Castle Day, part 4

The last two castles we visited sit across a valley from one another, on the northern edge of the Sierra Morena.
The older, ruined, and inaccessible of the two is the castle of Salvatierra. Salvatierra sits on a rocky hill, built in to the surrounding rock-formations. After the loss of Calatrava la Vieja, the Knights of that Order chose Salvatierra for their new forward position in the Campo de Calatrava. They took advantage of the truce between the Almohads and the King of Castile to fortify the position. When the truce expired after 1208, the Calatravans began raiding from Salvatierra against Muslim defenses. In 1211, the Almohad Caliph attacked the castle. The Knights held out for several weeks during the summer, but in the end were forced to capitulate. The castle was ruined, but retaken by the Christian forces during the following year.
The second castle was the Calatravan’s replacement for their damaged castles. In the years after Las Navas de Tolosa, the Order wanted to establish a new headquarters in a forward position on the frontier. They chose an impressive mountain-top across the valley from their ruined fort for their new Calatrava (la Nueva). The new castle fortified an entire hilltop, in order to build not just a keep, but a large church and chapter house for their Order. The Cistercian-style church and most of the keep remain mostly intact, and make for an impressive visit. Credit to Gretta for the successful panoramic picture.