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Rojas (Municipality, Castilla y León, Spain)

Last modified: 2019-01-13 by ivan sache
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Presentation of Rojas

The municipality of Rojas (74 inhabitants in 2012; 2,493 ha) is located in the north of the Province of Burgos, The municipality is made of the villages of Rojas and Quintanilla Cabe Rojas (23 inh.).
Rojas was granted to the Burgos Council by the Catholic Monarchs. In the 16th century, the Constables of Castile claimed ownership on the village, arguing it belonged to the jurisdiction of Briviesca. In 1509, Rojas was transferred to the Velasco, whose rule was challenged in the 17th century by the Dukes of Lerma, descendants of the Rojas family who owned the village in the Middle Ages (see below).

Ivan Sache, 22 February 2014


Symbols of Rojas

The flag and arms of Rojas are prescribed by a Decree adopted on 15 September 2000 by the Municipal Council, signed by the Mayor on 27 March 2004, and published on 15 April 2004 in the official gazette of Castilla y León, No. 71, pp. 5,123-5,124 (text).
The symbols are described as follows:

Flag: Quadrangular, 1;1. Tricolour. Three horizontal stripes : 1. Red (3.3/10); 2. White (3.3/10); 3. Blue (3.3/10). In the middle of the flag is placed the municipal coat of arms.
Coat of arms: Per pale, 1. Gules a three-towered castle or masoned sable port and windows azure ensigned with an eight-pointed star or and surrounded by two ears of the same, 2a. Arms of the Order of St. Dominic, 2b. Arms of the Rojas lineage. Grafted in base, argent wavy azure. The shield surmounted by a Royal crown closed.

The arms of the Rojas lineage, of Aragonese origin, are "Or five eight- pointed stars or per saltire" (Heraldica blog). They are commonly found in the municipal heraldry of the Bureba region.
In the 12th century, Alonso de Rojas left Bureva with a troop of soldiers to support King Jaime of Aragón in his campaign against the Moors of Valencia. As a reward, the king appointed him Captain of the Knights. The Rojas family subsequently set up alliances with lineages from the highest nobility.
Francisco de Rojas y Guevara was made Count of Mora in 1602. José Antonio de Rojas y Toledo, 7th Count of Mora and Marquis de la Torre de Esteban Habrá, was granted the title of Grandee of Spain, 1st rank, in 1756. Jerónimo de Rojas y Rojas was made Marquis de la Peña de los Enamorados in 1679. Pedro de Rojas y Contreras was made Marquis of Villanueva de Duero in 1740, while José de Rojas y Contreras was made Marquis of Albentos in 1761. José de Rojas was made Count of Casa Rojas in 1790, while Eduardo de Rojas y Alonso was made Count of Montarco in 1879.

Ivan Sache, 22 February 2014