History of Alcaudete
The oldest settlement remains unearthed locally date from the Palaeolithic and Neolithic eras, corresponding with camps located in the nearby mountains. Its more formal occupation dates back to the third century BC, as a consequence of the colonization carried out by the Iberians. The Romanization of the area is sufficiently demonstrated by the presence of dozens of rural settlements. The early Christian sarcophagus of Constantine’s period belongs to this era, from the fourth century, found in the orchards around Calle Torres Ortega at the end of the nineteenth century and preserved today in the National Archaeological Museum.
During the Moorish occupation, the settlement was known as hisn al-Qabdaq or al-Qibdaq, attached to the Cora de Ilbira (Granada), forming part of its defensive structure along with other castles and watchtowers distributed throughout the territory. After the triumph of Abd al-Rahman III and the implementation of his policy of Islamization, Alcaudete became the head of an administrative district (Iqlim), under the tutelage of officials representing the Umayyad State, whose main task was to control of the territory and tax collection of the region.
Alcaudete was conquered in 1246 by Fernando III and ceded to the Military Order of Calatrava, becoming the most advanced point on the Christian frontier with the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada. The Calatravos carried out profound reforms in the Almohad fortress, not only to adapt it to the convent life of the Fiars, but to enhance its character as insurmountable or impregnable.
In 1312, both the fortress and the town became part of the royal lands and since then closely linked to the Fernández de Córdoba and Montemayor family. Alcaudete became a señorío in 1385 and later, in the sixteenth century, Carlos V transformed it into a county. The town underwent great expansion between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries, building a large number of civil and religious buildings of very different styles, which adorn and embellish the streets of its historic centre.