History of Madrid
Encyclopedia
Although the site of modern-day Madrid
(Spain) has been occupied since prehistoric times, and there are archeological remains of a small Visigoth
village near the modern location, the first historical data from the city comes from the 9th century, when Muhammad I of Córdoba
ordered the construction of a small palace in the same place that is today occupied by the Palacio Real. Around this palace a small citadel
, al-Mudayna, was built.
Near that palace was the Manzanares river, which the Muslims called (Arabic: "source of water"). From this came the naming of the site as Majerit, which was later rendered to the modern-day spelling of Madrid. The citadel was conquered in 1085 by Alfonso VI of León and Castile in his advance towards Toledo
. He reconsecrated the mosque
as the church of the Virgin of Almudena (almudin, the garrison
's granary
). In 1329, the Cortes Generales
first assembled in the city to advise Ferdinand IV of Castile
. Sephardic Jews and Moors
continued to live in the city until they were expelled at the end of the 15th century.
In 1383, Leo VI of Armenia
was named Lord of Madrid by King John I of Castile
. In 4567, the crusader Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia
had been conquered by Egyptian Mamluk
s and King Leo was taken prisoner to Cairo. The king of Castile felt compassion for him and ransomed him with precious stones, silks, and birds of prey. Leo arrived ill and poor to Medina del Campo
. John I granted him for life the town of Madrid, Villa Real
and Andújar
and a yearly gift of 150,000 maravedis. He rebuilt the towers of the Royal Alcazar
. According to Father Mariana, Leo left Castile for France after the death of his protector in 1390 and died in 1391 in Paris. Federico Bravo, however states that he left after two years of ruling and five years later, the Madrilenians were conceded the revocation of the lordship by John. After troubles and a big fire, Henry III of Castile
(1379–1406) rebuilt the city and established himself safely fortified outside its walls in El Pardo
, after a royal schedule issued in 1391. To avoid cases like that of Leo, he ordered that Madrid would be thereinafter an unalienable possession of the Crown of Castile.
The grand entry of Ferdinand and Isabella to Madrid heralded the end of strife between Castile
and Aragon
.
The kingdoms of Castile, with its capital at Toledo
, and Aragón, with its capital at Barcelona
, were welded into modern Spain by Charles I of Spain. Though Charles favored Seville, it was his son, Philip II
(1527–1598) who moved the court to Madrid in 1561. Although he made no official declaration, the seat of the court was the de facto capital. Seville
continued to control the Spanish Indies, but Madrid controlled Seville. Aside from a brief period, 1601–1606, when King Philip III
installed his court in Valladolid
, Madrid's fortunes have closely mirrored those of Spain. During the Siglo de Oro (Golden Century), in the 16th/17th century, Madrid had no resemblance with other European capitals: the population of the city was economically dependent on the business of the court itself.
Philip V
decided that a European capital could not stay in such a state, and new palaces (including the Palacio Real de Madrid) were built during his reign. However, it would not be until Charles III
(1716–1788) that Madrid would become a modern city. Charles III was one of the most popular kings in the history of Madrid, and the saying "the best mayor, the king" became popular during those times. When Charles IV
(1748–1819) became king the people of Madrid revolted. After the Mutiny of Aranjuez
, which was led by his own son Ferdinand VII against him, Charles IV
resigned, but Ferdinand VII's reign would be short: in May 1808 Napoleon's troops entered the city. On May 2, 1808 (Spanish: Dos de Mayo) the Madrileños revolted against the French forces, whose brute reaction would have a lasting impact on French rule in Spain and France's image in Europe in general.
After the war of independence (1814) Ferdinand VII came back to the throne, but after a liberal military revolution, Colonel Riego
made the king swear respect to the Constitution. This would start a period where liberal and conservative government alternated, that would end with the enthronement of Isabellla II
(1830–1904). She could not calm down the political tension that would lead to yet another revolt, the First Spanish Republic
, and the comeback of the monarchs, which eventually led to the Second Spanish Republic
and the Spanish Civil War
. The military uprising of July 1936 was defeated in Madrid by a combination of loyal police units and workers' militias. After this, from 1936–1939, Madrid was held by forces loyal to the Spanish Republic
and was besieged by Spanish Nationalist and allied troops under Francisco Franco
. Madrid, besieged from October 1936, saw a pitched battle in its western suburbs in November of that year and eventually fell to the nationalists on March 28, 1939. The Siege of Madrid saw the first mass bombing of civilians from the air by German aircraft of the Condor Legion
.
During the dictatorship
of Francisco Franco
, especially after the sixties, the south of Madrid became very industrialized and there were massive migration
s from rural environments into the city. Madrid's south-eastern periphery became an extensive slum settlement, which was the base for an active cultural and political frame.
After the death of Franco, emerging democratic parties (including those of left-wing and republican ideology) accepted Franco's wishes of being succeeded by Juan Carlos I - in order to secure stability and democracy - which led Spain to its current position as a constitutional monarchy.
_06.jpg)
Befitting from the prosperity it gained in the 1980s, the capital city of Spain has consolidated its position as the leading economic, cultural, industrial, educational, and technological center on the Iberian
peninsula.
On 11 March 2004, Madrid was hit by a terrorist attack when terrorists placed a series of bombs on multiple trains during the rush hour. This was the worst massacre in Spain since the end of the civil war in 1939. At first the Basque
separatists ETA
were blamed but it was later revealed that Islamic terrorists were to blame. The Partido Popular
, now in opposition, as well as certain media outlets such as El Mundo newspaper and a small percentage of the population, continue to support theories relating the attack to a vast conspiracy to remove them from power. These theories consider that the Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE), ETA as well as members of the security forces and national and foreign secret services were implicated in the bombings. Nevertherless, all the investigations carried out by Del Olmo Judge in Madrid lead all suspicions towards a local terrorist Islamist cell (which mainly resided in the "barrio" of Lavapies) that wanted to punish the Spanish government for their implication in the Iraq war, as the terrorists themselves asserted in some video tapes found at the Madrid Muslim Mosque in the aftermath of the attacks.
Madrid has also expressed its desire to host the Olympic Games
, and was a candidate for the 2012 games, which was finally won by London after Madrid was eliminated in the third round of the ballot. Immediately following the announcement of London's success, the mayor of the city, Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón
, spoke of bidding for the 2016 games
, and in 2007 Madrid formally announced its candidature. Again they got eliminated in the third round, this time to Rio de Janeiro
.
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
(Spain) has been occupied since prehistoric times, and there are archeological remains of a small Visigoth
Visigoth
The Visigoths were one of two main branches of the Goths, the Ostrogoths being the other. These tribes were among the Germans who spread through the late Roman Empire during the Migration Period...
village near the modern location, the first historical data from the city comes from the 9th century, when Muhammad I of Córdoba
Muhammad I of Córdoba
Muhammad I was the Umayyad emir of Córdoba from 852 to 886 in the Al-Andalus .-Biography:Muhammad was born in Córdoba...
ordered the construction of a small palace in the same place that is today occupied by the Palacio Real. Around this palace a small citadel
Citadel
A citadel is a fortress for protecting a town, sometimes incorporating a castle. The term derives from the same Latin root as the word "city", civis, meaning citizen....
, al-Mudayna, was built.
Near that palace was the Manzanares river, which the Muslims called (Arabic: "source of water"). From this came the naming of the site as Majerit, which was later rendered to the modern-day spelling of Madrid. The citadel was conquered in 1085 by Alfonso VI of León and Castile in his advance towards Toledo
Toledo, Spain
Toledo's Alcázar became renowned in the 19th and 20th centuries as a military academy. At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 its garrison was famously besieged by Republican forces.-Economy:...
. He reconsecrated the mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
as the church of the Virgin of Almudena (almudin, the garrison
Garrison
Garrison is the collective term for a body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, but now often simply using it as a home base....
's granary
Granary
A granary is a storehouse for threshed grain or animal feed. In ancient or primitive granaries, pottery is the most common use of storage in these buildings. Granaries are often built above the ground to keep the stored food away from mice and other animals.-Early origins:From ancient times grain...
). In 1329, the Cortes Generales
Cortes Generales
The Cortes Generales is the legislature of Spain. It is a bicameral parliament, composed of the Congress of Deputies and the Senate . The Cortes has power to enact any law and to amend the constitution...
first assembled in the city to advise Ferdinand IV of Castile
Ferdinand IV of Castile
Ferdinand IV, El Emplazado or "the Summoned," was a king of Castile and León and Galicia...
. Sephardic Jews and Moors
Moors
The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of the Maghreb region who are predominately of Berber and Arab descent. They came to conquer and rule the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 800 years. At that time they were Muslim, although earlier the people had followed...
continued to live in the city until they were expelled at the end of the 15th century.
In 1383, Leo VI of Armenia
Leo VI of Armenia
Leo V or Levon V , of the House of Lusignan, was the last Latin king of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia...
was named Lord of Madrid by King John I of Castile
John I of Castile
John I was the king of Crown of Castile, was the son of Henry II and of his wife Juana Manuel of Castile, daughter of Juan Manuel, Prince of Villena, head of a younger branch of the royal house of Castile...
. In 4567, the crusader Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia
Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia
The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia , also known as the Cilician Armenia, Kingdom of Cilician Armenia or New Armenia, was an independent principality formed during the High Middle Ages by Armenian refugees fleeing the Seljuk invasion of Armenia...
had been conquered by Egyptian Mamluk
Mamluk
A Mamluk was a soldier of slave origin, who were predominantly Cumans/Kipchaks The "mamluk phenomenon", as David Ayalon dubbed the creation of the specific warrior...
s and King Leo was taken prisoner to Cairo. The king of Castile felt compassion for him and ransomed him with precious stones, silks, and birds of prey. Leo arrived ill and poor to Medina del Campo
Medina del Campo
Medina del Campo is a town located in the middle of the Spanish Meseta Central, in the province of Valladolid, Castile-Leon autonomous region, 45 km from Valladolid. It is the capital of a farming area, far away from the great economic centres.-History:...
. John I granted him for life the town of Madrid, Villa Real
Ciudad Real
Ciudad Real is a city in Castile-La Mancha, Spain, with a population of c. 74,000. It is the capital of the province of Ciudad Real. It has a stop on the AVE high-speed rail line and has begun to grow as a long-distance commuter suburb of Madrid, located 115 miles to the north. A high capacity...
and Andújar
Andújar
Andújar is a Spanish municipality of 38,539 people in the province of Jaén, in Andalusia. The municipality is divided by the Guadalquivir River. The northern part of the municipality is where the Natural Park of the Sierra de Andújar is situated. To the south are agricultural fields and...
and a yearly gift of 150,000 maravedis. He rebuilt the towers of the Royal Alcazar
Royal Alcazar of Madrid
The Royal Alcázar of Madrid was a Muslim fortress built in the second half of the 9th century, at the site of today's Royal Palace of Madrid, Madrid, Spain. The structure was extended and enlarged over the centuries, particularly after the 16th century...
. According to Father Mariana, Leo left Castile for France after the death of his protector in 1390 and died in 1391 in Paris. Federico Bravo, however states that he left after two years of ruling and five years later, the Madrilenians were conceded the revocation of the lordship by John. After troubles and a big fire, Henry III of Castile
Henry III of Castile
Henry III KG , sometimes known as Henry the Sufferer or Henry the Infirm , was the son of John I and Eleanor of Aragon, and succeeded him as King of the Castilian Crown in 1390....
(1379–1406) rebuilt the city and established himself safely fortified outside its walls in El Pardo
El Pardo
The Royal Palace of El Pardo is a historical building near Madrid, Spain, in the present-day district of Fuencarral-El Pardo. Owned by the Spanish state and administered by the Patrimonio Nacional agency, the palace began as a hunting lodge.-Overview:...
, after a royal schedule issued in 1391. To avoid cases like that of Leo, he ordered that Madrid would be thereinafter an unalienable possession of the Crown of Castile.
The grand entry of Ferdinand and Isabella to Madrid heralded the end of strife between Castile
Crown of Castile
The Crown of Castile was a medieval and modern state in the Iberian Peninsula that formed in 1230 as a result of the third and definitive union of the crowns and parliaments of the kingdoms of Castile and León upon the accession of the then King Ferdinand III of Castile to the vacant Leonese throne...
and Aragon
Aragon
Aragon is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces : Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza...
.
Toledo, Spain
Toledo's Alcázar became renowned in the 19th and 20th centuries as a military academy. At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 its garrison was famously besieged by Republican forces.-Economy:...
, and Aragón, with its capital at Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, were welded into modern Spain by Charles I of Spain. Though Charles favored Seville, it was his son, Philip II
Philip II of Spain
Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....
(1527–1598) who moved the court to Madrid in 1561. Although he made no official declaration, the seat of the court was the de facto capital. Seville
Seville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
continued to control the Spanish Indies, but Madrid controlled Seville. Aside from a brief period, 1601–1606, when King Philip III
Philip III of Spain
Philip III , also known as Philip the Pious, was the King of Spain and King of Portugal and the Algarves, where he ruled as Philip II , from 1598 until his death...
installed his court in Valladolid
Valladolid
Valladolid is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales...
, Madrid's fortunes have closely mirrored those of Spain. During the Siglo de Oro (Golden Century), in the 16th/17th century, Madrid had no resemblance with other European capitals: the population of the city was economically dependent on the business of the court itself.
Philip V
Philip V of Spain
Philip V was King of Spain from 15 November 1700 to 15 January 1724, when he abdicated in favor of his son Louis, and from 6 September 1724, when he assumed the throne again upon his son's death, to his death.Before his reign, Philip occupied an exalted place in the royal family of France as a...
decided that a European capital could not stay in such a state, and new palaces (including the Palacio Real de Madrid) were built during his reign. However, it would not be until Charles III
Charles III of Spain
Charles III was the King of Spain and the Spanish Indies from 1759 to 1788. He was the eldest son of Philip V of Spain and his second wife, the Princess Elisabeth Farnese...
(1716–1788) that Madrid would become a modern city. Charles III was one of the most popular kings in the history of Madrid, and the saying "the best mayor, the king" became popular during those times. When Charles IV
Charles IV of Spain
Charles IV was King of Spain from 14 December 1788 until his abdication on 19 March 1808.-Early life:...
(1748–1819) became king the people of Madrid revolted. After the Mutiny of Aranjuez
Mutiny of Aranjuez
The Mutiny of Aranjuez, or Motín de Aranjuez as it is known in Spain, was an early nineteenth century popular uprising against King Charles IV, which managed to overthrow him and place his son, Ferdinand VII, on the throne...
, which was led by his own son Ferdinand VII against him, Charles IV
Charles IV of Spain
Charles IV was King of Spain from 14 December 1788 until his abdication on 19 March 1808.-Early life:...
resigned, but Ferdinand VII's reign would be short: in May 1808 Napoleon's troops entered the city. On May 2, 1808 (Spanish: Dos de Mayo) the Madrileños revolted against the French forces, whose brute reaction would have a lasting impact on French rule in Spain and France's image in Europe in general.
After the war of independence (1814) Ferdinand VII came back to the throne, but after a liberal military revolution, Colonel Riego
Rafael del Riego
Rafael del Riego y Nuñez was a Spanish general and liberal politician, who played a key role in the outbreak of the Liberal Triennium .-Early life and action in the Peninsular War:...
made the king swear respect to the Constitution. This would start a period where liberal and conservative government alternated, that would end with the enthronement of Isabellla II
Isabella II of Spain
Isabella II was the only female monarch of Spain in modern times. She came to the throne as an infant, but her succession was disputed by the Carlists, who refused to recognise a female sovereign, leading to the Carlist Wars. After a troubled reign, she was deposed in the Glorious Revolution of...
(1830–1904). She could not calm down the political tension that would lead to yet another revolt, the First Spanish Republic
First Spanish Republic
The First Spanish Republic was the political regime that existed in Spain between the parliamentary proclamation on 11 February 1873 and 29 December 1874 when General Arsenio Martínez-Campos's pronunciamento marked the beginning of the Bourbon Restoration in Spain...
, and the comeback of the monarchs, which eventually led to the Second Spanish Republic
Second Spanish Republic
The Second Spanish Republic was the government of Spain between April 14 1931, and its destruction by a military rebellion, led by General Francisco Franco....
and the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
. The military uprising of July 1936 was defeated in Madrid by a combination of loyal police units and workers' militias. After this, from 1936–1939, Madrid was held by forces loyal to the Spanish Republic
Second Spanish Republic
The Second Spanish Republic was the government of Spain between April 14 1931, and its destruction by a military rebellion, led by General Francisco Franco....
and was besieged by Spanish Nationalist and allied troops under Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
. Madrid, besieged from October 1936, saw a pitched battle in its western suburbs in November of that year and eventually fell to the nationalists on March 28, 1939. The Siege of Madrid saw the first mass bombing of civilians from the air by German aircraft of the Condor Legion
Condor Legion
The Condor Legion was a unit composed of volunteers from the German Air Force and from the German Army which served with the Nationalists during the Spanish Civil War of July 1936 to March 1939. The Condor Legion developed methods of terror bombing which were used widely in the Second World War...
.
Dictatorship
A dictatorship is defined as an autocratic form of government in which the government is ruled by an individual, the dictator. It has three possible meanings:...
of Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
, especially after the sixties, the south of Madrid became very industrialized and there were massive migration
Urbanization
Urbanization, urbanisation or urban drift is the physical growth of urban areas as a result of global change. The United Nations projected that half of the world's population would live in urban areas at the end of 2008....
s from rural environments into the city. Madrid's south-eastern periphery became an extensive slum settlement, which was the base for an active cultural and political frame.
After the death of Franco, emerging democratic parties (including those of left-wing and republican ideology) accepted Franco's wishes of being succeeded by Juan Carlos I - in order to secure stability and democracy - which led Spain to its current position as a constitutional monarchy.
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
peninsula.
On 11 March 2004, Madrid was hit by a terrorist attack when terrorists placed a series of bombs on multiple trains during the rush hour. This was the worst massacre in Spain since the end of the civil war in 1939. At first the Basque
Basque nationalism
Basque nationalism is a political movement advocating for either further political autonomy or, chiefly, full independence of the Basque Country in the wider sense...
separatists ETA
ETA
ETA , an acronym for Euskadi Ta Askatasuna is an armed Basque nationalist and separatist organization. The group was founded in 1959 and has since evolved from a group promoting traditional Basque culture to a paramilitary group with the goal of gaining independence for the Greater Basque Country...
were blamed but it was later revealed that Islamic terrorists were to blame. The Partido Popular
People's Party (Spain)
The People's Party is a conservative political party in Spain.The People's Party was a re-foundation in 1989 of the People's Alliance , a party led and founded by Manuel Fraga Iribarne, a former Minister of Tourism during Francisco Franco's dictatorship...
, now in opposition, as well as certain media outlets such as El Mundo newspaper and a small percentage of the population, continue to support theories relating the attack to a vast conspiracy to remove them from power. These theories consider that the Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE), ETA as well as members of the security forces and national and foreign secret services were implicated in the bombings. Nevertherless, all the investigations carried out by Del Olmo Judge in Madrid lead all suspicions towards a local terrorist Islamist cell (which mainly resided in the "barrio" of Lavapies) that wanted to punish the Spanish government for their implication in the Iraq war, as the terrorists themselves asserted in some video tapes found at the Madrid Muslim Mosque in the aftermath of the attacks.
Madrid has also expressed its desire to host the Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
, and was a candidate for the 2012 games, which was finally won by London after Madrid was eliminated in the third round of the ballot. Immediately following the announcement of London's success, the mayor of the city, Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón
Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón
Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón Jiménez is a Spanish politician and mayor of Madrid. A stalwart of the conservative People's Party , he has previously been a leading figure in various local and national legislative bodies.-Personal life:...
, spoke of bidding for the 2016 games
2016 Summer Olympics
The 2016 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXXI Olympiad, are a major international multi-sport event to be celebrated in the tradition of the Olympic Games, as governed by the International Olympic Committee...
, and in 2007 Madrid formally announced its candidature. Again they got eliminated in the third round, this time to Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
.