Why Madrid became Spain’s capital

A court on the move

Charles V needed to be in many places at once. His son Philip II brought in a new way of working: he set up a capital.^[1] Between 1519 and 1561 Toledo was the temporary seat of supreme power under Charles V.^[2]

Madrid was a regular stop on the road between Toledo and Valladolid. The Catholic Monarchs and Charles V had often stayed there, and Philip II knew the town well: as Prince of Asturias he lived in its Alcázar, the royal castle, and used it as a place to work between 1539 and 1543.^[1]

Why Madrid?

Historians have put forward several reasons for the choice. Madrid sat in the centre of the peninsula, which suited the ideas of central power that writers of the time were putting forward. Philip II’s growing bureaucracy needed room, and courtiers did not like living in Toledo.^[1]

According to the historian Alfredo Alvar Ezquerra, relations between Toledo and the court were difficult. The people of Toledo complained about the cost of housing the nobles, some goods ran short, there were problems with water, the hilly ground made getting around hard, and Philip II lacked space for his officials.^[1]

Madrid was known for its water and its sky, and it was small. It had no university and no archbishop’s seat that could clash with the king, and its size meant it could be reshaped.^[1] The order to move the court was given on 8 May 1561, and the move was finished in June.^[1] Toledo’s political and economic decline after 1561, when Philip II chose Madrid, could not be reversed.^[2]

The town then grew fast. Estimates of its population in 1561 vary: one study gives 6,000 people, while Virgilio Pinto’s team puts it at 20,000 when the court arrived and 42,000 a decade later. By the middle of the 17th century Madrid had about 142,000 people.^[1]

Five years in Valladolid

On the night of 10 January 1601, under Philip III, the court’s move to Valladolid was announced. Valladolid was then one of the most important towns in the kingdom, with a new diocese from 1594 and the title of city from 1596. The decision was never officially explained, and the reasons are still debated.^[3]

The chronicler Jerónimo de Sepúlveda wrote that the king wanted to help Old Castile and was moved by the many sins committed in Madrid.^[3] Writers of the time such as Luis Cabrera de Córdoba said the move was meant to help Valladolid, which had declined since the court left it for Madrid. According to Marcos Díez, the settled view among historians is that the real reason was the ambition of the king’s favourite, the Duke of Lerma, who made money from property deals first in Valladolid and then in Madrid.^[4] Javier Pérez Gil agrees Lerma’s role was very important but calls it risky to say whether he acted as a speculator or in the king’s service.^[3]

The move set off others: Valladolid’s high court and the Inquisition went to Medina del Campo, and Medina’s fairs went to Burgos. After hard lobbying by Madrid, the order to return was given in January 1606, and the other moves were reversed.^[3] The court stayed in Valladolid until 20 February 1606.^[4] Losing it was the biggest blow to Valladolid’s population and economy in its history.^[3]

Capital by law

Philip II’s 1561 decision settled the court in Madrid for good, with the years 1601–1606 the only exception.^[7] Since its return in 1606 it has stayed there to this day.^[3]

Today the capital is written into the Constitution of 1978. Article 5 reads: “La capital del Estado es la villa de Madrid” (the capital of the State is the town of Madrid). The Constitution was published and came into force on 29 December 1978.^[5]

A law of 4 July 2006 sets out how Madrid works as capital. It calls Madrid’s capital status a historical reality, and it set up a commission where the State, the Community of Madrid and the city cooperate on matters such as public security and official ceremonies. Madrid first got a special legal regime in 1963.^[6]

“La capital del Estado es la villa de Madrid.”^[5]