Sagunto Castle is a fortress overlooking the town of Sagunto, near Valencia in Spain. The site's history extends back over two thousand years and includes Iberian, Roman and medieval remains.
In 214 BC, Romans took Sagunto from the Carthaginians and later built a temple and water cistern on the hill. During the Islamic period, the Albacar section and much of the outer wall were constructed, and the castle was used to defend Catalonia and Valencia. El Cid occupied it from 1098 to 1102, and in 1238, Christian king Jaume I incorporated it into the Kingdom of Valencia.
Peter IV of Aragon reinforced the castle in the 14th century, and King Peter of Castile captured it in 1363. In 1562, King Philip II commissioned upgrades, dividing the castle into seven plazas. During the War of Succession in the early 18th century, it changed hands between the Archduke of Austria and King Philip V of Spain. In 1811, during the Peninsular War, French General Suchet captured and repaired the castle after a siege.
The site occupies a hilltop overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, and is surrounded by defensive walls. The castle is divided into seven main sections or plazas. The visible ruins are essentially those of the Muslim citadel, with later modifications under Christian rule, and finally by French engineers during the Peninsular War.
References:The Château de Chantilly comprises two attached buildings: the Petit Château built around 1560 for Anne de Montmorency, and the Grand Château, which was destroyed during the French Revolution and rebuilt in the 1870s. Owned by the Institut de France, the château houses the Musée Condé. It is one of the finest art galleries in France and is open to the public.
The estate"s connection with the Montmorency family began in 1484. The first mansion (now replaced by the Grand Château) was built in 1528–1531 for the Constable Anne de Montmorency by Pierre Chambiges. The Petit Château was also built for him, around 1560, probably by Jean Bullant. In 1632, after the death of Henri II, it passed to the Grand Condé who inherited it through his mother, Charlotte Marguerite de Montmorency.
Several interesting pieces of history are associated with the château during the 17th century.