LEON

Spanish Len, medieval Spanish kingdom. Leon proper included the cities of Len, Salamanca, and Zamorathe adjacent areas of Vallodolid and Palencia being disputed with Castile, originally its eastern frontier. The kings of Leon ruled Galicia, Asturias, and much of the county of Portugal before Portugal gained independence about 1139. The rise of the medieval Leonese kingdom began with Garca I (909914), who set up his court on the site of the former Roman permanent camp of the Legio VII Gemina, abandoning the former Asturian capital at Oviedo (see Asturias). The period of Leonese hegemony in Christian Spain nominally lasted until the death of Alfonso VII (1157), but it had, long before, been seriously undermined by the conquests of Sancho III Garcs the Great (100035) of Navarre and by the elevation, on his death, of Castile from county to kingdom. During the 10th century, when the caliphate of Crdoba was at its most powerful, Leon lost ground in the struggle with the Moors, and its kings often had to accept a de facto submission to the caliphs. Leon, however, had inherited from the Asturian monarchy a strong attachment to Visigothic tradition, and its rulers, sometimes taking the title of emperor or king of all Spain, furthered the Reconquest wherever possible. The second period in Leonese history runs from 1157 to 1230, when the kingdom was ruled, in separation from Castile, by its own kings, Ferdinand II (115788) and Alfonso IX (11881230). Relations with Castile were rarely friendly, but Leon was a stable political entity during this time and won notable victories over the Moors in Leonese Extremadura. After the final union with Castile (1230), Leonese political and administrative institutions were, for a time, maintained, and the records of the Cortes show that some sense of the separate identity of Leon survived into the first half of the 14th century. During the first century of its existence, there was a large influx of Mozarabic immigrants into Leon. These introduced strong Arabic linguistical and cultural influences into the kingdom. Modern Spanish historiographyconcerned often to justify medieval Castilian separatismhas tended to portray medieval Leon as an archaizing, Byzantine type of state overready to compromise with the Moors. The evidence for this is not wholly convincing. Leon successfully bore the brunt of the caliphate's attacks and seems to have been the first Peninsular kingdom to evolve popular parliamentary institutions. The modern provinces of Len, Salamanca, and Zamora, roughly coterminous with the medieval kingdom, were incorporated after 1979 into the comunidad autnoma (autonomous community) of Castile-Len (q.v.). provincia, in the Castile-Len comunidad autnoma (autonomous community), northwestern Spain, consisting of the northern part of the former Kingdom of Leon. It has an area of 5,972 square miles (15,468 square km). In the north are the lofty Cantabrian Mountains, the highest peak of which is the Torre de Cerredo (8,668 feet ). The natural regions are El Bierzo, a lowland in the northwest drained by the Sil River, where mining has replaced agriculture; La Montaa; and the Meseta Central (plateau), a dry desert with fertile strips, as along the Orbigo River. The main catchment is the basin of the Esla River, a tributary of the Duero (Portuguese: Douro) River and site of a large dam at Ricobayo. Len is the leading producer of hops in Spain; other main crops include cereals and flax. The provincia also has timber resources (oak, beech, and chestnut), and cattle, donkeys, and sheep are bred. Mineral resources are considerable and include deposits of anthracite, iron, bituminous coal, and mica; Ponferrada is a major coal- and iron-mining area. Chemical factories in Len (q.v.) city, the provincial capital, manufacture antibiotics. Pop. (1986 est.) 527,493. city situated in western Nicaragua. The city of Len was founded on the edge of Lake Managua in 1524, but after an earthquake it was moved in 1610 to the site of the old Indian capital and shrine of Sutiaba. Len was the capital of the Spanish province and of the Republic of Nicaragua until 1855, although its great political and commercial rival, Granada, long disputed the honour. The rivalry brought on civil wars that resulted in the coming of William Walker, the American filibuster, who was expelled in 1857. Len was a scene of heavy fighting between Sandinista guerrillas and government troops in 197879, leaving much of the centre of the city in ruins. Len long has been noted as a liberal political and intellectual centre of Nicaragua. In 1952 the University of Len (founded in 1812) became part of the National University of Nicaragua. Rubn Daro, one of the greatest Spanish-American poets, lived and was educated there. Nicaragua's second largest city, Len is the centre of an important agricultural and commercial region: cotton, sugarcane, and rice are the principal crops; cattle are raised for export; and manufactures include processed cotton, cigars, shoes, and saddlery. Len is linked to Managua, the national capital, and other cities by the Pacific Railway and a paved road. Pop. (1985 est.) 100,982. in full Len De Los Aldamas, city, northwestern Guanajuato estado (state), central Mexico. It stands in a fertile plain on the Turbio River, 6,182 feet (1,884 m) above sea level. Although Lon was first settled in 1552, it was not formally founded until 1576 and was given city status in 1830. At that time the words de los Aldamas were added to its name, in honour of Juan Aldama, a leader in the struggle for Mexican independence. Once subject to disastrous floods, the city is now protected by a large dam and has developed into an important industrial and commercial centre for the surrounding hinterland, considered one of the richest cereal-producing districts of Mexico. Leather goods, gold and silver embroideries, steel products, textiles, and soap are manufactured in the city, which also contains tanneries and flour mills. Len, northwest of Mexico City and northeast of Guanajuato, can be reached by rail, highway, or air. Pop. (1980) 596,000. city, capital of Len provincia, in the Castile-Len comunidad autnoma (autonomous community), northwestern Spain, lying on the northwestern part of the Meseta Central (plateau), at the confluence of the Bernesga and Toro rivers. The city developed from the camp of the Roman 7th Gemina Legion; its modern name is a corruption of the Latin legio. It was held by the Goths during the 6th and 7th centuries, falling to the Moors, who held it until 850. In the 10th century Len became the capital of the kingdom of Asturias and Leon when Garca I transferred his court there from Oviedo. On the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela, Len exercised considerable political, cultural, and economic influence during the Middle Ages. It was an important commercial centre, with many craft guilds and well-known fairs and markets. The street names of the old part of the city recall the offices and structure of the medieval town. A monumental city with a wealth of artistic interest, it attracts large numbers of tourists. Especially notable are the fine Gothic cathedral of Santa Mara de Regla (founded 1199) with its fine stained-glass windows known as the Pulchra Leonina; the Romanesque collegiate church of San Isidoro (11th century); and the Renaissance-style church and monastery of San Marcos, converted into a state-run inn. The economic life of the city declined in the 16th century and did not revive until the 19th with the development of mining. By the mid-20th century, Len was resurgent, with a new city and industrialization. Pop. (1986 est.) 133,537.