Simancas

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Simancas (sēmäng´käs), village, Valladolid prov., NW Spain, in Castile-León. The castle, an old fort rebuilt in the 15th cent., contains the Spanish national archives. Begun by Ferdinand V in Valladolid, the collection was transferred to Simancas in 1563 by Emperor Charles V and was much enriched by Philip II.