Castile

Castile is a vaguely defined historical region of Spain.

Historically, the Kingdom of Castile occupied the area. The kingdom merged with its neighbors to become the Crown of Castile and later the Kingdom of Spain, when it united with the Crown of Aragon and the Kingdom of Navarre. Its historical capital was Burgos.

Castile was traditionally divided between Old Castile, which from 1833 is made up of Cantabria and La Rioja, and the eastern half of Castile and León and New Castile, which was 'Castile–La Mancha' and the 'Community of Madrid'. Modern Spanish monarchs are numbered according to the system of Castile.

NOTE: Castile and León was an autonomous community in north-western Spain. It first appeared as a Kingdom in 910, whilst the Kingdom of Castile gained an independent identity in 1065 and was intermittently held in personal union with León before merging with it permanently in 1230. It is the largest autonomous community in Spain and the third largest region of the European Union.

Castile's name is thought to derive from Spanish for "land of castles" (Spanish word for castle is castillo) in reference to the castles built in the area to consolidate the Christian Reconquest from the oncoming Moors.

Appearances / References

 * Super Friends #18 (March 1, 1979)