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About Madrid

Madrid´s appearance begins in the ninth century, when Cordoban emir Abderraman II built a fortress here to defend the local population against attacks from Castile and Leon. But Madrid really started on the road to the city we know today when Charles´son, Phillip II, made it the capital of Spain in 1561.
Madrid´s location smack in the middle of the Iberian peninsula certainly played a part in that decision. Perhaps equally important was the lack of non-royal power centers in Madrid -- the Spanish church was headquartered safely down the road in the former capital Toledo, and the city had not built up a class of important local merchants or nobles the way more established cities such as Valladolid or Burgos had.
The city grew rapidly as the seat of government. With no navigable rivers leading to it, and with long and dusty roads between it and other population centers in Spain, the city focused very much on the crown and the court. Not only Spain, but a world empire covering most of the Americans and stretching across broad swaths of the Pacific was administered from this dusty town high on the Castilian plain.

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Relates News And Gossip

28 arrests at Spanish event attended by BNP's Griffin (AFP)

AFP - Spanish police Saturday detained 28 members of a far-right party who tried to disrupt an event held by a rival far-right group attended by British National Party leader Nick Griffin at a Madrid hotel.

Activist refuses Madrid offer of refugee status (AFP)

AFP - Western Sahara activist Aminatou Haidar has declined an offer by Madrid to grant her refugee status following her expulsion from the territory by Morocco, a representative said Saturday.

Iberia staff axe strike plans after pay deal: union (AFP)

AFP - Cabin crews from Spanish airline Iberia on Friday axed plans for a series of one-day strikes in the coming weeks after reaching a pay agreement with the carrier, a union spokesman said.

Regal ready to bolster distributor

Weekly International: Entertainment Corp. in talks for major VCL stake -- MADRID -- Adi Cohen's Regal Entertainment Corp. is in negotiations to take a substantial stake in German entrepreneur Datty Ruth's VCL Film and Medien and its subsid, VCL Communications.

Nadal and Verdasco back for Spain for Davis Cup final

MADRID (Reuters) - Top 10 duo Rafael Nadal and Fernando Verdasco have returned to the Spain side for next month's Davis Cup final against Czech Republic, captain Albert Costa said on Monday.

Pirate suspects to face trial in Spain

MADRID (Reuters) - Two Somalis suspected of being part of a pirate gang which hijacked a Spanish fishing boat and its crew in the Indian Ocean could be tried in Spain within a month, judicial sources said Monday.

Somali pirates could face up to 200 years in prison

A Spanish judge indicted two Somali pirate suspects in Madrid on Monday, while pirates held a Spanish fishing boat and its crew off the Somali coast for the 46th day.

Maradona to face FIFA over profane rant at media (AP)

AP - Diego Maradona faces a FIFA disciplinary panel Sunday that could ban the Argentine coach from games at next year's World Cup because of his expletive-filled rant.

ETA's political arm calls for peace talks in Spain

MADRID (Reuters) - The political wing of ETA called on Saturday for talks between the armed Basque separatists and Spain's government based on the principles used in Northern Ireland's peace process.

Maradona says feels mistreated and persecuted

MADRID (Reuters) - Argentina coach Diego Maradona feels mistreated and persecuted but says he is focusing on his job, family and the support of "ordinary people."

S.O.S. Mad Fan Crashes Jonas Bros. Concert

A crazed fan crashed the stage at a Jonas Brothers concert last night in Madrid. Coincidentally, the male fan decided to run amok during the trio’s popular song “S.O.S.” Joe, Nick and Kevin Jonas continued with their ballad despite the security running around set trying to catch the shirtless stage crasher. It looks like Nick [...]

‘New Moon’ Cast Finds Time to Munch in Madrid

The cast of New Moon squeezed some time in to eat dinner last night after a long day of promoting their movie in Madrid. Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner signed autographs for fans and went to the Spanish premiere of the film before taking a rest to eat. The New Moon-ers next stop [...]