2 August 1385: The first recorded bullfight in Pamplona
The spectacle was initially reserved for selected members of the aristocracy and became part of the city's annual summer fair in 1590
Jennie Rhodes
Viernes, 2 de agosto 2019, 10:01
The first ever recorded bullfight in Pamplona took place on 2 August 1385, paving the way for what would become the world-famous Sanfermines, or 'running of the bulls'.
According to Spain's royal archives, King Charles II of Navarre ordered the payment of 50 Aragonese pounds to a Christian and Moor who were brought from Zaragoza to fight and kill two bulls for his entertainment.
While it is known that bullfighting events had been taking place in the city for many centuries, this is the first on record.
Three years after the Pamplona event, in 1388, another bullfight was organised for Constance of Castile, the Duchess of Lancaster, who was the king's cousin and was passing through Pamplona on her way to Castile.
Spain was at the time divided into the Kingdoms of Castile and León, Navarre, Aragon and Granada, which included Malaga and was still Muslim. Pamplona belonged to the Kingdom of Navarre which today is the autonomous region of Navarra.
In 1385 there was no official bullring in Pamplona and the bullfights took place in the main square, Plaza del Castillo. The bulls were brought into the square by herdsmen on horses and the fight commenced. Bullfights were originally reserved for selected members of the aristocracy.
It wasn't until 1590 that the by then annual event was moved to July to coincide with the annual summer fair, which was held in honour of San Fermín, Pamplona's first ever bishop. In 1591 the first accounts of men running with the bulls were recorded, starting the tradition which still takes place every July. The current bullring was constructed in 1922, a year before American writer Ernest Hemingway first visited the city and become an aficionado of the Sanfermines festival, inspiring him to write the novel, The Sun Also Rises.
Despite the controversy surrounding bullfighting in Spain and regular protests by animal welfare organisations, the running of the bulls still takes place every July in Pamplona, attracting people from all over the world.
Bullfighting was banned in Catalonia in 2011.
