In this article about the history of Granada, we will take a quick journey through time, navigating through the main historical events that have shaped its history.
We will know his origin, first inhabitants, the muslim occupation and later christian conquest as items of great importance in the history of Granada.
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The origins of Granada They have been a subject of reflection and continuous controversy among archaeologists and historians. For that reason, we will dissect and discuss some of the most important events.
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The region of granada iberian was populated by the turdetani and túrdulos. Were direct heirs of the tartesians, the bástulos and bastetanos inhabitants of la antigua Basti (Baza).
We owe it to the past “ The Lady of Baza”, one of the largest and most exquisite jewelry iberian preserved in the present.
Let's know a little more about this very interesting sculpture 👇
Lady of Baza iberian sculpture
“The Lady of Baza”, Jewel iberian.
This iberian sculpture, carved in polychrome stone, dating back to the fourth century a. C.
It was found in a burial chamber containing the remains of a woman in your interior. It is believed that the remains belonged to a priestess or a warrior since next to it appeared the remains of weapons.
This sculpture can be seen today in the National Archaeological museum of Spain, located in Madrid.
Proseguimos con nuestro viaje a través del tiempo por la historia de Granada👇
After the tartesians, the phoenicians settled on the coast Salubinia (Salobreña) and Sexi (Almuñécar). As well as the carthaginians made in Cartago nova, or new city (Cartagena).
Once war breaks out against Romeknown this event as “the Punic Wars”, and after the victory of the romans; the whole peninsula is in your hands. The romans brought with them the following peculiarities:
➡ The union of the various languages (indigenous iberians and celts) to the Latin.
➡ Religion went from being polytheistic to monotheistic. The christianization of the Roman Empire was reached towards the end of the fourth century the Emperor Theodosius.
➡ The law introduced the concept of State dividing Hispania into three provinces:
- Lusitania
- Tarragona
- Andalusia
The name iberian lliberis with the romans became Florentia “Municipum Florentinum lliberitanum” .
The invasion barbara ends, finally, with Rome. The vandals took lliberis until the visigoths end up taking over the territory. It was not until the death of the goth king Rodrigo, in the famous battle of Guadalete in the year 711, when the muslims occupied the province.
It was then that the name “lliberris”, pronounced by the arabs as a lliberia or Elvira, gave its name to the cora or province.
La conquista de la península por los musulmanes se caracterizó por su rapidez y sencillez. La causa principal de la ocupación, al margen de otros muchos factores, se hallaba en la compleja situación que atravesaba el pueblo godo en aquel entonces.
The army and the population goths were, after the “Battle of Guadalete”, weak, impoverished and poorly organized. A situation that was exploited by the muslims Tariq and Muza. Both, in only six years, became the domain of the peninsula with the exception of a small strip of land cantabrian.
Una vez asentados, los musulmanes permanecieron en la península durante eight hundred yearsuntil their expulsion by the Catholic Kings.
In regard to the territory of granada we have knowledge of the existence, after the moorish occupation of various urban centres. They were: “Castilia” in Sierra Elvira, “Garnata” a suburb of lliberis inhabited by jews and “lliberislocated in the lower part of Albaicín. Municipality that gave name to the entire region.
Once conquered the iberian peninsula by the muslims, these decided to settle in “Castilia” (Elvira). This was a farming town with little or no infrastructure defensive offered no security.
Hence, after some revolts, its inhabitants decided to settle in the ancient capital of province "Iliberis". This provided a strategic position much more defensive.
A moment ⛔ Before you continue you should read the article on the historia de Al-Ándalus. It will help you to understand, without a doubt, the historical context in which we find ourselves.
❗Now ❗ we Continue with Zawi ibn Ziri. This king of the dynasty zirid moved the court of Medina Elvira "Castilia" the hill of the current Albaicín "Ilíberis". It was not until the ELEVENTH century when it was quoted, for the first time, as Granada to this city.
To purpose of the etymology of the name of Granada there have been numerous debates. Several sources argue that Granada comes from Naaththe wife of Habus (a zirid king). Others argue that Gar- anat it has its genesis in a colony of pilgrims. Referred to , in turn, derived from Gar-natá- a term understood as a fortified city.
The majority opinion corroborates that comes out of the same meaning of the word pomegranate, in Arabic arroman.
Their pronunciation, according to Luis Marble, it had to be Agranata. He was named Hizna Román which means the Castle of the Pomegranate tree.
The muslims of the peninsula, after the division of the kingdom of Al-Andalus into small kingdoms (Reinos de Taifas) they were losing territory steadily. The conquests christian were promoting such a loss. The ultimate demise of these kingdoms came after the Battle of las Navas de Tolosa in the year 1212.
There was a kingdom that managed to remain in the peninsula for 260 years: the kingdom of Granada. At that time consisted of the territory that they occupied the provinces of Granada, Malaga, Almeria, and part of Cadiz.
It can be said, therefore, that the muslims were eight centuries in the iberian peninsula, especially in Granada 😉
Among the various dynasties that settled in the Kingdom of Granada highlights:
The kingdom of Granada attended by muslims from other places in search of protection. Despite not having been an empire strong as that of Córdoba and its submission to the castilian crown, to which it had to pay tribute, was a kingdom full of wealth of cultural, artistic, and intellectual. Had hospitals, mosques, baths and university.
This last kingdom we must thank, in addition, the construction of “the Alhambra” and the awe-inspiring architectural legacy, documentary and historical, which has survived in andalusian lands for centuries.
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Granada experienced a new period of splendor christian after the conquest of the Catholic Monarchs on January 2, 1492. It became the city in the image of the territorial unit of the new crown hispanic.
The Catholic Monarchs came up with a program that favored the castilianization of the old nazari kingdom. One of the keys of the same was in the building up of christian monuments: convents, monasteries, and churches on the sites of ancient mosques. With this purpose brought the best architects and sculptors. That way intended to enhance, beautify the city, to an extent unimagined.
During the reign of the Catholic Monarchs and Charles V were built extraordinary monuments. Here are some of the highlights:
Despite the fact that initially lived among the different religions gradually were limiting the rights of the other religions that exist. The aforementioned co-existence it remained until the War of the Alpujarras. The conflict that developed in the SIXTEENTH century during the reign of Felipe II. In this conflict resulted in the definitive expulsion of the moors from the peninsula.
The fact it brought negative consequences to the economy and agriculture. Both of these techniques relied heavily on the knowledge which was possessed by the moors from the place.
We'll mention to end up in a small chronicle a relationship of events that led to enormous losses on the human heritage, historic, artistic and cultural heritage of Granada.
Without further ado, let's look at the evolution of the history that runs around in front of us.
The century begins with a great epidemic yellow fever 1804 that left thousands of victims in Granada and its province. In 1834 it will be followed by another cholera that was repeated in 1854, 1860 and 1885. Then came the famines and earthquakes de distinta intensidad, destacando uno ocurrido el 25 de diciembre de 1884 que causó terribles estragos que produjo enormes daños e innumerables víctimas humanas.
All these tragic human events it is necessary to add the War of Independence. In 1808, the French invaded Andalusia on the battles of Mengibar and Bailén. Granada maintained a relative peace for about two years until the great French invasion in January 1810. Joseph I comes in Granada on march 16, and would leave the 13 may to return to Madrid. However, his troops will remain in the city until its evacuation on September 16 1812, flying the night before several towers of the Alhambra and the area that today is known as “the Dry land”.
After which it returns to the Government the absolute monarchy of Fernando VII and restores the inquisition. Una de las víctimas más conocidas de esta represión fue Mariana Pineda. Se le imputó el delito de «rebelión contra el orden y el monarca», castigado por aquel entonces con la pena de muerte. La viuda condenada a muerte subió al cadalso con 27 años. Sus restos mortales descansan hoy en la cripta de la Catedral de Granada.
In the reign of Elizabeth II (daughter of Fernando VII), explode Carlist War to which must be added the confiscation of Mendizabal in the year 1836. That brought in addition to the consequences of political and social, the disappearance of masterpieces unrecoverable, the destruction of monasteries and institutions, raging in the monuments...
It was followed by the revolution of 1868, the proclamation of first Republic 1873 until the bourbon restoration 1874. All this brought the deaths of one side to the other, until the peace that brought about the restoration.
In spite of all the vicissitudes in the course of time Granada, he was fascinated by its magical beauty to writers, poets, artists, and travelers.
Swinburne traveller par excellence was the pioneer with their Travels quien abrió el camino a todo lo que vendría después. Chateaubriand, Alejandro de Laborde, Víctor Hugo, Washington Irving, Alejandro Dumas, Richard Ford, José Zorrilla, Federico García Lorca, Manuel de Falla son algunos de estos nombres. Todos desde su particular sensibilidad le han otorgado renombre mundial.
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