History of Valencia

The history of Valencia, one of the oldest cities in Spain, begins over 2100 years ago with its founding as a Roman colony under the name "Valentia Edetanorum" on the site of a former Iberian town,^[1] by the river Turia in the province of Edetania.^[2] The Roman consul Decimus Junius Brutus Callaicus transferred about 2,000 veteran soldiers who had fought under him to Valentia in 138 BC. Valentia lay in a strategic location near the sea on a river island that would later be crossed by the Via Augusta. Pompey razed Valentia to the ground in 75 BC; it was rebuilt about fifty years later with large infrastructure projects, and by the mid-1st century, was experiencing rapid urban growth with many colonists from Italy.

With the arrival of the first waves of invading Germanic peoples and the power vacuum left by the demise of the Roman imperial administration in Hispania, the church assumed the reins of power in the city. In 625, Visigothic military contingents were posted there. During Visigothic times Valencia was an episcopal see of the Catholic Church. The city surrendered without resistance to the invading Muslim Berbers and Arabs in 714 AD. and Islamic culture was established. Valencia, then called Balansiyya, prospered from the 10th century as a trading centre. In 1092, the Castilian nobleman El Cid, in command of a combined Christian and Muslim army, entered the Taifa of Valencia and conquered it in 1094. He ruled for five years until he died defending the city during a siege by the Almoravids. The city remained in Christian hands until 1102, when the Almoravids retook it. In 1238, James I of Aragon laid siege to Valencia and forced its surrender.

The city was devastated by the Black Death in 1348 and by the series of wars and riots that followed. The 15th century was a time of economic expansion, allowing culture and the arts to flourish in what became known as the Valencian Golden Age. The first printing press in the Iberian Peninsula was located in Valencia, and it became one of the most influential cities on the Mediterranean in the 15th and 16th centuries. Following the discovery of the Americas, the Valencians, like the Catalans and the Aragonese, were prohibited from participating in the cross-Atlantic commerce, which was controlled by Castile. This caused a severe economic crisis in the city, which was made worse with the expulsion in 1609 of the Jews and the Moriscos. The city declined even further when the War of Spanish Succession (1701–1714) led to the end of the political and legal independence of the Kingdom of Valencia. The ancient Charters of Valencia were abolished and the city was governed by the Castilian Charter.

The Valencian economy recovered during the 18th century with the rising manufacture of woven silk and ceramic tiles. The humanistic ideals of the Enlightenment in 18th century Europe had their effect on the social, economical, and cultural institutions of the city. The Peninsular War began in Spain when Napoleon's armies invaded the Iberian Peninsula; when they reached Valencia, the Valencian people rose in arms against them on 23 May 1808. After a long siege, the French took the city on 8 January 1812. It became the capital of Spain when Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon's elder brother and pretender to the Spanish throne, moved the royal court there in the middle of 1812. The French were defeated at the Battle of Vitoria in June 1813, and withdrew in July.

Ferdinand VII became king after the Spanish victory in the war freed Spain from Napoleonic domination. When he returned from exile in France in 1814, the Cortes of Cádiz requested that he respect the liberal Constitution of 1812, which limited royal powers. Ferdinand refused and went to Valencia instead of Madrid. There, he abolished the constitution and dissolved the Spanish Parliament, beginning six years (1814–1820) of absolutist rule. The constitution was reinstated during the Trienio Liberal, a period of three years of liberal government in Spain from 1820–1823. Conflict between absolutists and liberals continued, and in the period of conservative rule called the Ominous Decade (1823–1833) which followed there was ruthless repression by government forces and the Catholic Inquisition.

During his second term as Prime Minister of Spain, Baldomero Espartero declared that all the estates belonging to the Church, its congregations, and its religious orders were national property – in Valencia, most of this property was subsequently acquired by the local bourgeoisie. City life in Valencia carried on in a revolutionary climate, with frequent clashes between liberals and republicans, and the constant threat of reprisals by the Carlist troops of General Cabrera. The reign of Isabella II (1843–1868) was a period of relative stability and growth for Valencia. Services and infrastructure were substantially improved, while a large-scale construction project was initiated at the port. Gas lighting was introduced in 1840, and a public works project was initiated to pave the streets. The public water supply network was completed in 1850, and electricity was introduced in 1882. During the second half of the 19th century the bourgeoisie encouraged the development of the city and its environs; land-owners were enriched by the introduction of the orange crop and the expansion of vineyards and other crops. This economic boom corresponded with a revival of local traditions and of the Valencian language. Around 1870, the Valencian Renaissance, a movement committed to the revival of the Valencian language and traditions, began to gain ascendancy.

During the 20th century Valencia remained the third most populous city of Spain as its population tripled; Valencia was also third in industrial and economic development. There was urban expansion of the city in the latter 1800s, and construction of the Gare du Nord railway station was completed in 1921. By the early 20th century Valencia was an industrialised city. Small businesses predominated, but with the rapid mechanisation of industry larger companies were being formed. Industrial workers began to organise in increasing numbers to demand better living conditions. The Republican party of Blasco Ibáñez responded to these demands and gained enormous popular support.

World War I greatly affected the Valencian economy, causing the collapse of its citrus exports. The establishment of the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera in 1923 tempered social unrest for some years, but not the growing political radicalisation of the working classes. The labor movement gradually consolidated its union organisation, while the conservative factions rallied around the Valencian Regional Right. The Second Spanish Republic (1931–1939) opened the way for democratic participation and the increased politicisation of citizens, especially in response to the rise of Conservative Front power in 1933. The elections of 1936 were won by the Popular Front political coalition, which promoted the interests of the masses. On 6 November 1936, Valencia became the capital of Republican Spain under the control of Prime Minister Manuel Azaña. The city was heavily bombarded by air and sea during the Spanish Civil War, inflicting massive destruction on several occasions; by the end of the war the city had survived 442 bombardments. Valencia surrendered on 30 March 1939, and Nationalist troops entered the city.

The postwar years were a time of hardship for Valencians. Under Francisco Franco's dictatorship, speaking and teaching the Valencian language were prohibited; learning it is now compulsory for every schoolchild in Valencia. The economy began to recover in the early 1960s, and the city experienced explosive population growth through immigration. With the advent of democracy in Spain, the ancient kingdom of Valencia was established as a new autonomous entity, the Valencian Community, the Statute of Autonomy of 1982 designating Valencia as its capital. Valencia has since then experienced a surge in its cultural development, exemplified by exhibitions and performances at its cultural institutions. Public works and the rehabilitation of the Old City (Ciutat Vella) have helped improve the city's livability and tourism has continually increased. In 2007 Valencia hosted the America's Cup yacht race, and again in 2010.