Benamejí History

BENAMEJÍ History

Early human settlements in the area are indicated by numerous remains including; Chalcolithic burials found at Cortijo Poyato, Iberian archaeological sites at Cerro del Castillo, and findings at Cerro Barrero and El Dehesa Encina el Cuervo. In the ninth century, Abd Allah built his fortress, Banu Bashir, which was later fortified by Abd ar Rahman III. In 1240, Fernando III conquered what was then known as Benamexir, and in 1254 it was donated by Alfonso X to the Order of Santiago.

For 200 years, the area was under Christian rule, having been conquered definitively in 1487 by the Catholic Monarchs. Pope Clement VII authorized Carlos I to sell some properties of the military order, and Benamejí was sold to the ruler of Burgos, Diego de Bernuy. In 1549, he decided to rebuild the town with a new layout, distributing land and drawing up a new statute for the town.

In 1729, King Felipe V decided to move his court temporarily to Seville. During this stay, which lasted for four years, he made several trips around Andalusia. At the end of May in 1730, a road engineer in Benamejí supervised the construction of a new road between Archidona and Benamejí, preparing the route for the passage of the royal entourage.

In preparation for their arrival, the Mayor of Benamejí, Don Antonio José Gabaldán, asked Lucena for urgent help in the form of 300 bushels of wheat flour to feed the members of the entourage; according to a Royal Order, villages on the route were to provide food and lodging to the travellers, courtiers, administrators, soldiers and other members of the delegation.

Historical literature on banditry references Benamejí as an important point of action in the nineteenth century. The bridge crossing the river on the road from Córdoba to Málaga, as well as the town's strategic setting between hills, made it a prime target for frequent ambushes.

During the War of Independence (1808-1814), the gangs of Juan de Campos and Pedro Alcalde controlled passages of Benamejí and Encinas Reales, alternating between harassing the French troops and robbing local towns.

Evidences suggests that in 1811, Pedro Alcalde managed to gather some 1,200 men with whom he held Major Robin's French troops hostage and tortured them. This conflict ended with 300 men dead, an endless number wounded, and the Spaniards abandoned. Pedro Alcalde Heredia was arrested and taken to Jaén, where they tried to hang him, but without an available executioner, they decided to shoot him and later hang the body.