events - Spain

24/10/2019, Settling a long-standing controversy, the remains of General Franco were exhumed from the mausoleum of the Valley of the Fallen and reinterred in the family crypt at the Mingorrubio-El Pardo cemetery near Madrid.

Catalonia Independence Campaign

21/12/2017, In a referendum sanctioned by Madrid, the two pro-independence parties of Catalonia won a small total majority in the 135-seat Catalan Parliament; however the biggest single party was for union with Spain.

27/10/2017, Catalonia formally declared independence from Spain, just as Spain invoked Article 155 of its Constitution, never before used, to enable it to take direct control of Catalonia and suspend its regional government.

1/10/2017, Catalonia held a referendum, which was strongly opposed by the Spanish Government, on independence. Madrid took down web-based polling sites, and 4,000 police occupied and closed down over half the polling stations. Pro-independence Catalans occupied, from Friday night, the schools which were to be used as polling stations. There were riots in Barcelona, with over 800 injured as police fired rubber bullets, which are illegal in Catalonia but not in the rest of Spain. In the event 2.26 million managed to vote, out of an electorate of just over 5 million. Of this turnout of 43.6%, 92% voted Yes to independence. Catalonia reasserted on 2/10/2017 that it would declare independence: Spain said it would invoke Article 155 of its Constitution to suspend and take over the regional government of Catalonia.

20/9/2017, Police in Catalonia arrested 14 Catalan government officials suspected of organising the referendum, and seized 10 million ballot papers. 40,000 people protested in Barcelona against the police actions.

6/9/2017, The Catalan Parliament approved the independence referendum legislation after a heated 11-hour session in which 52 opposition MPs walked out. The legislation was declared illegal by Madrid the following day, but Catalonia vowed to go ahead with the poll.

9/6/2017, Carles Puigdemont, recent successor to Mas as regional President of Catalonia, announced he would hold an independence referendum on 1/10/2017. Madrid denounced the referendum as illegal and said it would block the poll by any means it could, legal and political.

9/11/2014, In Catalonia a poll was held by the regional government on independence from Spain. The national government had already declared it would not consider the poll result binding, and anti-separatists boycotted the poll. 2.3 million voted out of an electorate of 5.4 million. Of these, 1.6 million answered �yes� to both questions, �Do you think Catalonia should be a State�, and �If so, should it be independent from Spain�. Artur Mas, leader of the independence campaign, claimed a success. Catalonia complained that as Spain�s wealthiest region, it contributed more to the State than it received in return. The Spanish Prime Minister, Mr Mariano Rajoy of the Popular Party, replied that money was short and Catalonia must wait until the general economy improved.

11/9/2012, Over a million people peacefully protested on the streets of Barcelona on Catalonia�s National Day, demanding independence from Spain. This demonstration was to become an annual event.

28/10/2010, The Spanish Constitutional Court struck out parts of a 2006 Charter on Catalan autonomy which increased the territory�s fiscal and judicial powers, and described it as a �nation�. The Court ruled that the word �nation� had no meaning and rejected the preferential use of Catalan over Spanish in municipal services. Two weeks later hundreds of thousands protested on the streets of Barcelona, chanting �We are a nation; we decide�.

17/8/2017, An Islamist terror attack killed 13 and injured over 100 in Barcelona. A vehicle was driven into pedestrians in Las Ramblas. In a related incident, a car was intercepted by police in the resort of Cambrils; several injuries occurred and the car occupants were killed.

27/10/2012, Large protests in Madrid against austerity cuts.

18/9/2012, Santiago Jos� Carrillo Solares, Spanish Communist Party politician, died.

2007, Spain received over 22,000 migrants from north Africa, and sought international aid to cope with them.

11/3/2004 Terrorist bombs killed 191 and injured 1200 more at Madrid�s main Atocha railway station and on trains outside the station in the morning rush hour. Ten bombs in all exploded on four separate trains. ETA, the Basque independence group, was blamed at first but later blame shifted to a Moroccan group with links to Al Quaeda.

2002, Spain adopted the Euro.

2001, Spain abolished conscription into the army.

End of ETA bombing campaign

20/10/2011, Basque separatist militant organisation ETA declared an end to its 43-year campaign of political violence, which had killed over 800 people since 1968.

30/12/2006, The Basque Nationalist group ETA detonated a bomb at Madrid-Barajas Airport, ending a 9-month ceasefire.

22/3/2006, The Basque terrorist group ETA announced a permanent ceasefire in Spain.

16/9/1998, The Basque guerrilla group ETA announced a �total and indefinite ceasefire� to take effect from 18/9/1998.

19/2/1996, In Madrid, Spain, one million people demonstrated against violence by the Basque separatist group ETA.

21/6/1993. Basque separatists set off a car bomb in Madrid, killing 5 senior military officers in a minibus. Two others were also killed, and 24 injured.

6/2/1992. The Basque separatist group ETA set off a bomb in the centre of Madrid.

19/6/1987. 21 died and 45 were injured in a Basque separatist car bomb in an underground car park in Barcelona. Amongst the dead were several young children. The atrocity alienated all but the most militant ETA supporters; with Franco gone, the organisation now lacked any real purpose.

25/6/1980, Basque terrorists exploded bombs on the Costa Blanca, to disrupt the tourist trade.

3/1996, In Spanish general elections, the ruling Socialist Party lost its overall majority, ending 13 years of power. The conservative Popular Party (PP) won, led by Jose Maria Aznar, who formed a minority Government.

14/1/1990, 43 died in a fire in a disco in Saragosa, Spain.

14/12/1988, In Spain, 8 million workers went on strike against government economic policies.

1986, Spain joined the EU.

28/10/1982, The Socialist Party won Spanish elections, and Felipe Gonzalez was elected Prime Minister.

30/5/1982. Spain joined NATO.� She became the 16^th member and the first to join NATO since West Germany was admitted in 1955.

23/2/1981, In Spain, Fascist army officers loyal to the memory of dictator Francisco Franco stormed the Cortes (Parliament) ands held hundreds hostage. The rebel leader, Colonel Tejero de Molina, took the podium, gun in hand, to announce a coup. Meanwhile the Francoist General Jaime del Bosch, the man behind the coup, declared a state of emergency in eastern Spain and mobilised his troops. King Juan Carlos, that evening, made a TV broadcast saying he had ordered the army to suppress the revolt. King Carlos was counting on the support of the people and most of the army. The return of the Spanish monarchy after Franco�s death in 1975 had brought the first free elections in Spain for 40 years. The Fascist rebels hesitated, and Spanish democracy was saved.

29/1/1981, Adolfo Suarez resigned as Spanish Prime Minister; succeeded 10/2/1980 by Leopoldo Calvo Sotelo.

Spain liberalises post-Franco

25/10/1979, Referendums in Spain approved devolution of power to Catalonia and Euzkadi (Basque region).

27/12/1978. Spain became a democracy as a new Constitution was approved, after 40 years of dictatorship. See 8/1/1982.

20/11/1978. An attempted military coup in Spain failed.

28/7/1977, Spain formally applied to join the EC.

15/6/1977, Spain held its first democratic elections, after 41 years of dictatorship under Franco.

29/4/1977, Trades Unions were legalised in Spain for the first time since 1936.

9/4/1977. Spain legalised the Communist Party after a 38-year ban.

22/11/1975. The Spanish monarchy was restored following the death of General Franco. King Juan Carlos II became King of Spain on 27/11/1975. See 30/10/1975.

Death of General Franco

20/11/1975. General Franco, Spanish Head of State from 1936, died aged 82. He became leader of Spain following the Spanish Civil War (1935-39), due to lack of intervention by other European countries and the backing of Fascist Italy and Germany. Franco stayed out of World War Two because Adolf Hitler would not agree to cede France�s North African territories to Spain. In 1949 Franco declared Spain to be a monarchy, although there was no monarch until, in 1954, he declared that his heir would be Juan Carlos, grandson of the last Spanish King. Carlos took Spain in a different political direction from Franco, adopting a democratic constitution in 1978 after� referendum showed 90% of Spaniards in favour of this.

30/10/1975. Prince Juan Carlos became acting Head of State in Spain after dictator Franco became ill. See 20/11/1975.

21/10/1975. Spain�s 82 year old General Franco suffered his third heart attack in five days. He died on 20/11/1975. See 22/11/1975.

28/9/1975, Spanish dictator General Franco executed five Basque terrorists.

1973, Tourist arrivals in Spain numbered nearly 35 million, against just over 4 million in 1959. Tourist income in 1973 wsas US$ 3,1 billion, against US$ 125 million in 1959. The 1959 toursists came to see spain�s culture and history, the Prado and Alhambra. The 1973 tourists came for the sun, sand and sea.

20/12/1973, The Spanish Prime Minister, Luis Carrero Blanca, was killed in Madrid by a Basque ETA bomb which blew his car up. Every day Blanca attended Mass at the same church at the same time then took the same route beck to his office. This predictability enabled a group of five young ETA men, pretending to be arts students, to rent a ground floor flat on his route then dig a tunnel out under the road and detonate 80 kg of explosives as his car passed overhead. The car seemed to have completely disappeared; it had in fact been blasted over a four-storey building to land in the internal courtyard. Luis Blanca had been chosen by General Franco as his successor, and had promised to continue Franco�s policies. Many Spaniards disliked this, not just the Basques, and after the event jokes circulated about �Spain�s first astronaut� and a folk song went �Whoops, there he goes�.

7/12/1971, Fernando Quiroga y Palacios, Archbishop of Santiago de Compostela, died aged 71.

1970, 90% of Spanish homes had a TV set, up from just 1% in 1960.

22/7/1969, Spanish dictator General Franco named Juan Carlos, grandson of King Alfonso XIII, as his heir apparent.

24/1/1969, General Franco imposed martial law in Spain.

20/12/1968. Franco banished Prince Carlos from Spain.

24/7/1968, A conference of Spanish bishops asserted the right of Spanish workers right to strike and form independent trades unions.

17/1/1966, A US bomber aircraft on exercises was attempting to refuel mid-air over Spain when an error resulted in the fuel boom from the other aircraft clipping the bomber�s wing. The bomber crashed in flames; its crew parachuted to safety. However the bomber was carrying four Hydrogen Bombs. The Bombs were not armed so the electrical sequence necessary to detonate the fission bomb that would have set off the Hydrogen bomb never initiated. In other fortunate events, the parachutes on the bombs failed so they buried themselves deep in the soil, limiting radiation dispersal, and a breeze carried much of the radiation out to see as flaming bits of aircraft rained down in the area.

1959, ETA was set up to secure the independence of the Basque Country, by violence if necessary.

1957, After two decades of failed autarky, Franco brought in technocrats who reformed the Spanish economy, creating a new middle class.

15/7/1957, General Franco announced that the Spanish monarchy would be restored on his death or retirement.

7/6/1957. A travel report published in London said a small fishing village called Benidorm was the place for summer holidays, with guaranteed sun and low prices. Tourist development in Benidorm had just begun, with a German company building bed and breakfast accommodation there. There were warnings that the bathrooms may be spartan, with some taps only giving salt water.

1955, Spain joined the United Nations.

27/12/1950. US and Spain resumed diplomatic relations.

1949, Alejandro Lerroux, Populist leader of Barcelona, died (born 1864). He founded the Radical Republican Party in 1908.

6/7/1947. Spain voted to have a King when Franco died.

4/3/1946, The USA, Britain and France appealed to the Spanish to depose General Franco.

8/12/1945, At the Nuremberg Trials it emerged that Hitler had expected the Spanish General Franco to seize Gibraltar from Britain.

28/2/1941, Alfonso I, former King of Spain, who had been forced into exile when Spain became a Republic in 1931, died in Rome.

12/2/1941, General Franco travelled to Bordighera, Italy, to meet Mussolini.� Again Franco avoided any significant commitment to the Axis cause.

For main events of World War Two in Europe see France-Germany

23/10/1940, General Franco travelled to Hendaye, France, to meet with Hitler.� Franco avoided making a serious commitment to the Axis cause.

19/5/1940, Diego Mazquiaran, 45, Spanish matador, died.

8/5/1939. Spain left the League of Nations.

End of Spanish Civil War 1939

1/4/1939. The US recognised Franco�s government in Spain.

29/3/1939, Franco was named �Caudillo�, or �Leader of the Nation�.

28/3/1939. Spanish Civil War ended. Franco entered Madrid, after a siege of almost three years.

26/3/1939, The Nationalists launched the Final offensive of the Spanish Civil War.

4/3/1939, The Cartagena Uprising (Spanish Civil War) began.

28/2/1939. Britain and France recognised Franco�s regime in Spain.

26/2/1939, 1,000 demonstrators marched from Trafalgar Square to Downing Street to protest at the British government's imminent recognition of Franco�s regime in Spain.

13/2/1939, France closed its border with Spain.

9/2/1939, In Spain, Franco�s army, pursuing the fleeing Republicans north from Barcelona, reached the French border. France had given refuge to the Republican forces, having confiscated their vehicles and weapons.

30/1/1939, France opened refugee camps for Republican women and children fleeing Barcelona after the defeat of the Republicans there on 26/1/1939. By March 1939, these camps at Argeles and other locations in SE France housed 250,000 refugees. This population movement was known as the Retirada (withdrawal).

26/1/1939. Barcelona fell without resistance to the Nationalists under Franco, with help from Italy. This doomed the Republican cause, which finally surrendered on 28/3/1939. Barcelona had been the seat of an autonomous Catalan government, established on 2/8/1936.

25/1/1939, The Juan Negr�n government fled Barcelona. Another capital was set up in Figueres the following day.

3/1/1939, The Battle of the Segre ended in Nationalist victory in the Spanish Civil War.

25/5/1938, Alicante was bombed by General Franco�s aircraft in the Spanish Civil War.

15/4/1938, In Spain, Nationalist forces took the Mediterranean coastal town of Vinaroz, splitting the Republican forces in Catalonia from those in south east Spain. See 22/2/1938.

3/4/1938. Franco took Lerida, a key town in Catalonia.

16/3/1938, The Aviazione Legionaria began bombing Barcelona.

Click here for Spanish Civil War map, war situation 1938, just before capture of Vinaroz.

22/2/1938, In Spain, Nationalist forces recaptured Teruel. From here they drove to the sea, cutting Republican territory in half, see 15/4/1938.

5/1/1938. King Juan Carlos I of Spain, who succeeded General Franco as Head of State, born.

21/12/1937. Republicans captured Franco�s stronghold of Teruel.

28/11/1937. Franco ordered the Spanish Republican government forces to surrender by 12/12/1937 or face a massive offensive.

28/10/1937. The Spanish Government moved from Valencia to Barcelona.

21/10/1937. Gijon, the last Republican stronghold in northern Spain, fell to Franco�s forces.

25/8/1937, Franco�s forces captured Santander.

10/8/1937, In the Spanish Civil War, the Regional Defence Council of Aragon was dissolved.

5/7/1937, Spanish Civil War, the Battle of Albarrac�n began.

29/6/1937, Italy and Germany opposed Anglo-French patrols around the coast of Spain.

19/6/1937. Franco�s forces captured Bilbao.

13/6/1937, The Nationalists came within two miles of Bilbao, capturing a range of hills east of the city.

31/5/1937. The German fleet bombarded the Spanish port of Almeria.

26/4/1937. The German air force destroyed the Basque city and cultural centre of Guernica, Spain. Thousands of civilians died. It was market day in Guernica when the Germans raided, in support of Franco�s Nationalists. The town was a communications centre with a munitions factory, but the bombing with incendiaries was random; aircraft also raked the town with machine gun fire. 1,000, mainly civilians, died.� 43 aircraft from the German Condor Legion, under Colonel Wolfgang von Richtofen, carried out the raid.� This became the scene of one of Picasso�s most famous paintings.

8/2/1937. Malaga fell to Franco�s forces, helped by 15,000 Italians.

17/1/1937. The USSR refused to stop helping the Republican forces in Spain.

1/12/1936. German forces landed at Cadiz to help Franco�s nationalist rebels.

18/11/1936, Hitler and Mussolini recognised Franco�s provisional government in Burgos.

7/11/1936. The Spanish Government fled to Valencia.

6/11/1936, Franco�s forces were besieging Madrid.

29/10/1936. Republican troops south of Madrid were holding back Franco�s Nationalist forces.

28/10/1936, In the Republican-controlled areas of Spain, agriculture was nationalised and Christian worship banned.

23/10/1936, Germany sent the �Condor� legion to Spain to assist Franco�s forces.

7/10/1936, Aguirre was elected President of the Basque Republic (Euskadi), honouring a promise for autonomy within Spain.

28/9/1936. General Franco, 44, was made head of the rebel Nationalist forces in Spain.

17/9/1936. Franco�s troops took Maqueda, between Madrid and Toledo.

4/8/1936. Badajoz was captured by the Spanish Nationalists under Franco as they fought northwards. This cut off the Republicans from the route to Portugal, and prepared the way for a nationalist advance on Madrid from the north and west.

2/8/1936. An autonomous Catalan government was established in Barcelona. See 26/1/1939.

24/7/1936. The Spanish government appealed for foreign help in the Civil War.

18/7/1936. The Spanish Civil War began when the army, under Generals Francisco Franco and Emilio Mola, revolted against the Republican Government. The army wanted to preserve traditional values and religion. Other mutinies began across Spain. The conflict lasted three years.

Start of Spanish Civil War 1936

10/5/1936, Manuel Azana was elected President of Spain.

10/4/1936, The Spanish Parliament dismissed President Zamora.

19/2/1936, The Spanish Republic announced an amnesty for the rebels in the 1934 Asturian revolt.

16/2/1936. Victory for the Left in Spanish elections. The Left won 256 seats against 165 for the Right and 52 for the Centre Parties. Manuel Azana became Prime Minister; he restored the 1931 Spanish Constitution. Churches in Spain were attacked and their land seized.

Civil conflict in Spain 1930-34

8/10/1934. Despite martial law, there was fierce fighting in Spain and Catalonia was trying to set up its own government, with Barcelona as the capital.

25/4/1934. Martial law was declared in Spain as the government resigned.

14/1/1934, In Spain, the Left won in the Barcelona area but the Right won in all other regions of Spain.

10/1/1933. Civil disorder broke out in Spain and the army declared martial law.

2/1/1933, Anarchist uprising in Barcelona.

10/8/1932, In Spain, a revolt by General Jose Sanjurjo in Seville was suppressed.

22/1/1932. A Communist uprising in northern Spain was crushed.

11/6/1931. Martial law was imposed on 7 Spanish cities.

16/12/1930, A General Strike began in Spain..

12/12/1930. The Spanish revolution began.

19/11/1933, In Spain, the CEDA (Spanish Confederation of Right-Wing Groups) won the largest number of seats, 115, in the general election. The Radicals won 102, Centre parties won 167, and the Left won 99. CEDA and the Radicals formed a Government, led by Alejandro Lerroux.

29/10/1933, The Falange Party, a Spanish version of fascism, advocating violence to gain its ends, was launched by Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera. The Party won just 0.7% of the vote in the general elections of 16/2/1936; however the Falange then grew rapidly as Spanish middle-class youth, disillusioned with the mainstream parties, joined it en masse. Falange activists played a key role in organising the street fighting that was a prelude to the Civil war that broke out in July 1936; during the early stages of the Civil war itself, the Falange controlled the press and propaganda in the Natioinalist-controlled areas. However its leader, Jose Antonio, was executed in Alicante jail in November 1936. In April 1937 General Franco forcibly united the Falange with his own Carlist Nationalist organisation.

17/5/1933, In Spain the Association Law nationalised Church property, and closed Church schools.

25.9/1932, Catalonia in Spain became autonomous, with its own Parliament, language and flag.

15/9/1932, In Spain, the Agrarian Law was passed, allowing for expropriation of private estates, to be administered by a Bureau of Agrarian Reform.

28/6/1931. Socialists won the Spanish general elections.

14/4/1931 King Alfonso XIII of Spain abdicated and left Spain to settle in Rome, when the Republicans gained overwhelming success in Spain�s municipal elections. He never formally abdicated the throne. Alfonso (1886 �1941) had ruled Spain since 1902. Alfonso had supported the dictator Primo de Rivera, who overthrew the Spanish Parliament in 1923; Rivera was ousted in 1930 and the army also opposed Alfonso.

12/4/1931. In Spain, elections showed a big majority for the Republicans. King Alfonso XIII abdicated on 14/4/1931, and left for exile in Rome.

15/9/1930. The removal of press censorship in Spain brought out demands for a Republic.

17/8/1930, In Spain, the Pact of San Sebastian was made between Republicans and Catalans. Catalonia was to have autonomy if the Republicans gained power.

16/3/1930, The Spanish dictator Primo de Rivera died, aged 59, having fallen ill on 28/1/1930.

28/1/1930, In Spain the dictator Primo de Rivera resigned, after the Army withdrew support for him. General Damaso Berenguer formed a Government.

17/3/1929, The Spanish Government closed Madrid University because of student political agitation.

7/9/1926. Spain left the League of Nations after being denied a permanent seat on the council.

Civil conflict in Spain 1917-23

14/9/1923, In Spain, Miguel Primo de Rivera became dictator, ruling under King Alfonso XIII.

12/9/1923, The garrison at Barcelona mutinied. In response, General Primo, with the approval of King Alfonso XIII, suspended the constitution and instituted a military government.

8/3/1921. Spanish Prime Minister Eduardo Iradier was assassinated by an anarchist.

1917, In Spain, the Conferedacion Nacional Catolica-Agrario (CNCA) was set up by large landowners, to combat the rising power of the rural and urban working classes. The middle-c;lass, Conservative, religious, CNCA attracted the support of smaller landowners particularly in northern and central Spain and by 1919 boasted 500,000 members. It supported the Right wing during the Spanish Civil War. In 1942 it became the National Union of Rural Co-operatives (UNCC).

13/8/1917, In Spain, Catalonia revolted over demands for home rule.

1915, Franco, born 1892, became the youngest Captain in the Spanish Army.

1914-1918, Spain remained neutral during World War One.

27/11/1912. France and Spain agreed on their respective spheres of influence in Morocco.

Civil conflict in Spain 1909-13

1911, In Spain the Comferedacion Nacional de Trabajo (CNT), a leftist-anarchist movement, was founded. It became the largest trade union in Spain, drawing support from the Barcelona, Madrid and Saragossa regions. However the CNT�s� anarchist tendencies caused differences with the Republicans, and these splits undermined the Leftist war effort against the Nationalists in the Civil War.

18/9/1911, A General Strike began in Valencia, Spain.

13/10/1909, Yerren, leader of the anti-clerical party in Spain, was executed.

1/8/1909, End of the �Tragic Week� in Barcelona; from 26/7/1909 over 100 civilians had been killed and many buildings destroyed in rioting in Barcelona.

26/7/1909, A general strike began in Barcelona, lasting until 26/9/1909. There was rioting across Catalonia.

18/7/1909, Don Carlos, claimant to the Spanish throne, died (born 30/3/1848).

3/4/1909, Pascual Cervera, Spanish Admiral, died (born 18/2/1839).

16/5/1907. Spain signed the Cartagena Pact with Britain and France, to counter a perceived German threat to annex the Balearic and Canary Islands.

19/5/1906, Joao Franco became Prime Minister of Spain, with dictatorial powers.

10/4/1904, Isabella II, Queen of Spain, died (born 10/10/1830).

Civil conflict in Spain 1900-03

2/4/1903, Violent clashes between students and police in Spain.

17/5/1902, Coronation of King Alfonso XIII of Spain in Madrid as the young monarch came of age at 16.

20/2/1902, Strikes in Barcelona, Spain; fighting left 500 dead.

17/2/1902, A general strike in Barcelona and nearby towns led to military reprisals that left 40 dead.

14/5/1901, End of a General Strike in Barcelona, Spain, that had begun on 7/5/1901.

11/5/1900, Civil disorder in many Spanish cities, in protest at new taxes.

25/5/1899, Emilio Castelar, Spanish politician, died (born 8/9/1832).

24/6/1898, Jose de Elduayen, Spanish politician, died (born 22/6/1823).

23/1/1896, Juan Camacho, Spanish statesman, died (born 1824).

31/7/1895, The Basque Nationalist Party was founded by Sabino de Arana Goiri (1865-1903). He did much to revive the Basque language, publishing newspapers, magazines, and books on subjects ranging from grammar to history in this language. He also coined the word Euzkadi for the Basque national people, and designed the first Basque national flag, the Ikurrrina.

4/12/1892, General Franco, Spanish dictator, was born in El Ferrol.

17/4/1892, Easter Sunday; Joaquin Jovellar y Soler, Captain-General of Spain, died (born 28/12/1819).

27/3/1890, Spain adopted universal (male) suffrage.

18/1/1890, Death of King Amadeus I of Spain (born 1845).

24/11/1885, Alphonso XII of Spain died of tuberculosis, aged 27. He was later succeeded by his posthumous son, Alphonso XIII. Born in 1857, son of the exiled Queen Isabella, he was chosen as monarch to succeed Amadeus of Aosta in 1874. He successfully suppressed the Carlist Rebellion of 1876.

1881, Trades Unions were legalised.

8/1/1879, Baldomero Espartero, Spanish soldier, died (born 27/2/1792).

24/5/1877, Ramon Cabrera, Spanish General, died (born 27/12/1806).

1/12/1874, The 17-year-old Alphonso XII of Spain issued a proclamation from Sandhurst announcing himself as sole heir to the Spanish throne, and formally beginning his reign.

12/2/1873, Amadeus I of Spain abdicated and a Republic was proclaimed. Foreign Minister Emilio Cistelar y Ripoli became Prime Minister.

5/1872, The Pretender to the Spanish throne, Don Carlos, entered Navarre. However his forces were routed and he was forced to retreat back into the Pyrenees.

1870, Amadeus I (1845-90) became king of Spain. He attempted to goverm constitutionally but was thwarted by the existing undemocratic instituions of the country. He abdicated in 1873 and retired to Italy as Duke of Aosta.

25/6/1870, Queen Isabella of Spain abdicated. This precipitated the Franco-Prussian War. One possible candidate for the vacant Spanish throne was the German Prince Leopold of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. He was a Catholic, but France was alarmed at the thought of a German monarch to its south as well as to the north.

11/11/1861, Pedro V of Portugal died of cholera aged 24. He was succeeded by his 23-year-old brother, Luiz I.

21/7/1858, Maria Christina, Queen-Regent of Spain, widow of Alphonso XII and mother of Alphonso XIII, was born.

10/3/1855, Don Carlos, claimant to the Spanish throne, died (born 29/3/1788).

4/10/1851, Alvarez Godoy, Spanish statesman, died (born 12/5/1767).

18/5/1845, Don Carlos relinquished his right to the Spanish Crown in favour of his son.

13/5/1844, Spain set up a military peacekeeping force, the Guardia Civil.

25/10/1839. Spain passed a law removing all independence from the Basque provinces. This law was applied to Navarre in 1841, and to Alava, Guipuzcoa, and Vizcaya in 1876, and converted these into provinces of Spain.

18/2/1839, Pascual Cervera, Spanish Admiral, was born (died 3/4/1909).

24/12/1836, Francisco Mina, Spanish soldier who resisted the French invasion in 1808, died (born 17/6/1781).

1835, Anti-clerical riots in Barcelona. Doiscontent at the result of a bullfight sparked disturbances in which 7,000 male clergy (but only a small number of nuns) were massacred and many churches were destroued, and in others, images were broken.

15/7/1834, The Spanish Inquisition, founded in 1478, was disbanded.

King Ferdinand VII

29/9/1833, Ferdinand VII, King of Spain, died, aged 48. He was succeeded by his 2-year old daughter, Isabella II. Ferdinand�s brother, Don Carlos, claimed the throne, threatening civil war.

8/9/1832, Emilio Castelar, Spanish politician, was born (died 25/5/1899).

14/12/1831, Arsenio Campos, Spanish statesman (died 1900) was born.

10/10/1830, Isabella II, Queen of Spain, was born.

24/2/1829, Cadiz was made a free port.

23/9/1823, French troops, suppressing a rebellion in Spain, took Cadiz. The rebels surrendered Ferdinand VII, who was restored to the Spanish throne.

31/8/1823, At the Battle of the Trocadero, French troops defeated Spanish rebels.

22/6/1823, Jose de Elduayen, Spanish politician, was born (died 24/6/1898).

30/6/1822, In Spain, rebels took King Ferdinand VII prisoner.

28/12/1819, Joaquin Jovellar y Soler, Captain-General of Spain, was born (died 17/4/1892).

20/1/1819, Charles IV of Spain died (born 11/11/1748).

1814, By decree, Spain exiled the �Afrencesados�, some 10,000 in number, the Spanish politicians and intellectuals who had supported Napoleon and the reforms he introduced to Spain during his occupation of the country. King Ferdinand VII was restored to the throne, which he held until 1833.

French occupation of Spain � evicted by Wellington, Peninsular War

21/6/1813. The victory of Wellington at Vitoria in the Peninsular War. Spain was lost by the French. Napoleon had deposed the Spanish monarch and replaced him with his own brother, Joseph. However this act provoked major Spanish popular resistance against France and led to Napoleon�s defeat there.

16/5/1811, The Battle of Albuera in Spain, at which a combined English (under Sir Arthur Wellesley), Portuguese, and Spanish force defeated the French under Marshal Soult. This was part of the Peninsular War.

10/3/1811. During the Peninsular War, Badajoz was surrendered to the French after its Spanish Commander had been bribed into the capitulation. The French had unsuccessfully attacked Badajoz in 1808 and 1809.

16/1/1809, The British won a rearguard action against the French, under Nicolas Soult, at Corunna in the Peninsular War. Britain had invaded Spain in the hope of raising anti-Napoleonic support but found this lacking. Corunna enabled the British forces to be successfully evacuated. However the British commander, Sir John Moore, was killed in this battle.

For more events of Peninsular War, see France-Germany

4/12/1808. Napoleon abolished the Spanish Inquision.

20/11/1808, Don Jose Floridablanca, Spanish statesman, died (born 1728).

21/8/1808, British troops under Wellington defeated the French under General Junot.� This was at the Battle of Vimiero, during the Peninsular War.� The Peninsular War absorbed some 300,000 of Napoleon�s best troops, and� was ended when Napoleon heard reports that Austria, backed by Britain, was arming against him.

2/5/1808. The people of Madrid rebelled against Napoleon�s rule. The French had replaced the Spanish monarch, �with Napoleon�s elder brother, Joseph. Moreover, Marshal Joachim Murat proposed removing the children of the Royal Family to France. This precipitated a riot with a crowd assembled at the Royal Palace to prevent this removal. The French dealty with the protest harshly, killing many, which merely inflamed matters further.

23/3/1808, French forces occupied Madrid.

King Charles� IV � deposed by the French 1808

27/12/1806, Ramon Cabrera, Spanish General, was born (died 24/5/1877).

21/10/1805. Battle of Trafalgar. Death of Nelson. Nelson blockaded the combined fleets of France and Spain in Cadiz. The French Admiral, Villeneuve, attempted to break out, but British ships sank or captured most of the French and Spanish ships. The French had planned to link up with the Spanish fleet in the West Indies and so lure the British into giving chase across the Atlantic. However Nelson guessed at the French tactics and the Admiralty was warned. A British fleet under Calder found the French fleet off Cape Finistere and they put into Spanish harbours. The French fleet later emerged to sail, not for Britain, but to return to the Mediterranean. The French were intercepted off Cape Trafalgar, and destroyed in the Battle of Trafalgar.

3/2/1802, Arsenio Campos, Spanish statesman (born 1/7/1723) died.

6/7/1801, The English and Spanish fleets were defeated off Algeceiras.

4/8/1800, Ramon Narvaez, Spanish statesman, was born (died 23/4/1868).

1798, The British again seized Majorca, holding it until 1803 when it was ceded to Spain by the Peace of Amiens.

9/1/1798, Pedro Aranda, Spanish politician, died in Epila (born 1/8/1719 in Sietamo).

14/2/1797. Horatio Nelson and Admiral Jervis defeated the Spanish fleet off Cape St Vincent, south west Portugal.

5/10/1796. Spain declared war on Britain by signing the Treaty of San Il Defonso, allying it with Revolutionary France. The Treaty was engineered by Spanish Prime Minister Manuel de Godoy, lover of King Charles IV�s wife Maria Luisa. De Godoy was opposed to monarchist Britain. Many ordinary Spanish opposed the Treaty, which diminished Spain as an imperial power and weakened her influence in The Americas.

King Charles III

14/12/1788, King Charles III of Spain died aged 72 after an enlightened reign of 29 years during which he had encouraged industrial growth, constructed new roads and canals, improved sanitation and suppressed lawlessaness. His firstborn son was epileptic and therefore was passed over for the succession in favour of his lazy 40-year-old second son, who ruled until 1808 as King Charles IV.

14/10/1784, Ferdinand VII, King of Spain, was born.

29/6/1784, Alexandre Aguado, Spanish soldier and politician, was born in Seville (died 14/4/1842 in Gijon).

5/2/1782, Spain captured Minorca from Britain.

17/6/1781, Francisco Mina, Spanish soldier who resisted the French invasion in 1808, was born (died 24/12/1836).

2/12/1781, Cenon Ensenada, Spanish statesman, died (born 2/6/1702).

12/5/1767, Alvarez Godoy, Spanish statesman, was born (died 4/10/1851).

1763, Britain recovered Majorca from the French, holding it until 1782, when the Spanish took control.

2/1/1762, Britain declared war on Spain, three months after William Pitt resigned

10/8/1759, Ferdinand VI, King of Spain, died aged 45 after a 13-year reign. He was succeeded by his half-brother aged 43, who ruled until 1788 as Charles III.

King Ferdinand IV

14/3/1757, Admiral John Byng was executed by firing squad on the Monarque at Portsmouth, for his failure to relieve the island of Minorca, under attack by the French, at the start of the Seven Years War. In fact his fleet was probably inadequate for the task; having failed to prevent a French landing on Minorca, he took advice to leave the British garrison to its fate.

1756, A force of 12,000 French invaded Majorca, ousting the British.

11/11/1748, Charles IV of Spain was born (died 20/1/1819).

9/7/1746, Philip V, King of Spain, died, insane, aged 62. He reigned for 46 years. He was succeeded by his son, Ferdinand VI, who reigned until 1759.

11/4/1743, Jose del Campillo, Spanish statesman, died (born 1695).

12/6/1727, Spain lifted the siege of Gibraltar (imposed 11/2/1727).

17/1/1724, King Philip V of Spain abdicated.

17/2/1720, By the Treaty of the Hague, the Allies forced King Philip V of Spain to renounce his claim on Sicily; also Victor Amadeus II of Savoy gave up Sicily to Austria in exchange for Sardinia (see 2/8/1718).

1/8/1719,� Pedro Aranda, Spanish politician, was born in Sietamo (died 9/1/1798 in Epila).

11/8/1718, Admiral Byng destroyed the Spanish fleet off Cape Passaro.

2/8/1718, A Quadruple Alliance was formed between Britain, France, Holland, and Austria, against Spain, after Spain seized Sardinia and Sicily, threatening another European war. Under the Treaty of Utrecht (11/4/1713) Sardinia had been assigned to Austria and Sicily to Savoy (see also 17/2/1720). �However King Philip V of Spain, influenced by his wife Elizabeth Farnese of Parma and her advisor Giulio Alberoni, seized these islands. Admiral Byng was sent to defend Sicily, with Austrian troops. In a sea battle off Cape Passaro, he totally destroyed the Spanish fleet. Meanwhile French troops occupied northern Spain. The purpose of the Quadruple Alliance were, to maintain the terms of the Peace of Utrecht, for Spain to renounce any claim to the French throne, and to guarantee the Protestant succession in Britain. The four powers would also assist each other if any were attacked. Spain initially backed a Jacobite invasion of Britain, but after the dismissal of Cardinal Alberoni in December 1719 Spain changed policy and joined the Alliance, which provided a forum to discuss territorial disputes in Europe.

1715, Catalonia lost its independence to Spain, Madrid declared the Catalan language illegal.

11/9/1714, Spanish troops under King Felipe V captured Barcelona. The Catalans had been abandoned by their allies, the Germans and English, during the War of the Spanish Succession and were forced to defend themselves or surrender. Tye 11^th September is now the National Day of Catalonia.

1713, Majorca came under British rule by the Peace of Utrecht.

23/9/1713, Ferdinand VI, King of Spain, was born.

10/12/1710, The Battle of Villaviciosa.

11/9/1709, At the Battle of Malplaquet in northern France, near Mons, The Duke of Marlborough and Prince Eugene won a costly victory over the French in the War of the Spanish Succession.

31/8/1709, Battle of Malplaquet began.

12/7/1708. The French were defeated at Oudenarde in western Belgium, by Marlborough and Eugene of Savoy. Marlborough also captured Lille after a four-month siege.� This was during the War of the Spanish Succession.

30/6/1708, Battle of Oudenarde began.

25/4/1707, The Battle of Alamanza, fought during the War of the Spanish Succession. The British and the Dutch together defeated the French.

For more events of the War of Spanish Succession, see France-Germany

23/5/1706, The Battle of Ramillies, between Louvain and Namur in Belgium.� Allied British and Dutch armies under Marlborough intercepted a French offensive. 15,000 French and 5,000 Allied soldiers died. The result of Ramillies was that Brussels, Antwerp and most of the Spanish Netherlands surrendered. By the end of 1706 the French held only Namur and Mons in The Netherlands.

4/10/1705, Lord Peterborough captured Barcelona.

12//9/1703, The Hapsburg Archduke Ferdinand was proclaimed King of Spain, War of the Spanish Succession began. France had already, in 1701, begun to occupy key fortresses in the Spanish Netherlands, following the death of the Spanish monarch Charles II on 2/10./1700, with no heir.

12//9/1703, The Hapsburg Archduke Ferdinand was proclaimed King of Spain, War of the Spanish Succession began

2/6/1702, Cenon Ensenada, Spanish statesman, was born (died 2/12/1781).

End of the Spanish Hapsburg line: War of the Spanish Succession

2/10/1700, The Spanish monarch, Charles II, died, aged 39, with no heir. England, Austria and Holland were alarmed that Charles had named Philip, Duke of Anjou, as his successor; these nations had agreed that Joseph Ferdinand, Prince of Bavaria, should get the Spanish Crown. Spanish territory would be ceded to buy off the rival French� and Austrian claimants to the throne, Philip the second grandson of King Louis XIV and Archduke Charles, second son of the Hapsburg Emperor Leopold I. However Ferdinand predeceased the Spanish King, leaving Charles, who was physically and mentally handicapped, susceptible to the influences of the French Court. War seemed inevitable, see 12/9/1703, 17/9/1665.

25/10/1692, Elizabeth Farnese, Queen of Spain, was born (died 1766).

19/12/1683, Philip V, King of Spain, was born.

17/9/1665, Philip IV, King of Spain, died, aged 60. He was succeeded by his 4-year-old son, Charles II. Charles II, Don Carlos, was crippled by rickets; he ruled for 35 years, the last of the Spanish Hapsburgs.

7/11/1659. The war between France and Spain ended. Spain�s treasury was empty and England had joined on the side of the French.

4/6/1658, The Battle of the Dunes was fought near Dunkirk. Marshal Turenne commanded the French and English armies, against the Spanish under Don Juan of Austria and the Prince of Conde. The Spanish were attempting to relieve Dunkirk, which Turenne was besieging. The Spanish were defeated, and Dunkirk surrendered to the French.

14/1/1659, The Battle of Elvas practically ensured Portuguese independence from Spain.

30/1/1648. To free his forces for the war against France, Philip IV of Spain made peace in the United Provinces at Munster. Spain therefore made major concessions. The United Provinces (Netherlands) were recognised as independent by Spain, all Dutch conquests were recognised, and freedom of trade in the East and West Indies was conceded.

18/1/1641, Pau Claris proclaimed the Catalan Republic.

1640, Catalonia began a 19-year revolt against Spain, in orotest at high taxes and suppression of Catalan rights.

21/10/1639, Battle of the Downs. A Dutch fleet under Maarten Tromp defeated the Spanish in The Channel, effectively ending Spain�s role as a major naval power.� Spain was weakened by the breakaway of Portugal, and the rise of France.� Spain�s colonial quarrels with the Dutch, in Brazil and the Portuguese spice islands, were now superseded by these areas now being under Portuguese rule.

15/8/1636, The Spanish besieged Corbie, France.

19/5/1635, France declared war on Spain.� Spain initially had success, capturing Corbie, near Amiens.� However the Spaniards did not follow up their successes and faced with revolts in Portugal and Catalonia, lost Artois and Roussillion.

7/1624, The Count-Duke of Olivares proposed that a Spanish force of 140,000 men be raised from each State of Spain, in proportion to its wealth. The plan was intended to ease the burden on Castile, which until then had born most of the burden of defence. There was trong reistance from Aragon, especially Catalonia, this leading to the Revolt of Catalonia in 1640.

21/10/1621, Rodrigo Calderon, Spanish adventurer, died.

King Philip III

31/3/1621, Philip III, King of Spain, died aged 42 after a 23-year reign. He was succeeded by his 15-year old son, who ruled as Philip IV until 1665.

9/10/1617, The Treaty of Pavia was signed, between Spain and Savoy.� Savoy returned Monferrato to Mantua.

27/3/1615, Marguerite de Valois, Queen of Navarre, died.

8/4/1605, Philip IV, King of Spain, born.

18/8/1604, The Treaty of London was signed ending the Anglo-Spanish War.

13/9/1598, King Philip II of Spain died after a reign of over 40 years, aged 71. Spain had acquired great wealth from its conquest of South America, but had squandered it in a series of wars, and had suffered the defeat of the Great Armada. He was succeeded by his fourth wife�s fourth son, Philip III.

2/5/1598, The Treaty of Vervins ended the Franco-Spanish War. Spanish troops withdrew from Picardy.

29/11/1596, Spain admitted that the Royal Treasury was bankrupt, drained by a series of wars and especially the attempt to invade England. Revolts against Spanish rule in the Americas were also costly.

10/8/1585, Elizabeth I of England signed the Treaty of Nonsuch, promising 64,000 foot soldiers, 1,000 cavalry, and 600,000 florins a year to support Protestant rebels in The Netherlands against Spain. Although Elizabeth disliked involvement in foreign European wars, the Spanish presence in The Netherlands was too close to England to ignore. King Philip II of Spain, who had laid siege to Antwerp in 1584, saw this Treaty as a declaration of war.

See Great Britain for events of 1588 Spanish Armada

1584, The Escorial Palace was completed (construction began 1559), near Madrid, by King Philip II.

14/4/1578, Philip III, King of Spain, was born.

31/3/1578, Juan de Escovedo, Spanish politician, was killed.

17/9/1574, Pedro Aviles, Spanish naval adventurer, died (born 15/2/1519 in Aviles, Asturia).

15/6/1572, Jeanne III, Queen of Navarre, died.

24/7/1568, Don Carlos, Prince of Asturias, died (born 8/7/1545).

23/4/1563, King Philip II of Spain began construction of El Escorial.

1561, Madrid was established as the Spanish capital.

2/4/1559, The Peace of Cateau-Cambresis, ending the wars of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V in Europe. Italy was recognised as a Spanish sphere of influence, and Franche Comte was to be part of the Spanish monarchy. French possession of Metz, Toul and Verdun was confirmed. A strategic marriage was arranged between King Philip II of Spain and Elizabeth Valois, daughter of King Henry II of France.

10/8/1557, The Battle of St Quentin. Spanish forces under the Duke of Savoy defeated the French under the Constable of Montmorency. The French were driven out of Italy.

25/10/1556, Charles V, King of Spain and Holy Roman Emperor, retired to a Spanish monastery, dividing his possessions between his son and his brother.

25/5/1555, King Henry II of Navarre died (born 1503).

11/4/1555, Joanna, Queen of Castille, died (born 6/11/1479).

14/5/1553, Marguerite de Valois, Queen of Navarre, was born.

10/9/1550, Medina Sidonia, commander of the Spanish Armada, was born (died 1615).

21/9/1549, Marguerite d�Angoulmeme, Queen of Navarre, died.

8/7/1545, Don Carlos, Prince of Asturias, was born (died 24/7/1568).

12/1/1539, The Treaty of Toledo was signed by Charles V (Holy Roman Emperor, and King of Spain), and Francis I (King of France).� Each agreed to make no further alliances with England.� The origin of this Treaty was the dispute between King Henry VIII of England and Pope Paul III.

23/2/1530, Carlos I of Spain was crowned Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire and King of Italy by Pope Clement V.

22/4/1529, The Treaty of Saragossa divided the eastern hemisphere between Spain and Portugal, along a north-south line 17 degrees 9297.5 leagues) east of the Moluccas.

14/4/1527, King Philip of Spain was born; in 1588 he sent an Armada against England but was defeated.

18/10/1526, Lucas Vasquez de Ayllon, Spanish adventurer, died.

24/2/1525. The Battle of Pavia. Pavia, held by the French, had been under siege by Spanish forces since October 1524. Italy itself was a territory being fought over by the rival powers of France, Germany, Turkey and Spain. The French under King Charles VIII defended Pavia with cavalry and cannon, but the Spanish had adopted the arquebus or hackenbushe, an early version of the handgun; this weapon replaced the Spanish crossbow. The arquebus meant an unskilled infantryman could kill a skilled knight and Pavia was the start of the dominance of the handgun as a military weapon.

1521, Peasant rebellion in Majorca.

15/2/1519, Pedro Aviles, Spanish naval adventurer, was born in Aviles, Asturia (died 17/9/1574).

1517, Aragon became part of a united Spain.

23/1/1516, Ferdinand V, King of Castile and Leon, also Ferdinand II of Aragon, died aged 63. He was succeeded by his 16-year old grandson, Carlos I, then a student in Flanders.

2/12/1515, Gonzalo Cordoba., Spanish military commander, died (born 16/3/1453).

4/8/1511, The Portuguese explorer, Alfonso de Aberquerque, captured Malacca, now in Malaysia. This gave Portugal control over the strategic Strait of Malacca, through which all trade between China and India passed.

12/3/1507, Cesare Borgia died at the siege of Viana in Navarre.

25/9/1506, Philip the Handsome, King of Spain, died suddenly aged 28, at Burgos. His wife went mad after his death. Her father Ferdinand II of Aragon ruled as Regent of Castile, as Ferdinand V.

20/5/1506. Christopher Columbus, Italian navigator who discovered the New World in 1492, died aged 55 in Valladolid, Spain. See 3/8/1492. He was virtually penniless. However his discovery of favourable winds in both directions across the Atlantic opened up the way for European exploration of the New World.

24/11/1504, Isabella, Queen of Castille and Leon, died aged 53. She was succeeded by her daughter Juana and Juana�s husband, Philip. However they remained in Flanders, and Ferdinand ruled instead.

21/4/1503, The Battle of Cerignola, Italy.� The Spanish under Gonzalo Fernandez de Cordoba defeated the French under the Duc de Nemoura, who was killed.� This was the first battle considered to have been won by gunpowder and small arms.

23/2/1503, At the Battle of Ruvo, the Spanish defeated the French.

20/1/1503, Seville, in Castille, was awarded exclusive rights to trade with the New World.

11/5/1502. Christopher Columbus left on his fourth voyage of exploration, returning on 7/11/1504.

12/2/1502. Spain expelled all Moors (Muslims) who had not been baptised as Christians.� See 30/3/1492

7/6/1498. Christopher Columbus left on his third journey of exploration.

25/12/1495, At the Second Battle of Acentejo, Spanish forces crushed the natives of the island of Tenerife, destroying the last bastion of resistance on the Canary Islands.

6/7/1495, At the Battle of Fornovo, near Parma, the French Army secured its retreat from Italy by defeating a combined Milanese-Venetian force under Giobvanni Francesco Gonzaga, Marquis of Mantua. France had contested with Spain over who would control Italy. Charles VIII of France expected support from his one-time allies, the Milanese, but when he arrived in Italy he found they had joined with Venice, the Papacy and the Holy Roman Empire to oppose his plans for Italy.

11/1/1495, Pedro Mendoza, Spanish statesman, died (born 3/5/1428).

7/6/1494, The Treaty of Tordesillas was signed. In 1493, Pope Alexander VI had set a line at 100 leagues west of the Cape Verde islands from north to south Pole; Spain had the rights to colonise west of this line, Portugal to the east. The 1494 Treaty moved this line a further 270 leagues to the west. This resulted in Portugal having possession of both Brazil and Africa; in turn this greatly facilitated the expansion of the slave trade, providing cheap labour for the sugar plantations.

25/9/1493. Christopher Columbus left Spain on a second voyage of exploration with a fleet of 20 ships.

4/3/1493. Christopher Columbus arrived back in Lisbon, then travelled to Spain.

See America, Christopher Columbus

19/1/1493, King Charles VIII of France returned Cardagne and Roussillon in the eastern Pyrenees to Spain under the Treaty of Barcelona.

3/8/1492. Christopher Columbus left Palos de la Frontera, Andalusia, south-west Spain, on his first voyage to search for a passage to the Far East via the Atlantic. He actually found the Americas.� He sailed in the Santa Maria, accompanied by the Nina and the Pinta. Columbus had delayed his sailing until after 2/8/1492 as that was the deadline for Jews to leave Spain; therefore Columbus was now departing from a �cleansed� Spain.

11/4/1492, Marguerite d�Angoulmeme, Queen of Navarre, was born.

2/1/1492. The Spanish Army under Queen Isabella recaptured Granada from the Moors.� This had been the last remaining Moslem territory in Spain.�

25/11/1491, The siege of Granada, last stronghold of the Moors in Spain, began.

4/12/1489. The fall of Baza, in southern Spain. The Catholic Spanish army had besieged this town, held by the Muslims; both siege and defence were financed by the sale of the jewels of the ladies on both sides. Baza had been a bishopric since at least before 302, when its bishop was recorded as attending the Council of Elvira.

1/5/1486. The navigator Christopher Columbus persuaded Queen Isabella of Spain to grant him funds to find a western sea passage to the Indies.

29/4/1483, Gran Canaria, the main of the Canary Islands was conquered by the Kingdom of Castile, an important step in the expansion of Spain.

6/3/1480, The Treaty of Toledo: Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain recognised the African conquests of Alphonso of Portugal, and he ceded the Canary Islands to Spain.

6/11/1479, Joanna, Queen of Castille, was born (died 11/4/1555).

4/9/1479, The Treaty of Alcovas between Portugal and Spain confirmed Castile�s claim on the Canary Islands, and Portugal�s claim on the Azores and Madeira, also Portuguese rights in west Africa.

20/1/1479, Ferdinand II took the throne of Aragon and ruled together with his wife Isabella, Queen of Castile, over most of the Iberian Peninsula.� In 1492 they conquered Granada, ending 700 years of Moorish rule.

22/7/1478, Philip II, King of Spain, was born. Son of Emperor Maximilian I and Mary of Burgundy, he married Joanna the Mad; she inherited the throne of Castile in 1504 but due to her insanity Philip assumed full control in 1506.

19/10/1469, The Crowns of Castile and Aragon were joined with the marriage of Prince Ferdinand of Aragon and the Infanta Isabella of Castile. This nominally united almost all of what is now Spain, except for the Kingdom of Navarre in the north and Granada in the south (although the two kingdoms remained politically separate entities). Spain was now the most powerful State in Europe.

1467, The sheep population of Castile was 2.7 million, up from 1.5 million in 1300. The recovery of the southern Spajish winter pastures for sheep was a powerful economic incentive for La Reconquista, the conquest of Spain from the Moors.

13/11/1460, Prince Henry the Navigator died, aged 66.

1458, King Alfonso V of Aragon (also Alfonso I of Sicily and Sardinia), born 1385, died. He succeeded his father Ferdinand the Just in 1416,

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Castile for territories of Castile and Leon, and Aragon and Navarre, within Spain.

21/7/1454, Juan II of Castile died and was succeeded by his son, Enrique.

2/6/1453, Alvaro de Luna, Constable of Castile, was executed after a show trial. The Spanish King, Juan II�s, second wife was distiurbed at Alvaro�s influence over him.

16/3/1453, Gonzalo Cordoba, Spanish statesman, was born (died 2/12/1515).

16/3/1452, Ferdinand V, King of Castile and Leon, was born (died 23/1/1516).

22/4/1451, Isabella, Queen of Castile and Leon was born.

3/5/1428, Pedro Mendoza, Spanish statesman, was born (died 11/1/1495).

2/4/1416, Ferdinand I, King of Aragon, died.

King Henry III of Castile

25/12/1406, King Henry III of Castile died aged 27 after a despotic reign of 16 years (born 1390).

6/3/1405, Juan II, King of Castile, was born (died 21/7/1454).

29/6/1397, John II, King of Aragon, was born (died 20/1/1479).

9/10/1390, Juan I of Castile died aged 32 after an 11-year reign; his claims on the Portuguese throne had been thwarted. He was succeeded by his 11 year old son, of frail health, who ruled until 1406 as Henry III.

1379, Henry II Trastamara of Castile and Leon died aged 46. He was succeeded by his 12-year-old son who ruled until 1390 as Juan I.

Pedro the Cruel of Castile

23/3/1369, Pedro the Cruel, King of Castile and Leon, was murdered at age 34 by his brother, Henry. He then ruled for ten years as Henry II Trastamara.

3/4/1367, In the Hundred Year�s War, the English under the Black Prince defeated a Spanish and French army at the Battle of Navarrete. The Spanish Kingdom of Castile was in civil war, between rival claimants for the throne, Pedro and his brother Enrique. The French under Bertrand du Guesclin and the English under Edward the Black Prince intervened, backing Enrique and Pedro respectively. The French and English met at Najera (Navarrete), where English longbowmen massacred the French cavalry. Pedro gained the throne but never repaid the English for the expense of their army. The heavy French footsoldier casualties brought some relief to the countryside,� with fewer unemployed soldiers roaming and plundering it.

1350, Alfonso IV of Castile and Leon died aged 38 of The Plague during the siege of Gibraltar. He was succeeded by his 16-year-old son whose excesses during his 19-year reign caused him to be known as Pedro the Cruel.

30/8/1334, Pedro the Cruel, King of Castile and Leon, was born.

13/10/1340. In alliance with Portugal, Alfonso XI of Castile conquered the Moors at the River Salado. This was the last attempt by the Moors to reverse the Reconquista.

1336, Alfonso IV of Aragon died aged 37 after a 9-year reign. He was succeeded by his 17-year-old son who ruled as Pedro IV until 1387.

7/9/1312, Ferdinand IV, King of Castile and Leon, died.

15/6/1300, The city of Bilbao received its royal foundation charter.

King Sancho IV of Leon and Casttile

1295, King Sancho IV (el Bravo) of Leon and Castile died, aged 37 after a reign of 11 years. He was succeeded by his 9-year-old son, whose period of minority was a time of anarchy. However he ruled until 1312 as Ferdinand IV.

1292, The town of Tarifa was captured by Sancho IV of Castile from the Muslims (see 710 AD). The Muslims attempted to retake the town in 1294, besieging it, but were repulsed.

17/1/1287, King Alfonso III of Aragon conquered the island of Minorca from the Moors.

8/11/1286, Pedro the Great, King of Aragon, died aged 50. He was succeeded by his weak son, who ruled until 1291 as Alfonso III. He allowed the nobility to rebel, and anarchy became permanent in Aragon.

1286, Pedro the Great, King of Aragon, repelled a French invasion.

2/11/1285, Peter III, King of Aragon, died.

24/4/1284, King Alfonso X of Leon and Castile died in Seville. Born 1226, he succeeded his father Ferdinand III as king in 1252. He was deposed by his second son, Sancho, as king in 1282.

5/5/1282, Don Manuel Juan, Infante of Castile, was born.

1262, Cadiz was taken from the Moors.

Reign of Ferdinand III of Castile

1252, Ferdinand III of Castille died aged 53 after a 35-year reign. His death aborted plans to invade north Africa. He was succeeded by the learned Alfonso X who reigned until 1284.

1248, Seville was taken from the Moors.

1/12/1247, A rebellion arose among the Muslim subjects of the Crown of Aragon in the region of Valencia. As a punishment, the king issued an order of expulsion of the Muslims from his realm leading numerous people into exile in Andalusia and North Africa in the subsequent year.

22/5/1244, James I of Aragon took the Muslim-held city of Janita after several months of siege This success was followed by the capture of Biar later that year

28/9/1238, James I of Aragon captured the city of Valencia from the Muslims, who retreated to Granada

29/6/1236. Ferdinand III of Leon and Castile (see 24/9/1230) took Cordoba, with little resistance, from the Moors who had held it since the 8^th century.

1232, The Moors were expelled from Majorca.

1232, The Moorish Nasrides Dynasty, which ruled Granada until 1492, began with Mohammed I, 29, who ruled Granada until 1273. He stiffened resistance to the Christian Reconquista.

24/9/1230. On the death of Alfonso IX of Leon, Ferdinand III of Castile was accepted as King of Leon, unifying the two kingdoms. See 29/6/1236.

1229, Aragon conquered the Balearic Islands.

1224, The town of San Felipe Jativa was taken from the Arabs by King James I.

23/11/1221, Alfonso X (The Wise) was born in Castile (died 1284), son of King Ferdinand III and Beatrice of Swabia. He became King of Castile and Leon in 1252.

1217, Ferdinand III of Castile was declared of age at 18 and ruled for 35 years during which he ended the dynastic wars that had impoverished the country. As the wars ended, and the Moors were pushed back, Spanish agriculture revived.

16/7/1212. . Battle of Navas de Tolosa, near Toledo �Following the Almohad victory at Alarcos (1195), it seemed possible that the Reconquista could be reversed and Toledo fall to the Muslims. However the Almohad leader, Al-Mansur, was old and in il-health, and wished to retire to North Africa.. In 1211 Al-Mansur�s successor, Muhammad al Nasir, brought an Islamic army to Iberia to recapture Toledo.� Pope Innocent III called for a Crusade against the Moors, leading to a loose alliance of the rival and disunited Kingdoms of Castile, Navarre, Aragon and Portugal, with French knights also joining an army led by Alfonso VIII of Castile. Despite internal divisions, the Christian army approached Al-Nasir�s camp, which was on a high plateau, and were shown a local shepherd�s path which enabled them to approach it in secret and mount a surprise attack. The Christians decisively defeated the Almohads. This victory however left the Kingdom of Castile in a difficult financial position as the numerous soldiers had to be paid by the treasury.

1203, The Almoravid were evicted from their last Spanish stronghold, the Balearic Islands.

18/7/1195, The Almohads won a� major victory over Christian forces at Alarcos. However they had to deal with internal dissentions and were unable to follow up this victory.

29/12/1177, The Order of Alcantara (founded 1156 as the Order of Saint Julian) received Papal approval. It was a military order of crusading knights, and played a part in the Reconquista of Spain from the Muslims.

1170, The Almohad ruler, Yaqub Yusuf, moved the capital of Morrocco-Spain from Marrakesh to Seville.

1160, The Almohad Muslim dynasty, which had succeeded the Almoravid dynasty in North Africa ca. 1100, now gained control of the Arab lands in Spain.

1158, Alfonso VII of Castile died, aged 32, in the Sierra Moreno, whilst returning form a campaign against the Almohads. Leon seceded as Alfonso�s infant became king to rule for 56 years as Alfonso VIII.

1158, The Order of Caltrava was established, when Spanish monks and knights fought the Almohads for possession of the fortress town of Caltrava. The order was given official recognition by Pope Alexander III, who attached it to the Cistercian Order. As the Reconquista proceeded, the Order became more involved in the politics of Castile and was attached to the Crown by Ferdcinand and Isabella.

7/10/1147, Almeria, one of the most important maritime and commercial centres of al-Andalus, fell into Christian hands after two months of siege

25/7/1139, King Alfonso Henriques I (1110-85) of Portugal defeated the Muslims at Ourique.

1134, King Alfonso I of Aragon and Navarre (acceeded 1105) died. He took Saragossa and Tarragona from theMuslims, heavily defeating them near Valencia in 1126.

11/12/1118. The Christians captured Saragossa, Spain, from the Muslims.

1109, Death of King Alfonso I of Castile and Leon. Born 1030, he acceded in 1065.

7/1099, El Cid died aged 59, after being defeated by the Almoravid at Cuenca. His widow held Valencia against the Moors until 1102.

17/6/1094. Valencia, Spain, was captured by the Christians under El Cid from the Arabs; the city surrendered due to starvation after a 20 month siege. His kingdom now extended over nearly all of Valencia and Murcia.

1091, The Almoravid Muslim dynasty gained control of Arab Spain, They were noted for their severe religious principles.

23/10/1086, The Almoravids from North Africa invaded Spain, defeating Alfonso�s army at Zallaqah this day.

25/5/1085. The Christian, Alfonso VI of Leon, captured Toledo (the old Visigothic capital) from the Arabs. This had been an Arab centre of science and learning.

28/10/1069, Death of Abbad-al-Motadid, Arab ruler in Spain.

24/6/1065, Ferdinand I, King of Castile and Leon, died.

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Castile for territories of Castile and Leon, and Aragon and Navarre, within Spain.

1035, The House of Aragon was founded by Ramiro I, illegitimate son of Sancho the Great of Navarre. In 1131 it was united by marriage with the rulers of Barcelona.

1009, The Balearic Islands became a separate Moorish Kingdom. This kingdom became notorious for piracy, and was the target of a Crusade by Pope Paschal II, with Catalan forces playing the main part.

939, The Arabs lost Madrid to the Kingdom of Leon.

910, Death of Alfonso the Great, king of Leon, Galicia and Asturias.

866, Alfonso III, the Great (848-910) succeeded his father, Ordono I, as king of Leon, Galicia and Asturias. He repulsed Muslim attacks and extended his rule over parts of Portugal.

857, Founding of the Kingdom of Navarre.

Moorish invasion of Spain, and southern France

798, The Moors took the Balearic Islands.

25/10/732. The Frankish General, Charles Martel, won a major victory over the Arabs at Poitiers. In 718 an Arab siege of Constantinople had been defeated. The Arabs had crossed the Pyrenees, sacked Bordeaux and Poitiers, and were advancing on the wealthy monastery of St Martin at Tours. Eudo, Duke of Aquitaine, appealed to Charles who brought the Frankish army south to help. The Arabs, their leader killed, retreated south, probably to put down a Berber uprising in north Africa. More early history of France here.

720, The Arabs invading Spain crossed the Pyrenees into France, and took Narbonne.

718, At the Battle of Covadonga, the Kingdom of Asturias, north-western Spain, defeated the Arabs and escaped occupation by them. However Islamic expansion continued in other regions and by the 720s they controlled an area from Provence to the borders of China.

713, Barcelona conquered by the Arabs.

712, Seville conquered by the Arabs.

Visigoths rule Spain

19/7/711, Battle of Guadalete: Umayyad Moors' victory over the Visigothic army. Visigothic king Roderic (Rodrigo in Spanish and Portuguese) died in the battle.

710, The Spanish town of Tarifa, in the far south, was conquered by the Moors � the first part of Spain to be occupied by them. It was retaken by the Spanish in 1292 after a long siege by Sancho IV of Castile.

705, The Visigothic Kingdom of Spain was split by civil war,leaving it open to an Arab invasion.

586, Death of Leovigild.

585, Leovigild conquered the whole of Spain.

567, The Visigoths under King Leovigild drove the Byzantines from western Spain.

534, Toledo became capital of the Visigoth Kingdom of Spain.

28/12/484, Alaric II, eighth king of the Visigoths in Spain, succeeded his father Euric or Evaric. His dominions included all of Spain, except for the north-west, and also Aquitaine and much of Provence.

4/10/456, The Visigoths under King Theodoric II, acting on orders of Avitus, invaded Spain with an army of Burgundians,� Franks and Goths, They defeated the Suebi; this shattered the power of the Suebi. During the battle Rechiar was captured and later executed.

423, The Balearic Islands were seized by the Vandals.

416, The Vandal Kingdom in Spain was invaded by the Visigoths.

257, The Franks invaded Spain.