Zamora
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Zamora is a country of the Hyborian Age.
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[edit] Geography
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[edit] History and politics
Zamora was originally a Moorish settlement, and during the fighting between Christians and Moors it was the scene of many fierce engagements, reflected in the Spanish national epic, the "Cantar de mio Cid".
The name Zamora comes from the Gothic "Semura"[citation needed] or from the Arab "Azemur" and "Semurah". However, the city was really founded by the Romans, under the name of Occelum Durii or Ocellodurum (the Duero Eye), in the days when the Lusitanian hero Viriathus fought the Roman invasion. At Roman conquest, it was in the hands of the Vaccaei, and was incorporated into the Roman province of Hispania Tarraconensis. It was on the road from Emerita (modern Mérida) to Asturica Augusta (modern Astorga). (Ant. Itin. pp. 434, 439).
During the Medieval Age, Zamora was taken by the Arabs and by the Christians successively (from the Arab invasions in the early years of the eighth century to the last years of the eleventh), and it was fortified.
Henry IV granted Zamora the epithet of "most noble and most loyal city".
The most notable historic episode in Zamora was the assassination outside of the city walls of the king Sancho II of Castile in 1072. Some decades before, king Ferdinand I of León had divided his kingdoms between his three sons. To his daughter, Doña Urraca, he had bequeathed the "well fortified city of Zamora" (or "la bien cercada" in Spanish). All three sons warred among themselves, till the ultimate winner, Sancho, was left victorious. Zamora, under his sister who was allied with Leones nobles, resisted. Sancho II of Castile, assisted by El Cid, lay siege to Zamora. King Sancho II was murdered by a duplicitous noble of Zamora, Bellido Dolfos, who tricked the king into a private meeting. After the death of Sancho, Castile reverted to his deposed brother Alfonso VI of León. The event was commemorated by the Portillo de la Traición (Treason Gate). Zamora was also the scene of fierce fighting in the fifteenth century, during the conflict between the supporters of Isabella the Catholic and Juana la Beltraneja. The Spanish proverb, No se ganó Zamora en una hora, literally, Zamora wasn't won in an hour, is a reference to these battles.
During the twelfth century, the city was extraordinarily important for its strategic position in the wars between the Kingdom of León and Arabs to conquer the Iberian Peninsula. As a result, the city preserves many churches and buildings from that time. In the next centuries, the city lost its political and economic relevance and suffered emigration, especially to South America (who founded many other cities called Zamora We have very little in this section just yet. You can help Conan Wiki by adding something.
[edit] Population and culture
The capital city of Zamora is known as the City of Thieves. Conan first arrives here in his quest to find the most vile cesspit of cities, in order to learn the ways of civilization. The Zamorans he encounters here are mostly from the Maul, a region of the city where the thieves and rogues gather. Although Zamora has a rich culture and centres of higher learning, it is the dark alleys and seedy taverns that give it its reputation. Zamorans are a seperate race from Hyborians. They tend to be darker skinned, but not as dark as the people of the far south. Zamorans have a reputation for deviousness and theivery.
[edit] Stories set in Zamora
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[edit] Characters from Zamora
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