Tierra de Campos | |
|---|---|
 Cultivated fields in northern Valladolid Province | |
 | |
| Country |  Spain |
| Autonomous community |  Castile and León |
| Province | León, Zamora, Valladolid and Palencia |
| Capital | Palencia (unofficial) |
| Municipalities | List
|
| Elevation | 740 m (2,430 ft) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Largest municipality | Palencia |
Tierra de Campos ("Land of Fields") is a large historical and natural region or greater comarca that straddles the provinces of León, Zamora, Valladolid and Palencia, in Castile and León, Spain. It is a vast, desolate plain with practically no relief, except for some wide undulations of the terrain.
Originally it was known as "Gothic Plains" (Campi Gothici or Campi Gothorum), as the area had been settled by Visigoths who fled from Aquitaine Gaul after its conquest by the Franks. It was first mentioned under this name in Codex Vigilanus (Codex Albeldensis), and described as extending "from the river Douro, to the Christian Kingdom".[1]
Despite the strong identity of its inhabitants, this historical region has not been able to achieve the necessary legal recognition for its administrative development. Therefore, its municipalities have resorted to organizing themselves in a mancomunidad,[2] the only legal formula that has allowed the region to manage its public municipal resources meaningfully. Palencia is widely considered to be the capital of the Tierra de Campos.
- ^ Vaca Lorenzo, Ángel. "LA TIERRA DE CAMPOS Y SUS BASES ECOLÓGICAS EN EL SIGLO XIV". STVDIA HISTORICA. HISTORIA MEDIEVAL., page 3, Campos quos dicunt Goticos usque adflumen Dorium eremauit, et xpistianorum regnum extendit
- ^ Mancomunidad de Tierra de Campos