Calle de Jaime I El Conquistador

Behind the sign is James I of Aragon (1208–1276), the monarch history nicknamed the Conqueror. Orphaned at five, he inherited a contested crown; he was raised under the Templars‘ guardianship at Monzón castle and, as an adult, put down the nobles’ revolts before turning his reign toward expansion across the Mediterranean. In 1229 he crossed the sea to Majorca; by year’s end the Muslim Madina Mayurqa, today Palma, had fallen. Then came Valencia, which surrendered in 1238. He protected the Jewish communities of his kingdoms, promoted maritime trade, and dictated an autobiography unusual for its time, the Llibre dels feits, in which he tells his own story campaign by campaign. Why this Aragonese king names a street in Chopera has not been documented. The neighborhood took here the names of sovereigns from other regions with no obvious local tie.