A brief history of Valencia, Spain

Valencia was first inhabited by the Iberians; then the Greeks, Romans, Visigoths and Muslims settled down in the province.

Valencia city history has been greatly influenced by Roman civilisation. Nevertheless, the subsequent Muslim influence was even greater to the extent that the population of this place was essentially Muslim except for a short lived conquest by the Cid in 1088.

The nationalistic side of Valencia with its own political identity originated in 1238 when King James I conquered the city of Valencia. Nevertheless, it held its own autonomy as a kingdom within the group of States under his domains instead of being annexed to the kingdoms of Catalonia or Aragon. Valencia has its own identity by being a state self governing itself with its own institutions and parliament in spite of the mainly Catalan character of this conquest.

After the Middle Ages, economic growth was subject to sudden halts, such as the war of the 'Germanias' (1519-1522) and the expulsion of the 'Moriscos' in 1616, which marked the beginning of its decline.

People from Valencia took Austria´s Archduke´s side in the War of Succession at the beginning of the 1700s while most of the nobles were favouring Phillip V, whose success brought about the end of the region´s autonomy as well as the abolition of local charters.

During the last two centuries, politics in Valencia have been a reflection of the Spanish situation as seen from the capital of the State.