Seville was chosen to be the Kingdom of Dorne in the well–known series Game of Thrones, but the real history of this city in the Middle Ages is also full of intense royal intrigues that remind us to this stories.
The King Fernando III and his family were involved in personal tensions and power struggles since he fell completely in love with the city of Seville. The Tower of Don Fadrique symbolizes the love that the son of Fernando III professed towards his stepmother, his father’s widow. This caused serious clashes with Alfonso X the Wise ,brother of Fernando III, that led to Don Fadrique being condemned to death.
The Baths of Doña María de Padilla are a fantastic space within the Alcázar of Seville. According to the legend, María de Padilla, lover of King Pedro I, took baths in this place. This king loved her to such an extent that managed to proclaim her queen when she died.
Legend has it that Fernando III entered Isbiliya, that is how Seville was know at that time, dressed up like a maid. He became amazed by the city, he has long been besieging. After spending the night in an inn in calle Cano y Cueto, where nowadays there is a plaque, he fled to his army camp outside the walls of the city, when was recognized after the cap he was wearing fell down in calle Cofia (cofia is the name of this cap in Spanish and hence the name of this street in the quarter of San Bernardo).
Fernando III became fascinated by the city that rose up within the walls.
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According to the legend, Don Fadrique ordered the construction of a tower for his lover, the widow of his father. You can visit the Tower of Don Fadrique in the gardens attached to the Convent of Santa Clara.
The Baths of Doña María de Padilla, which are located within the Alcázar of Seville, are a symbol of the love that the King Pedro I professed for this noble woman.
There is a very strange story behind the Head of King Don Pedro, a bust located in calle Candilejo. The King Pedro I, known as the Just by some and the Cruel by others, wanted to bring justice with this stone head located on the corner of this street as it was demonstrated that one night he killed an instigator that was not supporter of this king. A neighbor that saw all that happened that night dared to talk about it when his lamp fell near the corpse. Even so, the king promised to hang the head of the killer in the crime scene thinking that she would not betray him, but the neighbour blamed the king.
The uncorrupted body of Doña María is kept in the Convent of Santa Inés, that she founded. Legend has it that she disfigured her own face to avoid the harassment she was suffering by Pedro I.
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The streets of the quarter of San Bernardo will bring you back to the army camp of Fernando III.
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Some scenes of the series Game of Thrones have been filmed in the Baths of Doña María de Padilla.
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You can visit the Tower of Don Fadrique and its gardens with tickets you can buy in the web of Espacio Santa Clara.
