El Cid
1094 - 1238 Hero or Villain
The creation of the mini states or Taifas marked the beginnig of the end of Moorish domination in Spain.The newly independent Balansiya now found itself involved in regional disputes.In 1094 the city was beseiged and captured by El Cid , he was brutal and his rule was oppresive. The suffering of the population was ended in 1102, by a Almoravid invasion. The Almoravid army were summoned from North Africa to stop the Castillian Re-Conquista. Once the Almoravids besieged Balansiya, the Christian garrison gave up burned the city and left.
If you are a liitle perplexed by the abscence of statues or few streets named after El Cid in Valencia ,blame Hollywood.
El Cid Campeador was christened Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar he won fame and riches for his impressive one-on-one fighting skills .El Cid comes from the arabic word for sir and Campeador meant Spanish armed combat champion .This combination of names from both and Spanish shows his divided loyalties.He was basically a mercenary who worked for the highest bidder and finally for himself.
Starting as a vassal of the king of Castille,he quickly climbed the social ladder ladder. But he had an "bad character" and fell from grace. He continued as a mercenary general for both Muslim and Christian employers until he decided to make his own wealth. He first defeated Ramon Berenguer II of Barcelona, then married his daughter to Ramon's son, and then exploited an uprising in Balansiya to lay siege to Valencia. The siege lasted 18 months, it caused much starvation and disease in the city, the city finally fell in May 1094. Officially El Cid ruled under the auspices of the crown of Castille but in reality, he had his own Crusader style kingdom in the image of Jerusalem
His attitude towards the moors was ambivalent ,some were integrated into the administration and the military. while others were expelled beyond the city walls and exploited as slaves. The mosques were converted into churches and the Moors banned from the centre of the city.
The other hollywoodian myth that the corpse of El Cid rode into battle is false,he died quietly in his home 3 years before the Muslims counter-attacked. For three years the city was ruled by his wife ,until the Almoravid "liberation army" sweept through Spain and arrived at the city walls. Cid's wife fled with his body and the garrison followed, after burning the city.
Despite his ill doing his reputation lived on for many generations perhaps for his rags to riches story. From vassal to feudal lord in just one lifetime and while his impact politically or culturally was negligable he was most certainly a role figure for any aspiring knight.
The kingdom of Balansiya remained Muslim for just over a century more. A history marked with conflicts and economic problems.The powerlul christian kingdom of Castille was gaining in power,Balansiya'sreaction was to fortify the city and await the inevitable.
La Reconquista
13th century
As the forces of Castilla and Aragon moved closer and closer towards Balansyia, the ruler Zayan made a desperate attempt to meet them in battle. He attacked a fairly small contingent of Christians but their heavy cavalry turned the battle into slaughter. Zayan had no choice but to entrench within the city walls.
In April 1238 Balansiya was besieged. The Christians were growing impatient, threatening to sack the city completely. Finally, on 28 September 1238 Zayan capitluated and on 9 October King Jaime I of Aragon entered the city in a triumphal procession. This day is still celebrated in Valencia with a parade of Moors and Christians, and King Jaime is still the loved founding father for all Valencians.
King Jaime did not annex the kingdom, however, but decided to give it autonomy, in order to keep the fragile balance of power amongst the Iberian monarchies. He granted Valencia its own code of laws - the Furs, which became the founding stone of Valencian independence.
The conquest was immediately followed by a complete repartition of properties and territories amongst the King's men. Scores of colonists flocked to Valencia from Aragon and Catalunia. Very quickly Valencia was reshaped as a Christian city - both physically and socially. The main mosque was replaced with the Cathedral, the streets were aligned and opened wider, and the new population of Valencia quickly coerced behind the religion and the guilds.
The religion was, in fact, the crucial tool for such a rapid development. United by Christianity and tightly controlled by eclesiastical hierarchy, everything in Valencia, from taxes to public holidays and political life, was organised behind the 12 parishes.
The Golden Age of Valencia
Medieval Development and Late Gothic Splendour
14th - 15th century
Valencia after the Re-Conquista was somewhat of a New World. Scores of Aragonese and Catalans kept arriving in search of a new beginning. Some of them quickly prospered and founded powerful bourgeois lineages. The nobles quickly followed too. All in all, this new born Christian society was very dynamic and ambitious for its times.
Many Muslims did stay, mostly producing pottery or farming the lands. Valencia also became home to a fairly large Jewish community.
The city was ruled by four Juristas, elected from the bourgeois. These were assisted by the Council, comprised of nobles, guild representatives, and the 12 parishes. In reality, however, the real power lied behind the scene, in the hands of the handful of oligarchs, usually of merchant origin, who pretty much pulled all the strings.
This system may seem as quite advanced for its time, compared to the basic feudalism, but it inevitably contained much inner conflict and struggle for power, which eventually came out ugly.
First, the Valencians backed a royal succession revolt in Aragon, prompting a severe supression by the King in 1347. A year later, Black Death swept through Valencia. In 1366, after constructing the infamous city walls, of which Torres de Serranos and Quart were part of, Valencia went to war with Castilla. Finally, the fragil Valencian social fabric gave in from so much tension and the kingdom was consumed in the fires of feuds between various power alliances. While the top were fighting between themselves, the simple folk were taking it all out on the Muslims and the Jews. Hard times brought with them a kind of religious fanaticism, of which San Vicente Ferrer - a prominent Valencian figure famous for his miracles, heavy hand of God and apocalyptic visions - was the most notable.
When the dust settled in 1412 with a peace accord between the feuding parties, Valencia found that through it all it managed to experience a tremendous economic growth due to the continuing influx of immigrants.
Thus commenced the Golden Age of Valencia - its ultimate time of prosper. Throughout the XV century Valencia remained one of the major European centres, a sort of medieval New York or London. Valencia connected Europe, Africa and the Orient by trade, with various European trading factions residing here. Many of the most prominent artists and intellectuals of those times chose Valencia as their home, propelling the cultre and arts. The Borgia (of Valencian origin) in Vatican spilled their favours over the city. Valencia had become the most populous, richest and most dynamic city on the Iberian peninsula, and one of the largest cities in Europe. La Lonja was built as a symbol of this apogee.
However, this splendour was still resting on unstable social fabrics. The dynamic and cosmopolitan society of Valencia was, ultimately, its doom.
The Dark Age of Valencia
Conflict, Plagues and Persecution
16th - 17th century
Over the course of the XVI century the economy of Valencia moved step-by-step towards decline. The 1519-1522 saw an all out civil war between the nobles and the emboldened guilds, cripling the economy severely. The Spanish Crown had to take over the situation and create an office of viceroy to supress the conflict and establish a permanent Royal hand in the city.
However, it was also the age of Rennaisance, and Valencia was one of the first to catch the trends, due to its close ties with Italy via the Borgia. The new Literary Univeristy opened, as well as other educational institutions, the viceroy court surrounded itself with the new ideas and the humanism flourished. Valencia was at the cutting edge of Rennaisance on the Iberic Peninsula, leading in many ways. They say, for example, that the printing press - this ultimate vehicle of modernisation of the times - entered Spain through Valencia.
But the Rennaisance in Valencia didn't quite become a new engine for liberal growth. The Catholic Church launched a Counter-Reformation against the Protestant movements and Valencia became one of the battlefields. Patriarch Juan Ribera became a saint for doing a particularly good job with Inquisition and censorship. An exaggerated cult of traditional Catholicism took over Valencia, eventially leading to animosty towards the Moors still residing there.
This animosity, plus the recurrent attacks on the coasts by Berber pirates, led to the Final Solution in the beginning of the XVII century - to expel all the Moors from Valencia, dealing a fatal blow to the city, since much of the agrigulture and the local economy was resting on the shoulders of the Moorish population.
The XVII century was another Dark Age of Valencia. Severely crippled economically by the expulsion of the Moors, ravaged by a particularly bad epidemic of the Black Death in 1647, engulfed by the religious hysteria of pompous Baroque Counter-Reformation (this is when Corpus Christi came into its full glory), it kept skipping from one bloody popular mutiny to another. It is in this schizophrenic state that Valencia found itself involved into the War of Succession.
Valencia Under the Bourbons
War of Succession and "Enlightened Despotism"
18th century
In 1701 the last Habsburg King of Spain Charles II died, sparking off a succession conflict between the Bourbons of France and the Habsburgs of Austria. Valencia sided with the French at first but when the Austrian forces arrived in 1705 they switched allegiance. Unfortunately for Valencia, the Austrians were defeated in 1707.
As soon as he was in power, Philip V issued a decree of Nueva Planta - the New Beginning, boldly justifying it with "right of conquest". Valencia was stripped of all its autonomy, the Furs (Valencia's own laws on which the city was resting) were annulated and all municipal affairs were placed into hands of herediatry noble lineages, appointed by the King. Much of the Valencian nobility was exiled and replaced by King-appointed nobility from Castilla. Valencia was occupied by a large military contingent. A citadel was built by the Convento Santo Domingo, with cannons turned to face the city, and even La Lonja was turned into barracks for half a century.
It wasn't as much a punitary act against Valencia for her betrayal during the War of Succession. Rather, it was a policy Phillip V implemented throughout Spain, forging his rule of "enlightened despotism".
This was the end of Valencian Autonomous Community. Valencia remained just another Spanish city until the second half of XX century.
The XVIII century was the Age of Enlightenment under the francophilia of the Bourbons and once again, just like in Rennaisance, Valencia found itself on the forefront as one of the outposts of the modern thought. However, the Inquisition was still strong and the diffusion of new ideas took place mainly through high society salons.
The Royal Economic Society of Friends of the Region of Valencia, founded in 1776, was, for example, the most energetic of all Enlightenment institutions of Spain, tirelessly introducing new ideas of agriculture, sicence and indsutry, through an effective system of commisions and competitions. Science and culture boomed in the universities of Valencia, echoing all across Spain. Particularly flourishing were the arts and Valencia, once again, became one of the art capitals of the Iberic Peninsula.
The economy boomed with a newly found industry in Valencia - the silk production. Silk rapidly became a huge enterprise for the whole city, even promting the creation of the Royal Academy of Art dedicated totally to silk art. This trade in luxuries brought much wealth to the middle classes, expanding further the strong layer of the bourgeoisie.
Paseo Alameda became the embodiment of the XVIII flourish of Valencia. It was a high society promenade, where the nobles and the upper middle classes would mingle.
It is no wonder, then, that such a forward-looking city was the one who felt the shockwave of the French Revolution the most, out of all Spanish cities. The pillars of the city trembled with agitation, but all in all the status quo was preserved.
Napoleonic Invasions and the Return of the Absolutism
1808 - 1868
Valencian XIX century went along with most European trends of the time. The liberalism struggled with the reactionary absolutism in the wake of the French Revolution, finally securing concessions from the monarchy in the middle of the century, parallel to the growing nationalism. At the same time, over the course of XIX century Valencia successfully industrialised and expanded.
Following the 1808 Madrid Rebellion, Napoleon forced Carlos IV to abdicate. This sparked a nationalist revolt in Valencia, led by a priest Padre Rico. Armed mob slaughtered French POWs and prepared to meet General Moncey who was swiftly moving towards the city. The first Bullring and the Royal Palace by the Jardines de Viveros were pulled down to deny fortifications to the French.
Moncey's attack was successfully repelled and it was not until 1812 that the French under Gen. Suchet appeared again at the walls of Valencia. They managed to take the city only from the second attempt, after much bombardment (the Torres de Quart were one of the main entrances of the French troops, still bearing the scars of the cannon balls).
Suchet governed Valencia wisely, with a whole hearts and minds routine, respecting the local populace and traditions so much that to this day the celebrations of Semana Santa in Valencia pay tribute to his troops.
The French left Valencia in 1813, when the tides of war turned.
When the Spanish monarchy was restored with the coronation of Ferdinand VII, absolutism flourished and repressions against liberalism were widespread. This lead to further radicalisation of the politics until concessions were finally made by Queen Isabel, who governed with a moderate hand.
Over this period, Valencia was able to exercise a certain amount of independent armed struggle. The bourgeoisie elite run militias which successfully repelled skirmishes of the Carlists (radical monarchists) in Valencian countryside.
However, the civil unrest was further fermented by economic decline. Valencia heavily relied on the silk trade which flourished in XVIII century. But Valencia failed to keep with the times, the taxes were high and once an epidemic struck the silk work population, the silk economy came to an end.
Industrialisation and the First Republic
1868 - 1898
Queen Isabel wasn't able to stop the liberal wave and in 1868 La Gloria Revolution made her flee for France.
After two yearts of political turmoil, the parties came to an agreement that a new constitutional monarch was needed. Valencia was instrumental in making this arrangement. In 1871 Amadeo I was elected as the new King of Spain in Sagunto, close to Valencia, with a strong backing of the Valencian elite. Amadeo, however, failed to find the right balance between liberalism and control, and finally abdicated in 1873. The First Republic took his place, with a provisional borgeois government in charge, who set on looking for a new consitutional monarch.
The liberalist tendencies were radicalising all over Spain and a Canton sub-revolution was taking part - Spanish cities were declaring themselves autnomous as part of the Spanish federation. The provisional republican government used force to keep Spain from breaking up. Valencia too declared itself a Canton of Valencia, although it was never as radical as others. However, in 1873, after the abdication of Amadeo, the government troops bombarded the city all the same, forcing it to abandon the Cantons.
In 1874 the very same general who was so effective against the Cantons, Martinez Campos, turned on the Repiblic itslef.
The Bourbon dynasty was restored in 1875 with Alfonso XII, commencing the period of Restoration. Until the first quarter of XX century it was a period of political stability, liberal monarchy communicaing effectively with parties and social movements.
In the second half of XIX century Valencia recovered its economy crippled by the collapse of the silk trade. Steam manufacture rapidly industrialised Valencia. Scores of impoverished artesans took their place at the factory machines. Valencia's population quadrupled over the course of the century and the city walls were taken down in 1865 to facilitate expansion of the city. New residential districts of L'Example (where Canovas presently is) sprung up, creating a property market - an important part of economy.
By the end of the century Valencia was booming. The industry was outputing metals, tiles, chemicals and furniture. New roads, a railway and a modernised port facilitated distribution of goods. A large layer of well-doing bourgeois rotated their investements in trade, banking and orange plantations. A group of big businessmen energetically took the city infrastructures upon themeslves - transport, electricity, sewer system, water supplies - making a big impact on the progress of economy.
More and more of the rural emigrants streamed to Valencia to take their place at the factories, in the process organising themselves to confront the employers. By the end of the XIX century they were either socialist or anarchist, although the conflict with the bourgeois was generally non-violent.
Political Turmoil, Civil War and Franco Dictatorship
1898 - 1975
Valencia entered the XX century on a very liberal streak, with Blasco Ibanez elected into the government. Popular with the working class and of a socialist tilt, Blasco Ibanez contributed strongly to Valencia's leftist political evolution.
The 1898 war with the United States left Spain in economic and social turmoil, leading to proliferation of radical movements (from socialist to fascist). King Alfonso XII resolved the situation by appointing General Primo de Rivera as dictator in 1923. Rivera's rule was a genuine temporary fix patch and he was generally well accepted by the people of Spain.
However, by the end of the 1920s the Spanish economy had new troubles and once Rivera saw that the public opinion turned against him, he voluntarily left his post.
King Alfonso abdicated in April 1931, following a Republican victory in municipal elections. Spain was proclaimed a Republic, under a center-left government.
In 1933 women were allowed to vote for the first time and many shared more conservative views. As a result, a right-wing government came to power on a narrow margin. In 1936 this narrow margin occured again, but in favour of the left. Intensely polarised and radicalised, the two sides gave a call to arms.
Valencia followed these general trends throughout the period, overall remaining on a moderate left. A stereotypical Valencian family of the time is joked to have been a socialist manifest branding husband and a fevereshly praying conservative wife. Now that the Civil War had started, Valencia found itself deeply inside the Republican (left) front, combating the Nationalist (right) forces of General Francisco Franco.
As early as November 1936 the capital of the Republican government was moved to Valencia, amidst fears of losing Madrid, and remained there until the end of the war in 1939. The frontline never reached Valencia, although bombings were frequent. Valencia turned into the reddest spot on the map of Spain, with the Republican elite flocking to the capital.
On 30 March 1939, after the fall of Catalunia and most other Republican territory, Valencia capitulated to Franco's forces, thus ending the war.
Once victory was announced, General Franco began his rule as a dictator. Those were hard times for Valencia, as for the rest of Spain. Although the anti-separatist repressions were fairly mild here (due to Valencia's traditionally more moderate stance than that of Catalunia and the Basque Country), economic hardship was dark as Spain became politically and economically isolated due to its links with fascist regimes. While cultural nationalism was strongly discouraged, Valencian identity remained largely preserved since it relied less on institutional education (such as language and legal framework) and more on the cultural events (read: fiestas) with a strong Catholic aspect, thus being to the taste of ultra-Catholic Franco.
Franco had a design for every region of Spain and the strength of Valencia in times of an economic crisis was its vast agricultural assets. While Barcelona, for example, was seen by him as more of an industrial powerhorse, Franco boosted Valencia to become Europe's orange plantation. In 1950s Valencia's orange exports became famous throughout the world.
The year of 1957 is a major memory for Valencia, although of strictly local importance. River Turia (then flowing through the middle of the city) flooded, killing many people and ruining the city. Valencia received disaster aid from the rest of Spain and next year made a special edition of the Fallas, inviting all Spanish regions to turn it into a national event, and hosting Franco as the guest of honour. River Turia was consequently diverted to the south of the city and the former river bed was converted into a lush leisure garden, giving Valencia much of its emblematic charm today.
The 1960s-70s were an era of Development by the Franco regime, with much of Valencia re-shaping its infrastructure and modernising.
Democracy, Autonomy and XXI Century Development
1975 to today
After the death of Franco in 1975, Juan Carlos - son of Alfonso XII - then in exile - became the new King of Spain. A new democracy was brewing until the 1978 Constitution, turning Spain into a constitutional monarchy.
Over the course of late 1970s the issue of autonomy was strongly pushed by Catalunia and the Basque Country. The 1978 Constitution recognised those two as prime autonomies and 17 other regions as a lesser autonomy, with much smaller powers. At some point there was talk of annexing Valencia to autonomous Catalunia, due to extensive cultural ties. This sparked massive civil unrest in Valencia in 1979, with strong disturbances by the Valencianist movements. As a result, a new article of the Constitution was created specifically for Valencia, making it an "in-between" autonomy - that is with more independence than the 17 lesser autonomies, but with less powers than Catalunia and the Basque Country.
Thus Valencia once again became autonomous Comunidad Valenciana, for the first time since the beginning of the XVIII century. The first elections into the government of the Comunidad took place in 1983.
In 1981 Valencia had tanks on the streets, in a failed attempt at a coup d'etat. Milans del Bosch, the then military chief of this third of Spain happened to have Valencia as his base. As he orchestrated the infamous hold-up of the parliament on 23 February 1981, he simultaneously mobilised the armed forces to take the crossroads of Valencia and declare martial law. However, the coup had so little public support (nor that of the rest of the military) that not many even got worried. The coup caved in when the King addressed the nation in the evening and called for the restoration of democracy. It is important to note that Valencia as a location of the military mobilisation was a mere coincidence - this is simply where del Bosch happened to have been appointed and these were the forces at his disposal. It had nothing to do with the local political climate or leniences of the Valencians, and the whole city was simply perplexed on their way to the supermarket and the office.
Over the course of 1980s Valencia was under a largely left-wing government, until in 1991 it swang to favour the right. The conservative government has been in power ever since, to the present day.
Valencia has entered the 3rd Millenium with full colours, having undergone another explosive thrust of modernisation, truly turning it into a vibrant and dynamic XXI century European city over the last 10-15 years. Many locals will say that 10 years ago you wouldn't have recognised Valencia. The economy has been steadily rising, mainly due to an expansion in services and infranstructure, commercial tourism (Valencia is one of the main European locations for trade fairs and conferences, plus it has an economically very dynamic coast) and a big bang in construction which has created a massive property market and attracted much investment. This construction craze (still very far from the end) has also expanded Valencia territorially - the city has grown much and the population has now reached 1 million. Although the agriculture in the countryside is still strong, Valencia of XXI century is less about that or the industry, and more a major serrvice provider and a facilitator of international commerce (not to forget that Valencia has the second largest commercial port in Europe). In addition, Valencia has shown a spectacular performance as a tourist destination, with 10 years unbroken growth. Valencia of today has got quite wealthy and puts a lot of that money into further improvement of public services, cultural events and projects (more and more international), and a face-lift to the historical parts of the city, as well as spectacular new projects, such as City of Arts and Sciences. This is all reminicent of the end of the XV century Valencia - the Golden Age.
Yet through all this cyber-age development, Valencia has not simply painted over its past - it conserved all its traditions intact, and its cultural identity is still present everywhere. This is why they call it the city of contrast - you see XXIII century projects side by side with a still very lively and cared for XIII century church. Valencia is truly marching into the future while remembering its past, and it gives this city unbeatable charm as a mutli-purpose tourist destination for all tastes and fancies.