Talavera de la Reina

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Talavera de la Reina is a city and municipality in the western part of the province of Toledo, which in turn is part of the autonomous community of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain. It is the second-largest nucleus of population in Castilla-La Mancha and the largest in the province of Toledo: its population of nearly 90,000 makes it larger than the city of Toledo, although the latter remains the provincial capital.

The city is internationally known for its ceramics, which Phillip II of Spain used in many of his works, such as the monastery of El Escorial.

[edit] History and toponymy

The first mention of the city (with the name of “Aebura”) occurs in the writings of Livy, in his relation of a battle between the Romans and the Carpetanoi, a Celtiberian tribe. After the Roman conquest of Spain, it was known as Caesarobriga, and served as an important center for agriculture and ceramics in the third and fourth centuries AD. During the Visigothic Period, Talavera was known as Elbora or Ebora. Its modern name is derived from Talabayra, the Muslim rendering of this Visigothic name (which in turn is derived from the original Celtiberian name). The city was conquered by Muslim forces in 713 and conquered by Christian forces under Alfonso VI of Castile in 1083.