Baena in history

Although there is no documentary evidence, the current human occupation of Baena should go back to the Paleolithic.  But it will be during the Metal Age when the land settled by the current municipality was clearly occupied by communities that based their livelihood on agriculture and livestock, also emerging the practice of metallurgy.

Mediterranean influx  

With the arrival of the colonial influences from the eastern Mediterranean (Phoenicians and Greeks) in 8th and 7th centuries BC population increases remarkably. Thus large population centers emerge surrounded by strong walls, as Torreparedones. These cities, ruled by aristocratic elites, reached during the Iberian period a high degree of development that is reflected in the construction of important monuments, most of them funerary, decorated with sculptures of animals. During Roman times the municipality of Baena was intensely settled. Most of the sites listed to date are from these times and it should also be mentioned that several of them reached the status of a municipality or colony.

Baena has within its municipality the district of ALBENDÍN, a location that brings us a comprehensive offer of contact with nature and traditional culture of its people. In Albendín we can visit several touristic and cultural attractions.

The lack of archaeological interventions in the town of Baena, and especially in the area of the Almedina makes it impossible to determine the origins of the population. The archaeological interventions undertaken within the Santa María Parish Church in the area of Palacio Square and the castle itself have not uncovered remnants from the pre-medieval period, although written sources indicate that the site was occupied after the Islamic invasion of the Iberian Peninsula.

Muslim Baena

Baena is a living testimony of their own history. The toponym of Baena comes from the Arabic Bayyana which, in turn, is the transcription of the name of one of the many Roman villas that would live up to the Visigothic period. These Roman villas were chosen by the Arab-Berber invaders in the 8th century as a place for settlement, fortifying it. The first news about Muslim Baena go back to the 9th century on the times of the muladi rebellion led by Umar ben Hafsún, who took over the place in the year 899. Soon after, about the year 929 it became the capital of cora de Cabra.

There are almost no emerging ruins remaining of the Muslim castle (what is currently preserved dates back to the 15th century) but there are significant sections of wall with several towers and gates of the Almedina enclosure (Arco Oscuro, Arc de Consolacion). When caliphate fell, the city was brutally sacked by the Berbers who were fleeing south, disrupting its growing prosperity. By agreement, the Muslims surrendered to Ferdinand III in 1241. Its border situation caused it multiple conflicts. Thus, in 1300, Muhammad II, laid siege to the Villa and won one half of it; the resistance of the Christians prevented the conquest and the Muslims were expelled. This situation was repeated in the year 1330, the same Andalusian king reigned but could not take the Christian municipality.  

Christian Baena
 
The first attempt to subject the villa to Christian rule was in 1369. King Enrique I gave this favour to Diego Garcia from Toledo, but the people rejection caused this order to lapse. In 1386, already with D. Juan I in the Crown, this grant was awarded to D. Diego Fernandez de Cordoba, who had to impose himself against the rebelliousness of people, in 1394. It was not however until 1401 when Fernandez de Cordoba obtained the final assignment of the manor, by Henry III. The Lords from Baena received the title of Dukes of Sessa in the first quarter of the 16th century, in 1520, after the marriage between Luis Fernández de Córdoba, Count of Cabra and Lord of Baena and Elvira Fernández de Córdoba, the Duchess of Sessa, conducting a patronage over the town that gave rise to the construction of its most important monuments.
 
Baena offers a rich heritage in cultural events.  The architectural evidences of their churches, its civil works and its very important archaeological remains can be highlighted, some with more than 3,500 years of history.

This information has been provided by the city council of Baena.