Xàtiva Castle stretches along a ridge above the Valencian city and the historic route linking the Mediterranean coast with the Spanish interior. Iberian settlement and fortification preceded Roman control, while tradition associates the area with Hannibal’s campaign against Saguntum in 219 BCE. The complex developed as two linked strongholds: the Castell Menor occupies the older eastern height, and the larger Castell Major extends westward. Their walls, towers, cisterns, and gates exploit steep rock and long views across fertile valleys.

Under Islamic rule, Shatiba became an important fortified city known for agriculture, textile and paper production, learning, and regional administration. Muslim builders expanded the ridge defenses and connected them with urban walls below. James I of Aragon captured Xàtiva in 1244 after negotiation and siege, incorporating it into the Christian Kingdom of Valencia. The castle guarded a strategic frontier and controlled a prosperous royal town. Gothic rebuilding adapted Islamic fabric, while chapels, storerooms, barracks, and governors’ quarters supported continuing occupation.

The fortress also served as a state prison for high-ranking captives. Among the best known was Jaume d’Urgell, a claimant to the Crown of Aragon after the Compromise of Caspe, who died at Xàtiva in 1433. During conflicts with Castile, the Revolt of the Brotherhoods, and other civil struggles, possession of the ridge remained militarily important. Earthquakes in 1748 severely damaged walls and buildings, compounding the effect of artillery, neglect, and repeated repairs. The castle nevertheless continued to symbolize the city’s independence and resistance.

Xàtiva supported the Habsburg claimant during the War of the Spanish Succession. Bourbon forces captured the city after the Battle of Almansa in 1707, burned it, and renamed it San Felipe under Philip V. The punishment left an enduring civic memory; the local museum famously displays the king’s portrait upside down. The castle’s damaged defenses lost strategic value as warfare changed. Farms, gardens, chapels, and custodial buildings occupied parts of the enclosure while travelers admired the extensive ruins.

Modern conservation has stabilized towers, walls, gates, and water systems and developed visitor routes across both castles. Interpretation distinguishes documented history from legends surrounding Hannibal and other famous figures. From the ridge, the ancient road, city, and surrounding plain remain visible, explaining why so many powers valued the site. Xàtiva Castle is not one building from one date but an elongated archaeological landscape: Iberian and Roman foundations, Islamic engineering, Christian royal administration, prison history, Bourbon destruction, earthquake damage, and modern Valencian memory overlap along the same mountain spine.