File:Rambles in sunny Spain (1889) (14593009980).jpg

Identifier: ramblesinsunnysp00ober (find matches)
Title: Rambles in sunny Spain
Year: 1889 (1880s)
Authors: Ober, Frederick A(lbion), 1849- (from old catalog)
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Publisher: Boston, Estes and Lauriat
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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ch as advantages of harbor or point-of-call for merchant vessels;so too have many of the cities on rivers, such as Cordova and Seville.But here the river is too small for navigation, nor is there any placeaccessible which might be of importance to this by its contiguity.We suppose that it presented some features for fortification or defencein those early days when it was pitched upon for a settlement. And what were those times, and wherefore was Burgos called intobeing? At the time of the general wreck of Spain, by the suddentempest of Arab invasion, says Irving, in his beautiful Introductionto the Moorish Chronicles/ many of the inhabitants took refugein the mountains of the Asturias, burying themselves in narrow valleysdifficult of access, wherever a constant stream of water afforded agreen bosom of pasture land and scanty fields for cultivation. Formutual protection they gathered together in small villages, calledcastros, or castrcllos, with watch-towers and fortresses on impending
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MONASTERY OF LAS HUELGAS. BURGOS. THE CITY OF THE CID CAMPEADOR. 71 cliffs, in which they might shelter and defend themselves in case ofsudden inroad. Thus arose the kingdom of the Asturias, of Pelayoand the kings successors, who gradually extended their dominion,built towns and cities, and after a time fixed their seat of governmentat the city of Leon. An important part of the region over whichthey bore sway was ancient Cantabria, extending from the Bay ofBiscay to the Duero, and called Castile from the number of castleswith which it was studded. After a time the Castilians threw off their allegiance to thekingdom of Leon and elected the judges to rule over them,—onein a civil and the other in a military capacity. The first who filledthe stations were Nuno Rasuro and Lain Calvo, two powerful nobles:the former descended from Diego Porcallo, a count of Lara; thelatter, ancestor of the renowned Cid Campeador. A grandson ofNuno Rasuro was Fernan Gonzalez, born about the year 88j, whomI

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