Medina de Rioseco

Medina de Rioseco lies in the grain-growing Tierra de Campos of northern Castile, near the Sequillo River. In 1423 John II established the lordship of Medina de Rioseco, associated with the Enríquez family, hereditary admirals of Castile. The family secured privileges for annual fairs, building on the town's older commercial role. The admirals sponsored religious buildings, including the church of Santa María de Mediavilla and the convent of Santa Clara. In the sixteenth century the fairs brought merchants and wealth to Rioseco, supporting churches and charitable institutions. The town later gave its name to a battle fought nearby on 14 July 1808 during the Peninsular War. Its streets and arcades recall a market centre that connected the surrounding countryside with wider Castilian commerce.