Territories and kingdom in the central Duero basin: the case of Dueñas (tenth–twelfth centuries)

Abstract

The article focuses on analysing Dueñas, a territory located in the central Duero valley, between the tenth and twelfth centuries. A relatively extensive, although not trouble-free, documentary record allows a reconstruction of the evolution of this area in certain aspects: the presence of a castle that could be a landmark of royal power since the tenth century, and the territory’s geographic and social dimension, with special emphasis on communal spaces. The idea of a previous territory is suggested where royal control took over and created a series of political dynamics that led to the royal lordship or realengo. However, the central role of communal usage in the definition of territory and the idea of the realengo’s origin in this region are reconsidered.