General Archive of Simancas
Simancas, Spain. Founded 1540.
- Type: Archive
- City: Simancas
- Country: Spain
- Founded: 1540
Overview
Emperor Charles V ordered royal records gathered in the castle of Simancas near Valladolid in 1540, creating one of the first official state archives in Europe. Philip II expanded it and had the architect Juan de Herrera adapt rooms of the fortress for documents. Its papers chart the Spanish monarchy from the late fifteenth century to the early nineteenth, covering the Armada, the Habsburg wars, and the government of an empire that stretched from the Netherlands to the Philippines.
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