| Escalona | |
| Settlement Type: | Municipality |
| Official Name: | Escalona del Alberche |
| Pushpin Map: | Spain Castilla-La Mancha |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of Escalona within Castilla-La Mancha |
| Pushpin Map1: | Spain |
| Pushpin Map Caption1: | Location of Escalona within Spain |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Spain |
| Subdivision Type1: | Autonomous community |
| Subdivision Name1: | Castilla-La Mancha |
| Subdivision Type2: | Province |
| Subdivision Name2: | Toledo |
| Subdivision Type3: | Comarca |
| Subdivision Name3: | Torrijos |
| Subdivision Type4: | Judicial district |
| Subdivision Name4: | Torrijos |
| Coordinates: | 40.1708°N -4.4053°W |
| Elevation M: | 550 |
| Area Total Km2: | 73 |
| Established Title: | Founded |
| Established Date: | Ver texto |
| Population Demonym: | Escaloneros |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Blank Name Sec1: | Official language(s) |
| Timezone: | CET |
| Utc Offset: | +1 |
| Timezone Dst: | CEST |
| Utc Offset Dst: | +2 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | 45910 |
| Area Code Type: | Dialing code |
| Area Code: | 925 |
| Leader Title: | Alcalde |
| Leader Name: | Álvaro Gutiérrez Prieto (2007) |
Escalona is a municipality located in the north of the province of Toledo, which in turn is part of the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha, Spain. According to the 2017 census (INE), the municipality has a population of 3,240 inhabitants, many of whom are settled in several housing estates outside the town itself.
The town lies 30 metres above the right bank of the river Alberche, in the comarca of Torrijos, which is a part of the historical region of New Castile.
Escalona's strategic location, on the Alberche river and between Avila and Toledo, suggests there may have been a fortress there in Roman times or during the Visigoth period. Following the conquest of Toledo (1085), by Alfonso VI of León and Castile, it was a key defensive point against raids by the Almoravides and Almohades that attacked the place in 1131, 1137 and, again, in 1196.
The Mudéjar-style Castle of Escalona, built in the 15th century,[1] is the most characteristic building of the town.
Historically, there was a Jewish community in Esacalona, dating to before the Christian conquest in 1083, but remained in the town after it. The rights of the Jews in Escalona were established by the town's municipal charter, granting them equal status with Christians and Moors. A Jewish quarter existed from 1477 to 1489; in 1483, the Muslim mosque was included in the Jewish quarter. Isaac Abarbanel had business interests in Escalona. The community continued to exist until the 1492 expulsion of the Jews.[2]