Castillo de Alcaudete

Alcaudete, Spain, Spain

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Castillo de Alcaudete is a hilltop fortress in Alcaudete, Jaén province, Spain, with roots in an Iberian oppidum later fortified by Romans and Muslims who named it al-Qabdaq for its abundant springs. Captured by Christians in 1085 under Alfonso VI, it changed hands repeatedly during the Reconquista until Alfonso XI secured it in 1340, granting it to the Order of Calatrava who rebuilt it in the 13th-14th centuries with polygonal walls, seven towers including a prominent keep, and a chapel amid an Almohad citadel. Transitioning from military stronghold to noble residence after Granada's fall in 1492, it withstood a 1408 Nasrid siege and now stands as a well-preserved monument offering panoramic views.