The earliest evidence of habitation in the area were
Ibero-Roman remains excavated in the port of
Peniscola; they date to the 1st–2nd centuries BC. Arab writer
Al-Idrisi described
Baniskula in the 11th century AD, and briefly described a
Moorish castle overlooking the sea. There are no detailed descriptions until the 13th century, when
James I of Aragon briefly summarised the Muslim defences. The current form of the castle is essentially that developed by the
Knights Templar, who planned to develop a kingdom centered on Peniscola. The Templars began work that year, demolished the Muslim fortifications, and completely rebuilt the castle; the work was completed in 1307. In common with other Templar fortifications, the castle was laid out around an inner ward and possessed a chapel. Architectural features included
barrel vaulting and round arches. The basic Templar core of the castle remains intact; some changes were made by
Antipope Benedict XIII in order to modify it for use as a papal residence in the early 15th century. The castle defences and the associated town fortifications were significantly upgraded from the early 16th century onward, in line with advances in military technology. The castle was massively redeveloped by military engineer
Giovanni Battista Antonelli in the 16th century. The castle was involved in various military conflicts of the
Kingdom of Aragon, and later in the
War of the Spanish Succession in the early 18th century, the
Peninsula War and civil conflicts in the early 19th century, each of which impacted upon the state of the castle defences in some form. The castle garrison was finally disbanded in 1890. ==Notes==