History History

The dating of the paintings in caves such as Altamira provides evidence of human occupation in Cantabria

Many Mediterranean sailors, Phoenicians and Greeks in particular, founded colonies on the coasts of Iberia, whose interior was already occupied by the Iberians.

The Romans set out to conquer the peninsula. It ended at the end of the 1st century BC with the submission of the last provinces: Cantabria and Asturias.

The Visigoths, Christians, took over the north and founded a kingdom that gradually spread to the whole Peninsula. The capital was established in Toledo.

The Moors landed from North Africa. In two years, they succeeded in conquering almost the entire Peninsula. With the exception of Cantabria, which was too mountainous and served as a refuge for the Christians.

The battle of Covadonga, in Asturias, marks the beginning of the Reconquest with the victory of the chief Don Pelayo over the Arabs

In 1469, the marriage of Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon ensures the unification of Spain. The Reconquest was completed with the capture of Granada in 1492. A few months later, the Catholic Monarchs supported the expeditions of Christopher Columbus. Spain became a great European power. The discovery of America opened up unlimited prospects for trade, which developed throughout the 15th century. In 1519, Charles I, heir of the Habsburgs, became emperor of the Holy Roman Empire under the name of Charles V. He was then the most powerful ruler in Europe. At the end of his reign, however, the Spanish empire weakened when the military expenses necessary for the new conquests no longer compensated for the colonial revenues

On the death of Charles II, the last descendant of the Habsburgs of Spain, a War of Succession (1701-1714) pitted the Habsburgs of Austria against the Bourbons. With the Treaty of Utrecht (1713), Philip V, a Bourbon, was recognized as King of Spain and renounced the French throne for himself and his descendants

Napoleon occupies Spain with his troops and forces Charles IV to abdicate. He gave the crown to his brother, Joseph Bonaparte. This marked the beginning of the War of Independence (1808-1814), which saw the Napoleonic troops finally withdraw. In 1833, after the death of Ferdinand VII, the Carlist Wars followed, which until 1876 pitted the supporters of Don Carlos, son of Ferdinand VII, against those of his niece, Isabella II. Meanwhile, in 1873, the First Republic was proclaimed, but in the absence of a stable government, a pronunciamiento restored the family of Queen Isabel. This instability was accompanied by a progressive loss of colonial empire, with the loss of Cuba in 1898 as a symbol

During the reign of Alfonso XIII, political instability increased with the successive alternation of conservative and progressive governments. Spain remained neutral during the First World War, but in 1917 had to face major general strikes. The increasing difficulties led King Alfonso XIII to support the seizure of power by General Primo de Rivera in 1923, but the growth of regional demands forced him to withdraw in 1930. Municipal elections were held in April 1931: the republican parties triumphed in the major cities, the king left the country and the Second Republic was proclaimed.

There is great hope for the working class. But the centre-right coalition adopted anti-social measures. Several strikes broke out in the country in the autumn of 1934. Poorly organised, this movement failed except in Asturias where a revolutionary uprising shook the mining world. It ended in failure after 14 days in a bloody repression.

Gathered under the name of the Popular Front, the left-wing forces won the February 1936 elections by a small majority. The government then restored certain measures eradicated by the previous government. But the conservative right and the army did not accept it and on July 17th 1936, the first garrison rose up in Melilla. It was the beginning of the civil war between republicans and nationalists.

The civil war lasted until 1939, with the victory of the nationalists, leaving behind about 1,200,000 dead. Supported by the Falange, General Franco became "Caudillo" (head of state) and established a dictatorship inspired by the Mussolinian model. More than one and a half million Spaniards fled the country

When Franco died on 20 November 1975, Juan Carlos de Bourbon, grandson of Alfonso XIII, was crowned King of Spain. The country said goodbye to 36 years of dictatorship.

The democratic forces, still not legally recognized, began a series of demonstrations to demand freedom and amnesty for political prisoners. Faced with this tension, Juan Carlos I dismissed Arias Navarro and recognized all political parties and unions. On December 15, he held a referendum to reorganize the Cortes (Parliament)

After the 1977 elections in which the Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) won, the new leader of the country, Adolfo Suárez, wanted to unite all the political forces of the country. This led to the Moncloa Pact: a new constitution was approved by referendum

He is considered the father of Spanish democracy. Appointed in 1976 by Juan Carlos, his mission was to dismantle Franco's structures and lead Spain towards democracy. At the head of the UCD, he was elected president of the government in 1977. A year later, he succeeded in getting all the parties to sign the Moncloa Pact, the preamble to democracy. Numerous reforms were underway, but criticism was widespread and the country was hit by several attacks. Adolfo then lost the confidence of the king and, under pressure, resigned in 1981. The king appointed him duke to thank him for his role in the democratic transition.

An attempted coup d'état is foiled in Parliament. Juan Carlos gains legitimacy among all Spaniards

Spain joins the European Economic Community, the forerunner of the European Union

The general elections gave a narrow victory to the conservative José María Aznar who had to deal with the nationalists.

The sinking of the Prestige oil tanker is causing a major ecological disaster in Galicia. This is the fourth oil spill in Galicia since 1976.

Immediately after the 11 March attack in Madrid, the conservative government's bungling causes José María Aznar to lose the elections. Zapatero, leader of the Socialist Party, won the legislative elections

Born in Valladolid, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero became president of the government in 2004. He embodied the long-awaited change by moving closer to Morocco, regularising illegal immigrant workers, eradicating domestic violence and modernising divorce law. He also angered the conservative opposition by replacing religious education classes with civics classes and by legalizing gay marriage. To get out of the financial crisis of 2008, he launched a policy of austerity which failed. He suffered a heavy defeat in the 2011 elections

Re-elected in the general election, Zapatero is facing the bursting of the real estate bubble and the financial crisis that Spain is facing. It will officially be in recession by the end of the year

The general elections were won by the PP, with 180 seats against 110 for the PSOE.

Derailment of the Alvia 151 train before its arrival in Santiago de Compostela. The toll: 80 dead and 144 injured.

Felipe IV is proclaimed King of Spain after the abdication of King Juan Carlos I, his father, in his favour, after 39 years of reign

In the general elections, the PP won 123 seats, but was far from having an absolute majority. Two new parties entered the fray: Podemos and Ciudadanos. A period of political instability began, as no coalition seemed to have a majority. However, Mariano Rajoy set about forming a stable government.

New general elections are called, as a result of which it is impossible to form a government. With 137 deputies, the PP again won the elections, but still did not obtain an absolute majority.

Mariano Rajoy is inaugurated as President of the Government by the Congress of Deputies in the second round of voting.

Born in Santiago, Mariano Rajoy was president of the government from 2011 to 2018. Since the early 1980s, he has been involved in politics with the Conservatives, becoming a member of parliament, a municipal councillor and a minister, among other positions. He became president of the PP in 2003 and led a very tough opposition to the Zapatero government until he overtook it in the 2011 elections. His first austerity plan included many budget cuts and in 2012 he faced the discontent of many Spaniards. After remaining in power for almost 7 years, he was removed from office following a motion of no confidence voted against his government. He announced the end of his political career.

The court sentences the PP to pay a €245,000 fine following the Gürtel case. The sentence casts doubt on Mariano Rajoy's credibility, precipitating his downfall

A motion of no confidence is passed against Mariano Rajoy, Pedro Sánchez, leader of the PSOE, is elected president of the government.

Pedro Sánchez calls early elections. The PSOE won a relative majority, with 123 seats. Pedro Sánchez was defeated in his inauguration. New elections were held in November in which the PSOE won a relative victory. The PSOE and Podemos formed a coalition government

Pedro Sánchez won the nomination with a relative majority.

Following accusations of financial malpractice and corruption, King Juan Carlos went into exile in the United Arab Emirates.