History of Spain

11th 5th centuries: Celts settle in the north; Phoenicians settle in the south.

3rd century: Carthaginians invade Andalusia; Punic Wars.

3rd century Bc Ist century AD:Roman colonization of Spain; introduction of Latin language.

AD Ist century: Christianity arrives in Spain.

5th century: Arrival of the Visigoths, who become the predominant power in Spain for around 200 years.

711: Arab invasion of Andalusia; within seven years the Moorish conquest of Spain is complete.

718: Victory of small Christian army against the Moors at Covadonga, Asturias.

756: Cordoba becomes the capital of Moorish Spain. 11th century: Christian Reconquest gains strength.

1085: Christians take Toledo.

1469: Marriage of Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon Los Reyes Catolicos, the Catholic Kings.

1478: Isabella creates the Inquisition to persecute Jews, Moors and later Protestants.

1479: Ferdinand becomes king of Aragon, so uniting Christian Spain under one crown.

1492: The Reconquest is finally completed with the Christian capture of Granada. The Catholic Monarchs order the expulsion of the Jews. Christopher Colombus arrives in the New World.

1516:Charles V succeeds to the throne and within five years is elected Holy Roman Emperor. His territories thus include Spain, Germany, Austria, Franche Comte, the Low Countries, Naples, Sicily and Sardinia. 1519: Spanish conquistadors arrive in Mexico. 1532: Spanish conquistadors arrive in Peru.

1556-98: Philip 11 rules, making Madrid the capital of Spain. By the time of his death his vast empire is weakened by massive debt.

1571: Battle of Lepanto: naval victory against the Turks, giving Spain and its Italian allies command of the Mediterranean.

1588: Sinking of the Armada.

1609: Expulsion of remaining Moors from Spain; Low Countries obtain their independence of Spain.

1618-48: Thirty Years' War, fought at great expense. Spain emerges weakened and no longer a major European power.

1700: Philip, Duke of Anjou, grandson of Louis XIV, becomes Philip IV of Spain.

1701-14: War of the Spanish Succession: Spain loses Gibraltar, Minorca, Luxembourg, Flanders and its Italian territories. Philip V, a Bourbon, becomes king of Spain; the country subsequently heavily influenced by affairs in France.

1759-88: Reign of Charles III engineers economic improvement.

1805: Spain aids Napoleonic France in war against England. Battle of Trafalgar: Spanish naval power destroyed by British.

1808: Napoleon puts his brother Joseph on the Spanish throne. The War of Independence (also called the Peninsular War) ensues. French eventually driven from Spain. 1813: Buenos Aires, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile and Colombia declare their independence of Spain.

1814: Ferdinand VII regains throne and rules as an absolute monarch.

1833-76: Carlist Wars. 1873:Declaration of the First Spanish Republic.

1874: Restoration of the Bourbon monarchy in the person of Alfonso XII.

1898: Spanish American War results in Spain losing Puerto Rico, the Philippines and Cuba.

1914-18: Spain remains neutral during World War 1. Unemployment and inflation fuel domestic unrest; strikes in Catalonia are severely suppressed.

1923: General Miguel Primo de Rivera establishes a dictatorship with the support of Alfonso XIII.

1930: Oppressive regime so unpopular that General Primo de Rivera is forced into exile.

1931: Elections produce a socialist republican majority; political reform includes provincial autonomy for certain regions. Second Republic declared. King chooses to go into exile.

1933: Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera (son of the general) founds the right wing Falange party.

1936 (February): Election won by left wing Popular Front.

1936-39: Spanish Civil War: Franco's Nationalists take most of the southwest; the rest of the country continues to support the Republican government.

1939-75: Franco dictatorship.

1953: Franco accepts American aid in exchange for US nuclear bases in Spain.

1955: Spain becomes part of the United Nations.

1975: Death of Franco; Bourbon Juan Carlos crowned king; return to democracy.

1982: PSOE Socialist Workers' Party led by Felipe Gonzalez, elected in landslide victory for the left.

1986: Spain becomes part of the European Community. 1992: This year promises to put Spain at the centre of Europe: Barcelona hosts the Olympics, Madrid is Cultural Capital of Europe, the Expo 92 fair is being held in Seville, and Spain celebrates the 500th anniversary of Columbus's arrival in the New World.