LÓRIA, LAURIA, LLÚRIA

LORDS AND LADIES OF THE EARTH

The Middle Ages of our territory is full of historical characters that have helped to forge our roots and identity as a people. This is the case of Admiral Ruggiero di Lauria and the brief but intense family saga represented here by the figure of his second wife Saurina de Entenza, whose 700th anniversary we are celebrating in 1325. Both characters managed a large territory located in the Alicante area during the late 13th century and the first half of the 14th century, key dates in the creation of the ancient kingdom of Valencia, forging what is now our Valencian Community.

We are in the second half of the 13th century. The old Kingdom of Valencia has already been configured and the military conquest of sarq al-Ándalus is in its final stages. The pact of Almizra in 1244 with Castile and the capture of Biar in 1245 open the possibility of a period of certain peace. However, the Andalusian rebels entrenched in the Alicante mountains, led by the wazir Muhammad ibn Hudayl, better known as al-Azraq, will keep the conflict alive until they are defeated and exiled.

The definitive defeat of the Andalusian rebel in 1276, the Crown of Aragon delivered all this land to different nobles, like House of Lauria, who generated large lordships with which to exploit its rich resource. This exhibition aims to highlight the legacy that has been left to us from their passage through history.