History of Valencia

The first human settlement in what is now Valencia existed in the 4th century BC but its official founding was in 138 BC by the Romans. It was named Valentia. This makes Valencia one of the oldest cities in Spain.

With a traditionally Latin urban layout, the city was the setting of continuous wars between the Roman factions until the situation stabilized around the first century. A period of prosperity lasted until the arrival of decadence that devastated the empire around the fourth century, when barbarian hordes began to invade the provinces.

The Middle Ages

In the sixth century, the city was left in the hands of the Visigoths, who expelled the Byzantines and remained in control of the city until the Muslim invasion in 711. The Muslims took over Valencia and began a new period of splendour with urban transformation.
  A century later, Valencia was devastated by the Black Death pandemic in 1348 and by a series of devastating wars that severely affected the city socioeconomically. This created tremendous tensions between the different religious communities, which were barely supporting each other.

The Golden Age

The 15th century is considered Valencia’s heyday, a period of socioeconomic and cultural prosperity during antiquity. Its demography increased, making it the most populous city in the Crown of Aragon.

Along with the population increase, there was industrialization in the form of high-quality textiles, with silk being the main export. This made Valencia a textile emporium throughout Europe.

Just as its textile development was a catalyst for entrepreneurship and wealth, its infrastructure experienced an unparalleled boost with the creation of large-scale artistic and cultural works such as museums, galleries, palaces and theatres.

The decline of influence and total decay

After the discovery of America, the Atlantic Ocean became the most important navigation route of all, to the detriment of the Mediterranean.
  Everything got worse after the decision, in 1609, to expel from the city the Moors and Jews, who had great weight and influence in the economy and industry. This led to the total ruin of Valencia.
This series of calamities and bad decisions worsened over 100 years with the War of Succession, which lasted almost a decade and ended in 1709 with the political autonomy of Valencia remaining under the total control of Castile.

With the arrival of the 19th century, the situation in Valencia worsened even more after the invasion of Napoleonic troops in 1809. This caused serious damage to the city's infrastructure and created a disastrous economic situation and tremendous political instability until the expulsion of the French.

The Civil War, recovery and the future

During the early 1840s, the city began to recover some of the brilliance of yesteryear by modernizing through the installation of public services and the inauguration of large infrastructure works thanks to the 19th century “Ensanche”, which expanded the limits of the cities and demolished the old ones.

With the arrival of the 20th century, Valencia stood out as one of the main cities in Spain thanks to its industrial boost, the incorporation of the railway and roads for vehicles and the construction of large commercial markets.

However, the economic depression of 1929 and the subsequent economic instability were felt strongly in Spain, including in Valencia.
  During the next forty years of democracy, Valencia positioned itself as a pole of enormously important industrial, tourist, artistic and gastronomic development with great challenges and ambitious plans for the 21st century.