Last modified: 2015-01-17 by ivan sache
Keywords: valdelugueros |
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The municipality of Valdelugueros (463 inhabitants in 2009; 14,347 ha)
is located in the north of Leon Province, 50 km of León. The municipality is made of the twelve villages of Arintero, La Braña, Cerulleda, Llamazares, Lugueros (capital), Redilluera, Redipuertas, Tolibia de Abajo, Tolibia de Arriba, Valdeteja, Valverde de Curueño and Villaverde de la Cuerna.
The villages are located on the old Vegarada Roman way, linking León and Asturias via the Vegarada Pass (1,555 m asl).
The today's road has kept several old bridges.
Arintero is famous for the Leonese heroine known as the Dame of
Arintero. In 1474, King of Castile Henry IV died without a male heir,
and was to be succeeded by his sister Isabel and her husband Ferdinand
of Aragón; some nobles instead supported Infant Joan, although many believed she was a bastard child of the defunct king. Alfonso, King of Portugal, supported the Infant, expecting uniting the kingdoms of Portugal and Castile. When Isabel and Ferdinand called their vassals for help, hundreds of knights and thousands of farmers gathered in Benevente. Count García of Arintero, a veteran of the wars against the Muslim state of Granada, was too old to fight again; since he had seven daughters and no son, Arintero was about to reject the call of the kin for the first time in history.
Upset by her father's shame, Juana asked him to train her so that she would replace him. After strong discussions and two months of training, the young and weak Juana became the strong-minded and valiant Knight Oliveros. Juana was among the knights who negotiated in February 1475 the surrender and
royal pardon of the town of Zamora. During the next battle, fought in Toro against the Portuguese army, Juana was involved in a violent assault that bared one of her breasts. The Admiral of Castile was commissioned to know why a woman was involved in the war; impressed by
her valiance and loyalty, the king not only pardoned Juana for her
trick but also granted several privileges to Arintero. Back to the
village, Juana was killed by traitors jealous of her privileges (Diario de León, 20 Octiber 2004).
Ivan Sache, 23 January 2011
The flag and arms of Valdelugueros are prescribed by a Decree adopted
on 30 September 2002 by the Municipal Council, signed on
7 October 2002 by the Mayor, and published on 16 October 2002 in the official gazette of Castilla y León, No. 201, p. 13,514 (text).
The symbols are described as follows:
Flag: Five horizontal stripes forming a rectangular panel with the traditional colors of the primitive Council of Arbolio (today, Los Argúellos), which are crimson red (color of the old Kingdom of León), green (color of Arbolio), and white (colour of Mary and of the Dame of Arintero). Arrangement of the stripes, from top to bottom, crimson red, green, white, green and crimson red. In the middle of the flag is placed the municipal coat of arms of Valdelugueros.
Coat of arms: Rectangular shield, rounded-off in base, following the Spanish model. Per pale, 1. Vert (green) a Roman or medieval bridge masoned sable (black), representing the bridge of Lugueros, located on the Vegarada Roman way, 2a. Argent a tree - hollow - vert (green) surrounded by two ruminants - goats - proper, 2b. Azure (blue) a warrior riding a horse proper, portraying the legendary Dame of Arintero. The shield surmounted with a Royal Spanish crown [detailed description skipped].
Ivan Sache, 23 January 2011
