History of La Iruela
The first signs of human life in La Iruela area date from the Copper Age until the Bronze Age, when the area was densely populated. From 1500 BC, there was an unexplained decrease in the population; however, from 200 BC, the settlements began to repopulate. One of these was Nubla, an active settlement from the Iberian period until medieval times, with remains of its fortifications still visible.
The area continued to be an active settlement during the Roman era, and the Molino bridge that crosses the Cañamares River is attributed to this period. During the Islamic period, La Iruela may have been one of the farmhouses or small rural towns that populated the region, like its neighbour, Cazorla. Around the 11th century, the settlement was surrounded by a wall, while the top of the hill served as a refuge. In 1231, the town was conquered by the Archbishop of Toledo, Don Rodrigo Ximénez de Rada, becoming part of the Adelantamiento de Cazorla, a great lordship built by the archbishop, linked to the Archbishopric of Toledo.
In 1294, to reinforce the alfoz de Cazorla, Archbishop Don Sancho de Castilla gave La Iruela as part of the Adelantamiento de Cazorla; however, the town did not want to submit to Cazorla, resulting in many confrontations between both villages. In 1366, during the government of Archbishop Don Gome Manrique, a supporter of Enrique II of Castile, the towns and places of the Adelantamiento were divided, while Cazorla followed the party of King Pedro I of Castile (1350-1369), La Iruela supported the archbishop’s policy, and was granted the status of ‘village’ on 28th June 1370.
The village’s independence did not last long as Cazorla obtained from the same Archbishop the annulment of the privilege to La Iruela, returning to its original status on 5th August of the same year. In 1378, it recovered its municipal autonomy, with the concession of the privilege of Villazgo by Archbishop Don Pedro Tenorio. This meant it was only subject to the archepiscopal jurisdiction of Toledo, whose bishops or other ecclesiastical dignitaries appointed mayors, notaries, and other justice officials.
Don Francisco de los Cobos, secretary of King Carlos I (Emperor Charles V), persuaded the Monarch to transfer the town to him to the detriment of the Archbishop of Toledo. The archbishop fought this decision until he regained the town in 1606. Before then, however, the Cobos family, who were great patrons of the lands under their dominion, ordered the construction of the Iglesia de Santo Domingo inside the castle grounds.
The Archbishops of Toledo maintained possession of this town until August 1811, when the Cortes de Cádiz abolished the territorial jurisdiction of the archbishopric throughout the Adelantamiento de Cazorla. Spiritual jurisdiction over these lands lasted until 1958, when it passed to Jaén.