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The years in which Madrid became the capital of Armenia
There are episodes in the history of Madrid that are as difficult to believe as they are interesting to tell. Moments that could seem to be taken from a random generator of historical events and that, however, are based on reality. In that bag we could put, for example, when a neighborhood of Madrid
became independent for a week or the one that concerns us: when Madrid, before being the capital of Spain, was the capital of Armenia — and it is fair to say that who enlightened us about it was our follower Julio Sandoval.
If this were a movie, now the image would freeze and a voice-over — allegory of Madrid — would say: “Yes, this is me. You may wonder how I got here”. And to find the answer we must go back to the fourteenth century, specifically to the year 1374.
It was then when Leo V, who had only been on the throne of Cilicia — also known as “little Armenia”– for a few months, was kidnapped and taken to Egypt as a prisoner. A captivity that lasted 8 years.
Privilege of Leon V King of Armenia, confirming to Madrid all the privileges, uses and ordinances || Editorial credit: Biblioteca digital memoriademadrid
During this time, Leo V dedicated himself to writing letters and sending emissaries to different Christian crowns of Europe, as well as to other authorities, asking for help. And that longed-for liberation finally arrived in 1382.
Immediately afterwards, the monarch began a journey to recover his kingdom which, among other stops, took him to Badajoz, where he met with Juan I of Castile. Moved by its history, he gave him multiple gifts: among them, the territories of Ciudad Real, Andújar and Madrid.
At that time the capital of a kingdom was wherever its court was, and since León chose Madrid to settle, the then still village became in 1383 the capital of the small Armenia: a territory thousands of kilometers away.
The Iberian Peninsula in 1360 || Image courtesy of: J. B. Bury. Courtesy of the University of Texas Library (Austin)
As was to be expected – and although the foreign king tried to win the favor of the people with measures such as lowering taxes or repairing the now disappeared Alcazar – the decision was not very well received by the people of Madrid. So much so that Juan I of Castile had to promise to return Madrid to the crown when King Leon died.
Finally, on November 29, 1393, León V died surrounded by privileges but without having fulfilled his greatest wish: to recover his kingdom. Madrid returned to the Crown of Castile and the passage of the monarch through the city has remained as a picturesque episode of our history.
Nowadays there are few traces left of that unusual moment, which is not likely to be repeated: the son of John I of Castile, Henry III, forbade anyone to do again what his father had done. But among the traces of Leon V’s passage through Madrid there are historical documents (such as the one that illustrates the previous section) or, as we have found in this entry from Ediciones La Librería, a street that bears his name near Carpetana.
Privilege of Leon V King of Armenia, confirming to Madrid all the privileges, uses and ordinances || Editorial credit: Biblioteca digital memoriademadrid
The Iberian Peninsula in 1360 || Image courtesy of: J. B. Bury. Courtesy of the University of Texas Library (Austin)
