The castle of Berrueco is located in the small town that belongs to Torredelcampo. It is the most important castle in all Jaén district. On top of San Antón hill, the ruins and remains of Iberian, Roman and Visigoth settlements have been found. This is an area that has been conquered and occupied by different peoples over the years. The main settlement was Roman and took up the lower part of the San Antón hillside.
The castle was built by the Muslims during the 12th century. During the 13th century it was largely transformed by the Christians. The interior was restructured and battlements and machicolations were added for defensive purposes.
In 1243, after its conquest by Ferdinand III, Christians again remodeled the castle to its current appearance.
The most important battles in Castle of Berrueco took place during the second half of the 15th century. At that time the castle was conquered by don Pedro Girón, leader of the rebels against Henry IV. Pedro Girón wanted to make a pact to marry Queen Isabella the Catholic. Don Pedro de Girón died before he could reach such an agreement and the castle was conquered again by the soldiers of constable Iranzo. The castle belonged again to Jaén district.
References:Château de Niort is a medieval castle in the French town of Niort. It consists of two square towers, linked by a 15th-century building and dominates the Sèvre Niortaise valley.
The two donjons are the only remaining part of the castle. The castle was started by Henry II Plantagenet in the 12th century and completed by Richard the Lionheart. It was defended by a rectangular curtain wall and was damaged during the Wars of Religion. In the 18th century, the castle served as a prison.
The present keeps were the central point of a massive fortress. The southern keep is 28m tall, reinforced with turrets. The northern tower is slightly shorter at 23m. Both are flanked with circular turrets at the corners as well as semicircular buttresses. Each of the towers has a spiral staircase serving the upper floors. The Romanesque architecture is of a high quality with the dressed stones closely jointed.