Negra (Blanca) 1243-1266

13th Century 

  

The granary of Darrax

                                                                 Foto: Govert Westerveld

In the foreground in the distance we see a former granary of the 13th century in the Darrax hamlet exactly between the villages Abaran and Blanca. It is the only Moorish granary known in Spain. On the very top of the mountain this rectangular granary was divided into several areas where grain was stored. The granary had a guard because it was a holy place, and enemies could not enter it. We saw the same phenomenon in the Catholic Church of Blanca in the 16th century. If someone got into trouble with the law, he quickly ran into the church and the soldiers could not get anyone from the church, because that was a holy place.

The historical connection to form part of the Moorish Ricote Valley was found in 1228 during the insurrection led by Ibn Hud from Ricote against the Almohads. However, after his death ten years later anarchy and lawlessness propagated in the Kingdom of Murcia, causing the Alcaraz Pact signed with Castile in 1243, which required submission to the Crown as a protectorate and respecting and guaranteeing the possessions and Muslim traditions in change of vassalage to the Castilian king.  Once Alfonso X had been instated on the Castilian throne and after breaking some clauses of the Treaty the Mudejar population revolted between 1264 and 1266. After suppressing the revolution Alfonso X gave the Ricote Valley population the Jurisdiction of the city of Murcia, being thus included in the territory of the city. With the death of Fernando de la Cerda, the eldest son and Castilian heir, the struggle began for succession to the throne of Castile. The struggle was between Fernando's sons, the infants de la Cerda, and his uncle, the son of Alfonso X, the Infante Don Sancho. In a document dated March 25 1281 the future Sancho IV promised to reward the Order of Santiago by donating the Ricote Valley including Negra (Blanca) if it helped him in his struggle for the crown.  The name of Blanca was at that time Negra, translated into English as black.        

When being proclaimed king in Seville on November 19 1285, Sancho IV fulfilled his commitment and gave to the Order of Santiago the Ricote Valley, their neighbourhoods, villages, and places for the support provided (1).

 

Ibn Hud

                                                                        (c) Álvaro Peña Saez

Peace did not last long in the Ricote Vally because James II of Aragon invaded the Kingdom of Murcia in 1296 to reward himself for the help given to the other party, i.e.| the Infants de la Cerda, in the struggle for succession to the throne against his uncle. During this occupation Negra (Blana) and its castle were given to the counselor Bernardo de Sarria, although the santiaguista commander of Ricote claimed to replace them to John Osores on 19 September 1303.