charge of collecting taxes and overseeing public works; the king reserved the right to select its members. The city perceived that danger to its autonomy came rather from an uncontrolled aristocracy during royal minorities: Burgos joined the ''hermandades'' of cities that leagued together for mutual protection in 1295 and 1315. In the 14th century, official royal intrusion in city affairs was perceived as a palliative against outbreaks of violence by the large excluded class of smaller merchants and artisans, on whom the tax burden fell. The ''[[alguacil]]'' was the royal official instituted to judge disagreements.{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}}

On 9 June 1345, sweeping aside the city government, [[Alfonso XI]] established direct royal rule of Burgos through the ''Regimiento'' of sixteen appointed men.{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}}

[[File:Braun Burgos UBHD.jpg|thumb|center|upright=3.2|Burgos, as depicted in the [[Georg Braun]] & [[Frans Hogenberg]]'s ''Civitates Orbis Terrarum'' (c. 1572)]]

In 1574, [[Pope Gregory XIII]] made the bishopric a Metropolitan [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Burgos|archbishopric]], at the request of king [[Philip II of Spain|Felipe II]].{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}}

Burgos has been the scene of many wars: with the [[Moors]], the struggles between León and Navarre, and between Castile and [[Aragon]]. In the [[Peninsular War]] against Napoleonic France, the [[siege of Burgos]] (between 19 September to 21 October) was a scene of a withdrawal for [[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington]]. Again in the 19th-century [[Carlist]] civil [[wars of the Spanish succession]] Burgos was the scene of a battle. During the [[Spanish Civil War]], Burgos was the base of General [[Francisco Franco|Franco]]'s rebel nationalist government.{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}}

<gallery widths="205px" heights="145px">
Entrance to Burgos, 1838.jpg|Entrance to Burgos by [[David Roberts (painter)|David Roberts]], c. 1838
Burgos centre c1850.jpg|Burgos by Adolphe Rouargue and Émile Rouargue, c. 1850
Burgos Historic Centre near the cathedral.jpg|Historic street leading from the cathedral
Palacio de la Capitanía General, Burgos (Spain).jpg|Palace of the Captains General
</gallery>

=== Jewish History ===
Historically, there was a large and thriving [[Jewish]] community in Burgos. Its first documentation dates to 974. In the 13th century, Burgos was the largest Jewish center in northern Castile. Renowned [[Talmudists]] [[Meir Abulafia]], [[Todros ben Joseph Abulafia]], and poet [[Todros ben Judah Halevi Abulafia]] were born in Burgos. In the latter half of the 13th century, many [[kabbalists]] began moving to Burgos. After new restrictions were imposed on Jews, and they began to suffer from more violent acts of antisemitism, many converted to Christianity. The most well-known convert from Burgos, [[Paul of Burgos]], was originally a Spanish Jew named Solomon Halevi. During the [[Edict of Expulsion]] in 1492, most Jews in Burgos became [[conversos]] rather than fleeing Spain. Those who did went to Portugal.<ref>{{cite web |title=Burgos, Spain |url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/burgos |website=Jewish Virtual Library |access-date=26 June 2024}}</ref>