Barcelona History

Foundation and Origins

Barcelona History has two versions regarding its foundation. It simply means, that nobody knows exactly who was the real founder of Barcelona City. It sounds like a joke, but this is true history!

One version states that the great hero Hercules, who came from Africa in an expedition with some idea of colonization in mind, arrived to its coasts and was the founder of Barcelona.

The other version, which you will possibly accept as more probable, states that the Carthaginian Hamilcar Barca, who was the father of Hannibal, had to rebuilt the city in the third century BC and gave it the name of Barcino. This sounds more real than the first version, isn´t it?

Before the foundation of Barcelona city, this region of Catalonia were settled by people dedicated to agrarian activities, like those known as Laetani and the Iberians. It seems that the Greeks have been the first immigrants arriving to the northern part of this region. They set up a colony mainly for trading.

Romans did not pay much attention to Barcelona because its lack of harbor. They redrew the city about 15 BC and used it as a strategic middle port between Tarraco - now Tarragona - and other port in south France. You can see signs of the Roman civilization around the cathedral and also in other places in the Gothic Quarter.

Since Tarraco -now Tarragona- was a more important base for the Romans, you can see more ruins and Romans vestiges there than in Barcelona.

And the Roman Empire fell...

During the 5th century the Roman Empire arrived to end. The Visigoths took advantage of this fact and invaded this region, remaining for about three hundred years. You can appreciate their influence in church architecture in Barcelona and much more in Tarragona.

After that period, during the early eight century, almost the whole country was conquered by Moors. But they did not remain a long time here, because Charlemagne push them to the south of Spain. This is the reason why you can not see practically any signs of the Moors in Barcelona, but a big influence in Andalusia instead.

There is a very good book about Barcelona History, which I strongly recommend you to go more deeply in very interesting details through the time:
Barcelona: The Urban Evolution of a Compact City

In 801 AD, Louis, the son of Charlemagne, made of Barcelona a buffer zone with well defined territorial boundaries known as Hispanic March which was ruled by the Count of Barcelona, which in turn was divided in counties.

The ambition of Wilfred the Hairy trying to make the union of all those territories, yielded probably to the beginning of Catalonia. This happened at about 900 AD and was not precisely a peaceful action, as you can imagine...

Growth of Catalonia

Barcelona History initiated to flourish approximately at the beginnings of the 11th century. Of course, all counties were under the feudal system of that time. It was a period of commercial activities and Catalonia gained political strength through the expansion of more territories to the south and also Aragon.

During the 13th century, further expansion took place, but this time by turning Barcelona city and Catalonia in a main maritime power. Catalonia conquered the Balearic Islands, Sicily, Malta, Sardinia, Naples, Corcega, Albania and Athens. At that time, Catalonia dictated the rules for maritime trade. You can see vestiges of those good years of the Gothic period mainly in the cathedral and other churches of Barcelona city.

Good-bye Good Times!

During the second part of the fifteenth century and beginnings of the sixteenth, those good times of Barcelona History arrived to end because of the marriage of Fernando II and Isabel of Castile, known as Catholic Kings. Catalonia lost autonomy because of the unification of Spain and fell into an economic depression and political unstability.

Catholic Kings expelled the Muslims and Jews from Spain and focused on Columbus New World conquest and colonization. This caused severe damage to the Mediterranean commerce of Catalonia.

At the end of the seventeenth century and beginnings of the eighteenth, the region suffer of some wars. The most important event is perhaps when the Habsburg Archduke Carlos of Austria, who was supported by Barcelona, challenged the Bourbon King Philip V. This was the start of the Spanish Succession War. Guess who won? Of course, Philipe V, who was taking Barcelona city on November 11, 1714. Universities were closed and Catalan language outlawed.

Like Phoenix Bird

Barcelona History changes its course to a new period called Renaissance and Modernism, which happened during the nineteenth century because of the Industrial Revolution.

Barcelona city grew in various aspects, besides the economy, like arts, Catalan literature and the Modernist movement where architects and artists changed the aspect of Barcelona city. The Eixample quarter is a clear example of it, where you can appreciate very nice modernist houses.

The most important artist during this period was Antoni Gaudi, whose most known modernist works are La Sagrada Familia, Parc Güell, Casa Batlló and La Pedrera (Casa Milá).

The international exhibition of 1888 was a showcase for Barcelona city and Catalonia, with over two million visitors.

The Twentieth Century

At the beggining of the century, in 1931, King Alfonso XIII and his family had to flee after a revolution, and the Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed. After that, a period of political unstability begun, causing internal political polarization in Spain. The movement known as Falange Española was created, based on the fascist political models of Italy and Germany.

With the General Francisco Franco leading the Nationalist forces, the Spanish Civil War begun during 1936. The Spanish Army was supported by Hitler and Mussolini, as you may have already imagined. General Francisco Franco mantained a dictatorship for several decades.

Barcelona History tell us about the bombing of Barcelona and the Catalan coast organized by Italy and Germany. Franco, then sent his forces to Barcelona. Catalan language, culture and everything related to it was then banned.

During the 1960s, Catalonia experimented an economic jump thanks to the tourism industry growth of part of its coasts.

Juan Carlos de Borbón, the actual King, was selected by Franco as his sucessor, short before Franco´s death.

Current Barcelona

After Franco´s death, a new Constitution was approved. It was the beginning of a new era for civil and human rights in Spain and it also allowed a certain level of autonomy to Catalonia. The conservative party arrived to the power of Catalonia during 1980 and claimed for more autonomy for the region.

The Olympic Games of 1992 started the modern era of Barcelona City and Catalonia. An important part of Barcelona was rebuilt and highly improved to host the Olympics, making thus a dramatic aspect change of the city.

Catalan became an official language in schools and also for judiciary, in 1998. As a result, also a number of media make use of a Catalan quota. You can see Newspapers published in Catalan and Spanish, as well as television channels even with a hundred per cent of Catalan quota.

In 2004, the central Spanish government approved Catalan as an official language within the European Union. But you should not worry as a tourist, because every person speaks Spanish too!

During 2006 a new statute was approved by the central Spanish Government, giving more autonomy to Catalonia. Well, that is all about Brcelona History for the time being.

More Details About Barcelona History?

All the information above pretend to be a good overview of the Barcelona History, but You may wish to have more information.
In this case I do strongly recommend You to read more details about Barcelona City and lot of other useful information, by clicking on the following link: Barcelona History.

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