TOLEDO, tei-15'nti. The capital of the Prov ince of Toledo, Spain, 42 miles south-south west of Madrid, on the Tagus (Map: Spain, D 3). The hundred-towered city, situated on a bold promontory, bordered on three sides by a bend of the Tagus and surrounded by a lofty wall, preserves almost unchanged its mediyal appearance. The Tagus is spanned by the bridge of San Martin. a well-constructed specimen of the military architecture of the Middle Ages, and the thirteenth-century Bridge of Alc5ntara; the walls are pierced by a number of gates, of which the most beautiful is the Arabic Puerta del Sol. The houses of the city cluster in the form of a semicircle around the Alcnzar. The streets are winding, narrow, and steep. Among the many interesting churches are the Gothic Cathe dral dating from 1227, with its forty chapels and library of ancient manuscripts; the cloister of San Juan de los Reyes, a gift of the Catholic sovereigns; Santa Maria de In Blanca, a Jewish synagogue of the twelfth century, rebuilt and consecrated as a church in 1507; and El Triinsito. another synagogue dating from 1366. and given by the Catholic sovereigns to the Knights of Cala trava. Many former convents are devoted to the service of the State as prisons and hospitals. The city hall with two towers and classic facade dates from the fifteenth century. There are a beauti ful theatre, and a provincial library containing 70.000 volumes, housed in the archbishop's pal ace. Toledo is the seat of an archbishop who bears the title of primate of all Spain—one of the few survivals of the period when the city was the centre of Spanish national life. It is large ly untouched by modern industrial life and exists as a survival of the golden age of Spanish chivalry. The climate is rather unhealthful and the surrounding region largely barren and cheer less. The city has manufactures of spirits, beer,
chocolate, varnish, church ornaments, cloth, silk goods, pottery, brick, and fans. But the most famous establishments of Toledo are those de voted to the manufacture of arms, for even be fore the time of Roman domination Toledo blades were famous. The present Government factory dates from 1777; within recent years estab lishments for the manufacture of cartridges have been added. There are also several private es tablishments for the manufacture of anns and ammunition. Population, in 1900, 23,375.
Nothing certain is known of the origin of Toledo. Under the name of Toletum it is men tioned by Liyy in connection with the date n.c. 192. After the period of Roman sway it fell first into the power of the Alani. and a little later came under the control of the Visigoths, of whose kingdom it became the capital. From A.D. 400 to 701 it was the meeting place of eighteen Church councils which exercised a great politi cal as well as religious influence on Spain. Un der the Arabs it was a city of great importance. After the dissolution of the Caliphate of Cor dova it was the seat of a short-lived Mohamme dan kingdom. Alfonso the Valiant of Leon and Castile conquered this State in 1085 and gave the name of New Castile to the region. The town became an important place of residence for the Castilian monarchs. In the War of the Communes (1520-21) Toledo espoused the popu lar cause. In 1808 it took part in the national uprising against the French, and in 1810 and 1813 suffered much from the vandalism of their armies. Consult Camero, Historic/ de la eiudad de Toledo (Toledo, 1563).