HISTORY OF THE CITY

In Valonsadero, mount near the city, have been found cave paintings with schematic human and animal representations. They are believed to be from the years 3000-2000 B.C.
Also in Garray, small village near the city, there are the ruins of the city of Numancia. The eldest rest found there are from the middle Bronze Age and the first Iron Age.

But the real origin is dated in 1110, when King Alfonso el Batallador repopulated the area after conquering it from Muslims. At the same time, it was established the military order of St. John of the Hospital. But after the repopulation, the city was still place for fratricide fights between the Christian reigns for its important situation. It was in 1214 when King Alfonso VIII the Emperor, considered it a Castilian city. In this year, according to tradition, St. Francis from Asis founded a monastery in the city.

The city was bounded to the Mesta since the creation of this society, but the rival ties and the fights for the power were on until the reign of the Trastamara Dynasty. During all this time, people from different precedence were coming into the city, settling in Barrios inside the castle wall, and separating the different ones with fields. In 1270 there existed 34 different Barrios.

In 1288 Lord Sancho El Bravo defends the city against the attack of the Cerda family. Eight years later the death of King Sancho, this family got the city.
All along the middle ages, these fights to consolidate the different reigns kept on. It is remarkable the rebellion against Alfonso XI, and the killing by the citizens of his representative Garcilaso de la Vega, with the consequent punishment.

The importance of the city economical and politically was huge. Here was celebrated the wedding of Juan de Castilla and Infanta Leonor, and de subsequent peace with Aragón, settled in 1375, and the laws for the Jewish population. The population in Soria was mainly Christian, but the Jewish inhabitants were an important part, and one of the bigger in the province. They were dedicated to commerce (of clothes, cattle, wine and oil). The expulsion of Jews in 1609 affected incredibly the city, with an important decrease of the number of inhabitants.

Before the Modern Ages, Soria had its peculiar way of government: the Concejo, headed by a Judge, 18 mayors and the same number of jurors, voted for the inhabitants of each Barrio. This is the origin of the Doce Linajes, the twelve noble families that reached the most powerful positions in the city.

With the end of the Mesta, also the splendor of the city comes to an end, because Soria was one of the most important wings of the order. But this splendor still was notable in the renaissance, and image of this is the great number of small palaces built in that epoch, some of then still standing.

Soria took part for Felipe V during the succession war, but the city did not have much recompense for its fidelity to the Borbon Family. During the independence war, the population of the city fought against the French army, and destroyed the Castle and the defensive wall. In this century, is notable the decrease of the population, one of the most important problems of the province nowadays.

There are a large number of people from the city that has reached an important place in fields as culture, science or politics, and also a large number of famous people have loved the land of Soria, as if it were their own land. We just have to remember how the city inspired Machado, Bécquer, and Gerardo Diego, o that Ortega y Gasset, Unamuno or Valle Inclán spent long periods of time in the province, with the famous expert on American studies José Tudela as host.

All along the history we find famous or important people, just to mention some:
González de Beteta: Ambassador in Rome for the Catholic Kings
Fray Francisco De Soria: priest confessor for Doña Violante
Clemente Sáenz García: geologist and historian.
Fray Tomas de Berlanga, advisor in the first trip of Christopher Columbus to America, and a great geographer, sailor and scientist. He discovered the Galapagos Islands.

Juan Antonio Gaya Nuño, historian and art critic, and also author of books like “El Santero de San Saturio”. Lorenzo Aguirre was an expert on law and collaborated with different magazines and newspapers. His grandson, Blas Taracena, and José Tudela dedicated almost their whole lives to study the history of Soria. The first one was also the first director of the Numantino Museum and of the National Archeological Museum.

Jose Tudela also investigated American history. He was the vice director of the American Museum since its creation, and director of the Ethnological Museum of Madrid. He also collaborated with different magazines and newspapers all over Spain.

Antonio Pérez Rioja was the chronicler of Soria and commissioned to translate the corpse of Christopher Columbus to Seville. His grandson has directed the ethnographic magazine “Celtiberia”. Its production is quite large, more than 2000 articles and 44 books about philology, art, history… He has also published a book, “Apuntes para un Diccionario Bibliográfico de Soria”, so useful to learn about a lot of important people, from Soria, or related to the province, from warriors in the old city of Numancia, until contemporary personalities.