Entrena is a municipality of La Rioja, (Spain), located near the capital Logroño. Its population in January 2010 was 1,503 over an area of 21.03 square kilometres. The nucleus is placed at an altitude of 558 metres. It is bordered by Navarrete and Lardero to the north; Albelda de Iregua to the east; Nalda, Sorzano and Sojuela to the south; and Medrano to the west.
Geography
The relief of the municipality is level, its altitude varies between the 500 and the 600 M.s. Most of the land are in a glacis, old channel of Iregua River. In the South zone are the first spurs of the Mountain range of Moncalvillo. The village is located in this zone, on the hill called El Conjuro. Is urbanized in bastille with his streets staggered and concentric. The residential zone extends from the slope south until the adjacent plain, whereas in the slope north, fresher, situates the Neighbourhood of Las Bodegas.
The rivers are few and with great low water. Hardly precipices coming from the mountain range cross the term from the South to North, like Ruicidera or Río Daroca.
History
The zone was populated by Romans, as it indicates the Roman town of La Dehesa, in addition to the road of Zaragoza-Briviesca that crossed the municipality.
Alfonso I of Asturias the Catholic in the middle of 8th century reconquered the villa from the Muslims. According to the Geographic Dictionary, published in Barcelona in 1830, Entrena it would be founded by this king around 750, but already it is known by the Chronicle of Alfonso III that these incursions realised by this king did not suppose the foundation of villages. These expeditions, carried out along with their brother Froila, consisted of killing the Muslims they found and gathering Christians to take them to the mountains.
In 1044, Entrena appears documented under the romance name Antelena.
From 1076, it belongs to Castile and to its king Alfonso VI. This king, before the strategic value of the zone, border with the kingdoms of Aragón and Navarre, populated and raised diverse fortresses to protect his interests. One of those seats was Entrena.
In 1160 Sancho VI of Navarre "repopulated" the villa.
In certain gifts of king Sancho VI of Navarre it appears with the Latin name of Entidigone.
During the reign of Stephanie of Foix, widow of García Sánchez III of Navarre, was one of the villages favored by the privilege of union and other rights, with Sojuela, Velilla de la Rad, Fuenmayor, Hornos de Moncalvillo, Medrano and Navarrete. These municipalities were known as the Seven Towns of the Country. Later, this queen donated Entrena to the monastery of Santa María la Real of Nájera, appearing named as Antelana.
In 1189 the Benedictine monks of Santa María la Real of Nájera, among others, donated the church of Entrena to the bishopric of Calahorra after lawsuits between the bishop and the monastery, with intervention of the king and the abbot of Cluny.
King Enrique II of Castile donates the town to Juan Ramirez de Arellano by the lent services, according to appears in the concession writing of the Señorío de Cameros. Since then the town would be linked to the Arellano family that would have great disputes with the Gómez Manrique (they were gentlemen of Navarrete by donation realised in 1380 by Juan I of Castile to Diego Gómez Manrique de Lara).
In 1478 the neighbors of Navarrete destroy fortifications constructed by those of Entrena. In retaliation, people of Clavijo and Lagunilla, that were of Arellano, destroyed the term of Ribafrecha that was affection of Manrique family. Entrena, until the abolition of the señoríos, belonged to the counts of Aguilar, gentlemen of Cameros.
In 1492 the expulsion of the Jews in Spain is carried out by the Catholic Monarchs. At this time the Jewish community in Entrena was important, getting to constitute an aljama, with an approximated population of 50 families. In 1503 Carlos Ramirez de Arellano and his wife, Juana de Zúñiga, gentlemen of Cameros and counts of Aguilar, founded the monastery of Santa Clara in Entrena granting to him in addition the already preexisting Santa Maria de Barrivero. The founding nuns came from Tordesillas and the monastery belonged to the franciscan province of Burgos. The first abbess was a Arellano.
Entrena had a hospital and hostelry to take care of the pilgrims that approached by the French Way to arrive at Compostela as they testify documents of 16th century.
After the disappearance of the señoríos, in 1811, formed part of the province of Soria, until the creation of the province of Logroño on 30 November 1833.