The territory that now constitutes the Autonomous communities of Spain Catalonia was first settled during the Middle Palaeolithic era. Like the rest of the Mediterranean side of the Iberian Peninsula, the area was occupied by the Iberians and several Greek and Carthaginian towns were established on the coast before the Roman conquest.
The area that is now Catalonia was the first area of Hispania conquered by the Romans. It then came under Visigothic rule after collapse of the western part of the Roman Empire. In 718, the area was occupied by the Moors and became a part of Muslim ruled Al-Andalus. The Frankish Empire conquered the area from the Muslims, beginning with the conquest of Rousillon in 760 and ending with the conquest of Barcelona in 801, as part or the creation of a larger buffer zone of Christians against Islamic rele counties known as the Marca Hispanica.
In time, the Christians took control of the region, thans not just to the Franks and their Spanish March but also to the Kingdom of Aragon (administrated by the Count of the Barcelona for the King of Aragon, the Crown of Aragon), which would govern those lands from that point onward.
For a considerable time, the Kingdom of Aragon, and its little county and port of Barcelona retained its own laws and languages (i.e.: Aragones and also Catalan). Catalonia was just a county of the Crown of Aragon but this came to an end when the new Bourbon dinasty secured the throne of Spain in the War of Spanish Succession (1702-1714) and made the former Crown of Aragon territories into provinces of the Crown of Castile following the war.
Economically, Catalonia experienced commercial growth in the late 18th century when the Bourbons ended Castile's trade monopoly with Spain's American colonies. The Napoleonic occupation and war in Spain in the early 19th century began a period of political and economic turmoil. In the latter half of the 19th century Catalonia became a center of industrialization.
In the first third of the 20th century, Catalonia several times enjoyed and lost varying degrees of autonomy like other parts of Spain until the Second Spanish Republic confirmed the autonomies of Spain's traditional autonomous regions, including the autonomy of Catalonia and the official use of its language.
Like Madrid, the Basque country and much of Spain, Catalonia fought hard to defend the Second Spanish Republic in the devastating civil war of 1936-1939. With the defeat of the Spanish Republic by the right wing forces of Francisco Franco, the autonomies were cancelled.
In the years after the civil war life was difficult. With Spain devastated and cut off from international trade by boycotts, Catalonia, as a commercial and industrial center, suffered severely. The economic recovery was very slow and it was not until the mid-1950s that the economy reached the prewar levels of 1936.
In 1959-1974 Spain exerienced the second fastest economic expansion in the world in what became known as the Spanish Miracle and Catalonia prospered greatly from the expansion as Spain's most important industrial and tourist zone. In 1975 Franco died, bringing to an end his dictatorial regime, and in 1978 Catalonia voted overwhelmingly for the new democratic Spanish constitution that recognised Catalonia's autonomy and language.
On the 9 November 2015, parliament approved a Declaration to start the independence process of Catalonia asserting the start of the process to create an independent Catalan state in the form of a republic. The independence motion was passed on 27 October 2017 in the 135-strong Catalan assembly with 70 votes in favour; 10 against and 2 blank ballots, the assembly's speaker said.
Just hours after the Catalan declaration of independence, the Spanish Senate invoked Article 155 of the Spanish constitution and authorised Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's government to impose direct rule over Catalonia. Rajoy declared the dissolution of the Catalan parliament and dismissed Catalonia's regional government, including its leader Carles Puigdemont. Rajoy called a snap election in the region for 21 December 2017.
Spanish Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saezde Santamaria was chosen to assume the position of President of Catalonia, as part of the actions that resulted after the activation of Article 155. Santamaria was vested total control over the Catalan administration in addition to being appointed president. Josep Lluis Trapero was also relieved of his duty as chief of the Catalan police force.
But Catalans are fiercely protective of the region's high degree of autonomy, such as direct control over education, healthcare and the police. Mossos d'Esquadra, a group of Catalonia's police favouring independence, has already said its members will not follow instructions from the central government of Spain and will not use force to remove ministers and legislators from power.
In time, the Christians took control of the region, thans not just to the Franks and their Spanish March but also to the Kingdom of Aragon (administrated by the Count of the Barcelona for the King of Aragon, the Crown of Aragon), which would govern those lands from that point onward.
For a considerable time, the Kingdom of Aragon, and its little county and port of Barcelona retained its own laws and languages (i.e.: Aragones and also Catalan). Catalonia was just a county of the Crown of Aragon but this came to an end when the new Bourbon dinasty secured the throne of Spain in the War of Spanish Succession (1702-1714) and made the former Crown of Aragon territories into provinces of the Crown of Castile following the war.
Economically, Catalonia experienced commercial growth in the late 18th century when the Bourbons ended Castile's trade monopoly with Spain's American colonies. The Napoleonic occupation and war in Spain in the early 19th century began a period of political and economic turmoil. In the latter half of the 19th century Catalonia became a center of industrialization.
In the first third of the 20th century, Catalonia several times enjoyed and lost varying degrees of autonomy like other parts of Spain until the Second Spanish Republic confirmed the autonomies of Spain's traditional autonomous regions, including the autonomy of Catalonia and the official use of its language.
Like Madrid, the Basque country and much of Spain, Catalonia fought hard to defend the Second Spanish Republic in the devastating civil war of 1936-1939. With the defeat of the Spanish Republic by the right wing forces of Francisco Franco, the autonomies were cancelled.
In the years after the civil war life was difficult. With Spain devastated and cut off from international trade by boycotts, Catalonia, as a commercial and industrial center, suffered severely. The economic recovery was very slow and it was not until the mid-1950s that the economy reached the prewar levels of 1936.
In 1959-1974 Spain exerienced the second fastest economic expansion in the world in what became known as the Spanish Miracle and Catalonia prospered greatly from the expansion as Spain's most important industrial and tourist zone. In 1975 Franco died, bringing to an end his dictatorial regime, and in 1978 Catalonia voted overwhelmingly for the new democratic Spanish constitution that recognised Catalonia's autonomy and language.
On the 9 November 2015, parliament approved a Declaration to start the independence process of Catalonia asserting the start of the process to create an independent Catalan state in the form of a republic. The independence motion was passed on 27 October 2017 in the 135-strong Catalan assembly with 70 votes in favour; 10 against and 2 blank ballots, the assembly's speaker said.
Just hours after the Catalan declaration of independence, the Spanish Senate invoked Article 155 of the Spanish constitution and authorised Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's government to impose direct rule over Catalonia. Rajoy declared the dissolution of the Catalan parliament and dismissed Catalonia's regional government, including its leader Carles Puigdemont. Rajoy called a snap election in the region for 21 December 2017.
Spanish Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saezde Santamaria was chosen to assume the position of President of Catalonia, as part of the actions that resulted after the activation of Article 155. Santamaria was vested total control over the Catalan administration in addition to being appointed president. Josep Lluis Trapero was also relieved of his duty as chief of the Catalan police force.
But Catalans are fiercely protective of the region's high degree of autonomy, such as direct control over education, healthcare and the police. Mossos d'Esquadra, a group of Catalonia's police favouring independence, has already said its members will not follow instructions from the central government of Spain and will not use force to remove ministers and legislators from power.
