Located at the western end of the Monleón village, next to a steep area that dominates the confluence of the Carnicero stream with the Alagón river, Monleón Castle was raised in the 13th century as part of the defensive walls that surround the village.
Its groundplan is an irregular trapeze, with the keep in the middle. The north and east wall of the enclosure are built later than the others, to obtain a fortified perimeter that defended the tower from inside the village. The square keep is made up of large granite blocks reinforced with ashlar masonry at its corners. The top is fitted with 8 turrets. In medieval times the keep could be accessed on the second floorlevel by means of a removable stair or drawbridge. Its interior was fitted with five floors.
In 1477 the castle was besieged by the troops of King Fernando the Catholic. The reason for this was that its lord; a Salamancan knight, Don Bernardo Maldonado the Tyrant, had been manufacturing false currency amongst other crimes that caused great damage to the surrounding territories.
References:The Château du Lude is one of the many great châteaux of the Loire Valley in France. Le Lude is the most northerly château of the Loire Valley and one of the last important historic castles in France, still inhabited by the same family for the last 260 years. The château is testimony to four centuries of French architecture, as a stronghold transformed into an elegant house during the Renaissance and the 18th century. The monument is located in the valley of Le Loir. Its gardens have evolved throughout the centuries.