Bailén is probably the ancient Baecula, where the Romans, under Scipio the Elder, signally defeated the Carthaginians in 209 and 206 B.C.

In its neighbourhood, also, in 1212, was fought the great Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa, in which, according to the ancient chroniclers, the Castilians under Alphonso VIII, slew 200,000 Almohads, and themselves only lost 25 men.

The parish church of Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación, which was built in the 15th century, in the Elizabethan Gothic style, is one of the greatest architectural exponents of the town, declared a Historical Monument.

[3] The capitulation, signed at Andújar by Dupont on the 23rd of July 1808, involved the surrender of 17,000 men to the Spaniards, and was the first severe blow suffered by the French in the Peninsular War.

Due to its location at the eastern end of the Guadalquivir, summers tend to be very hot with particularly warm nights, while winters are colder compared to the western areas of the valley.