The origins of Chinchón go back to the
times of the Carparthians, although later civilizations like the Roman, Visigoth
and Arab all left their mark. During the Arab domination Chinchón was
part of the Kingdom of Toledo for three and a half centuries. About 1139 the
King Alfonso VII re-conquered Chinchón, which then fell under the jurisdiction
of Segovia.
Historical documentation first appears in the fifteenth century, during the reign of Juan II, and it was in that century that King Enrique IV bestowed the title of "villa" - town - on Chinchón.
The first Count of Chinchón was Fernando de Cabrera y Bobadilla, a title bestowed by Carlos V, although there can be no doubt that the most famous nobles were Francisca Enriquez del Rivera, Virreina (Vice-queen) del Perú, who discovered the curative properties of quinine (also called chinchona in her honour) and María Teresa de Borbón y Vallabriga XV, condesa de Chinchón, who was married to the statesman Manuel Godoy and immortalized by the painter Francisco Goya.
Felipe V was proclaimed King in the square at Chinchón, and it was he who conceded the title "Muy Noble y Muy Leal" (most noble and most loyal) to the town, in recognition of its loyalty to the throne. Around 1840, Chinchón fell under the power of the Madrid government, and a few years later the "Sociedad de Cosecheros" (society of winemakers) was founded, this being the motor for the industrialization and economic progress of the town.
In 1916 the King Alfonso XIII conceded Chinchón the title of city to reward its loyalty to the throne. Ten years later the Town Council was bestowed the title of "excellent".
In 1974 Chinchón was declared to be of particular Historical and Artistic Interest.
