Guadalest, which already existed in Muslim times, was conquered by Christians in the mid-thirteenth century. From that time until the expulsion of the Moors (1609) there was a large Islamist population under the rule of Aragonese nobility.
King James II of Aragon granted as a feud the Castle of Guadalest Castle to Bernardo de Sarria in 1293; then a period of 42 years began, in which the castle and the entire region become property of the Sarria family.
In 1335, the castle became part of the Crown, who sold it to the Infante Don Pedro, later it was owned by his son, the first Duke of Gandia and when the last Royal Duke of Gandia died the Cardona family owned the castle. The Cardona family became Admirals of Aragon; and in 1543, Charles I granted the title of Marquis of Guadalest to Sancho de Cardona and their successors. The Marquis included a large number of villages in the whole region.
On June 22, 1644, an earthquake destroyed the Castle and on December (the same year) there was another earthquake of high intensity.
The last descendant of the Cardona family, Marquis of Guadalest, died in 1699, leaving no inheritors and causing a lot of troubles that ended with the Marquis of Guadalest being held by the Marquis of Ariza.
During the time of the Cardona family, there was another family which became very important: the family of Orduña. They are linked to Guadalest from sixteenth century, as they were governors from 1669, and they reached perpetual nobility in 1756, when Don Pedro Antonio Buenaventura de Orduña y Garcia joined the Order of Santiago.
During the War of Spanish Succession in 1708, the Castle of San Jose suffered a blast that affected seriously the west wing of the castle and the Orduña House was burned.
In the twentieth century, Guadalest has gone across very important changes: in 1953 the construction of the dam began, until its completion in 1971.
In 1974, Guadalest was declared a Historic-Artistic Site.
Currently, the Marquis of Guadalest is held by Don Roberto Sánchez-Ocaña y Arteaga, as it can be found in the Elenco de Grandezas y Títulos Nobiliarios Españoles (record of Spanish nobility titles).
King James II of Aragon granted as a feud the Castle of Guadalest Castle to Bernardo de Sarria in 1293; then a period of 42 years began, in which the castle and the entire region become property of the Sarria family.
In 1335, the castle became part of the Crown, who sold it to the Infante Don Pedro, later it was owned by his son, the first Duke of Gandia and when the last Royal Duke of Gandia died the Cardona family owned the castle. The Cardona family became Admirals of Aragon; and in 1543, Charles I granted the title of Marquis of Guadalest to Sancho de Cardona and their successors. The Marquis included a large number of villages in the whole region.
On June 22, 1644, an earthquake destroyed the Castle and on December (the same year) there was another earthquake of high intensity.
The last descendant of the Cardona family, Marquis of Guadalest, died in 1699, leaving no inheritors and causing a lot of troubles that ended with the Marquis of Guadalest being held by the Marquis of Ariza.
During the time of the Cardona family, there was another family which became very important: the family of Orduña. They are linked to Guadalest from sixteenth century, as they were governors from 1669, and they reached perpetual nobility in 1756, when Don Pedro Antonio Buenaventura de Orduña y Garcia joined the Order of Santiago.
During the War of Spanish Succession in 1708, the Castle of San Jose suffered a blast that affected seriously the west wing of the castle and the Orduña House was burned.
In the twentieth century, Guadalest has gone across very important changes: in 1953 the construction of the dam began, until its completion in 1971.
In 1974, Guadalest was declared a Historic-Artistic Site.
Currently, the Marquis of Guadalest is held by Don Roberto Sánchez-Ocaña y Arteaga, as it can be found in the Elenco de Grandezas y Títulos Nobiliarios Españoles (record of Spanish nobility titles).