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
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 in the 8th century, although only for a very brief period, leaving little if any trace of their occupation.
Alfonso III of Asturias conquered it about the middle of the 9th century, and built several castles, which was then extended through the reconquest of lost territory. The region came to be known as Castile from Latin
castella "(land of) castles". When Diego Rodríguez "Porcelos", Count of Castile, governed this territory with orders to promote the increase of the Christian population. he gathered the inhabitants of the surrounding country into one fortified village. The city began to be called
Caput Castellae (
Cabeza de Castilla 'Head of Castile'). The
County of Castile, subject to the
Kingdom of León, continued to be governed by
counts and was gradually extended; the most popular path to
Santiago de Compostela and a centre of trade between the
Bay of Biscay and the south. This region attracted an unusually large foreign merchant population, who became part of the city oligarchy and excluded other foreigners. Throughout the 13th and 14th centuries, Burgos was a favourite seat of the
kings of León and Castile and a favoured burial site. The
consejo (medieval urban commune) of Burgos was firmly in the hands of an oligarchic class of
knights-villein, who provided the monarchs with
cavalry: 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. 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
Santas Hermandades ('holy confraternities') like the "Good
Templars" of
Sarracín and Bonifaz succeeded in monopolising the post of
alcalde (mayor); a special court, the
alcalde del rey, was first mentioned at Burgos in 1281. 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. In the century following the
1248 conquest of Seville, 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 added a new body to the
consejo that came to dominate it: the
jurado, responsible for 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 allied for mutual protection in 1295 and 1315. In the 14th century, royal intrusion into 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. On 9 June 1345, sweeping aside the city government,
Alfonso XI of Castile established direct royal rule of Burgos through the
Regimiento of sixteen appointed men. &
Frans Hogenberg's
Civitates Orbis Terrarum (c. 1572) In 1574,
Pope Gregory XIII made the bishopric a
metropolitan archbishopric at the request of king
Philip II of Spain. Burgos has been the scene of many wars, including conflicts with Muslim states, struggles between León and Navarre, and conflicts 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, during the 19th century
wars of the Spanish succession, Burgos was the site of a battle. During the
Spanish Civil War, Burgos was the base of
Francisco Franco's rebel
Nationalist faction. Entrance to Burgos, 1838.jpg|Entrance to Burgos by
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 ==Climate==