Denominada Rubeum hasta el siglo XI cuando se le añadió el calificativo de Villa, denominándose Villarrubeum. Hasta el siglo XVI no se le añade apellido, el primero es el de Villarrubia de los Ajos por la abundancia de este cultivo en la zona. En el siglo XVIII es cuando se comienza usar el de Villarrubia de los Ojos, por la afloración del Guadiana en el término de esta Villa.
There are significant traces of settlements from the Iberian and Roman periods near Ojos del Guadiana, always taking the river as the central element. The Muslims built their castle, which later became the property of the Order of Monfranc, ceded to them by king Alfonso VII in 1148. In the early 13th Century, we can see how Villarrubia was among the possessions of the Order of San Juan, according to the letter of donation by Alfonso VII. Later, in 1232, in the agreement signed by the Orders of Calatrava and San Juan, the jurisdiction and administration of Villarrubia was given to the Order of Calatrava. At that time, Villarrubia began to define its urban layout, as it had a completely settled population by that time. The parish church and the Casas de la Encomienda (District Offices) were built on either side of the castle, using a large part of the demolished fortress in the construction process. In the old Casa de la Encomienda, a highly relevant historical event occurred on 2 May 1466: the death of the Master of the Order of Calatrava, Mr. Pedro Girón, when he was on the verge of being married to Princess Isabel, who would later become the Catholic Queen.
The emperor Carlos I seized Villarrubia from the Masters of the Order of Calatrava and in 1551 it was acquired by Mr. Diego Gómez Sarmiento de Villa Andarado, Count of Salinas y Ribadeo.
It is also famous for being the land where, in the 18th Century, José Antonio and Miguel Jijón founded the oldest ranch of fighting bulls in Spain: the famed “casta jijona” (Jijona thoroughbreds).
