Historical Significance Historical Significance Group 11 Agon Basha & Rehan Hussain Table of Content Geographical Location……………………………….……….……………..2 Origin………………………………..........................……….………………3 Roman and Visigoths..……………………...........……….………………4 Islam and Spanish March………………………….……….………………5 Catalonia Independence…………………………..……….………………6 Imperial Spain…..……….……………………………. ……….………………7 Peninsula War……….………………………………… ……….………………8 Spanish Civil War……….……………………………. ……….………………9 Democracy and Dictatorship.………………….. ……….………….…10 Olympic Games……….……………..………………..……….…………….11 Megalithic Architecture……….…………………..……….…………….12 Romanesque Period……….………………………..……….………….…13 Catalan Modernism……….………………………………….………….…14 Eclecticism and Regionalism……….…………… ……….………….…15 Casa Batllo…..……….………………………………….………..……………16 Modernist Architecture……….…………………..……….…………….17 Frank Gehry’s Fish……….…………………………………….………….…18 Agbar Tower.…………………………………………… ……….………….…19 Herzog & de Meuron’s Forum Building…….……….………….…21 References……………………………………………….………..……………22 Historical Significance Group 11 Agon Basha & Rehan Hussain 1 Geographical Location Today, Spain is made up of seventeen autonomous communities and Barcelona is the capital of the community known as Catalonia. It is located on the northeastern shores of the Iberian Peninsula. It has two official languages Catalan and Castilian Spanish. Barcelona is Spain's second largest city, both from a geographical perspective and from a population perspective. It provides a fascinating juxtaposition of old and new. Its rich history and culture have strong Mediterranean influences, setting it apart from other cities in Spain. This influence, along with its exciting history, makes Barcelona a fascinating city. The first human settlements in Barcelona date back to Neolithic times. The city itself was founded by the Romans who set up a colony called Barcino around what was then the Táber Mountain at the end of the 1st century BC. The colony had some thousand inhabitants and was bounded by a defensive wall, the remains of which can still be seen in the old town. The Romans encircled their city with imposing city walls, which were maintained and even expanded for centuries thereafter. This severely limited the growth of the city and many areas that are now integrated neighborhoods Historical Significance Group 11 Agon Basha & Rehan Hussain 2 Origin A Roman marble with Latin text ("COL IVL AVG FAV PAT BARCIN" short for "Colonia Julia Augusta Faventia Paterna Barcino") about Barcino which is the antic name of the Catalan city of Barcelona. Carthage Begins to Conquer Spain 241 BC Barcelona was founded around the year 230 BC by Phoenicians and Carthaginians. Beaten in the first Punic War, Carthage –or at least leading Carthaginians – turned their attention to Spain. Hamilcar Barca began a campaign of conquest and settlement in Spain which continued under his son in law. A capital for Carthage in Spain was established at Cartanega. The original name of the city was Barcino, probably named after the Carthaginian ruler Hamilcar Barca, however, there is literature that by the end of the 1st century B.C., the Romans were the first to have called the city “Barcino”. The city itself was founded by the Romans who set up a colony at the end of the 1st century BC. The colony had some thousand inhabitants and was bounded by a defensive wall, the remains of which can still be seen in the old town Historical Significance Group 11 Agon Basha & Rehan Hussain 3 Romans and Visigoths 206 B.C. Hispania becomes part of the Roman Empire. Rome rules it for 500 years. As the Romans fought the Carthaginians during the Second Punic War, Spain became a field of conflict between the two sides, both aided by Spanish natives. After 211 BC the brilliant general Scipio Africanus campaigned, throwing Carthage out of Spain by 206 BC and beginning centuries of Roman occupation. The heart of the Roman settlement of Barcino lay within what would later become the medieval city –now known as the Barri Gòtic. The temple was raised on Mont Tàber as a place of worship for Emperor Augustus. Remains of city walls, temple pillars and graves all attest to what would eventually become a busy and lively town. Barcino lived well off the agricultural products and from fishing. Oysters, in particular, appeared regularly on the Roman menu in ancient times. Wine, olive oil and garum were all produced and consumed in abundance. The remaining columns of the Temple of Augustus After sacking Rome in 410 AD, the Germanic Visigoths swept into Spain, renaming the city Barcinona and making it their capital between 531 and 554 until they moved to Toledo in the 6th century. The Visigoth kingdom came to an end in 711 with the Moorish invasion from Africa. Historical Significance Group 11 Agon Basha & Rehan Hussain 4 Islam and Spanish March 711 Muslim forces comprised of Berbers and Arabs attacked Spain from North Africa, landed an expeditionary force at present‐day Gibraltar, taking advantage of a near instant collapse of the Visigothic kingdom. During this time Muslims from North greatly influenced art and architecture of the Spain. The Moors had Barcelona under their control for another 100 years until the Franks conquered the city. Louis the Pious, the future Frankish ruler, retook Barcelona from them in 801. Charlemagne's knights pushed in after them and installed themselves at the head of the border counties to guard the southern flank of his empire. The Spanish Re‐conquest began in this zone, who became known as the Spanish Marches (La Marca Hispánica). The Franks under Louis the Pious takes Barcelona and founds the Marca Hispànica (Spanish March) in what would become Catalonia. In 878 unifies the Catalan counties and establishes the House of Barcelona, a dynasty that lasts 500 years. While the rest of Spain remained Moorish, Barcelona and the rest of Catalunya retained its links to the rest of Europe. Catalunya's flag of four red stripes on a gold background represent four bloody fingers drawn across the shield. Historical Significance Group 11 Agon Basha & Rehan Hussain 5 Catalonia Independence, Golden Age 988 After Louis V refused to help repulse Moorish raiders in 988, the counts of Barcelona Count Borrell II declared their independence from the Franks, making Catalonia effectively independent .This is celebrated as Catalunya's birth as a nation state and it was soon enlarged through a series of marriages and military adventures. 1137 The marriage between the then‐count of Barcelona, Ramon Berenguer IV, and the daughter of the king of Aragón united the two territories, bringing with it a vast increase in economic prosperity and political power, Catalan‐ Aragonese monarchy sets the scene for Catalonia’s golden age. At the height of the middle ages, Barcelona experienced a flourishing era of prosperity that affected all aspects of city life, ruling the Mediterranean coast all the way to Nice. These centuries saw the construction of magnificent Gothic buildings such as the cathedral and other palaces and monuments. Barcelona acted as the focal point for the exchange of scholar and scientific knowledge between the European and Muslim worlds and the arts flourished under the great patronage. Foreign trade saw to it that shipbuilding and conquest were established. Jaume I at only 21 years of age, sets off in 1229 with fleets from Tarragona, Barcelona, Marseilles and other ports. His objective was Mallorca, which he won. Six years later he had Ibiza and Formentera. Later he took control of Valencia too. This was no easy task and was only completed in 1248 after 16 years of grinding conquest. All this activity helped fuel a boom in Barcelona and Jaume raised new walls that increased the size of the enclosed city tenfold. The empire‐building shifted into top gear in the 1280s when Jaume I’s son Pere II took Sicily. Malta, Gozo and Athens were also briefly taken. In spite of the bloodshed and the expense of war, this was Barcelona’s golden age. It was the base for what was now a thriving mercantile empire and the western Mediterranean was virtually a Catalan lake Historical Significance Group 11 Agon Basha & Rehan Hussain 6 15‐18th Century, Imperial Spain The marriage of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile in 1469 united the two royal lines, uniting all the Spanish Christian kingdoms in one inheritance. By the 16th century, Barcelona began to loose its importance and power. During the following years, conflicts raised between Barcelona and Madrid. Madrid became the center of political and economical importance. Spain Starts to Build an Overseas Empire 1492 1492 This year also saw the discovery of America by Columbus, financed by Isabella. Christopher Columbus arrives in the New World, beginning an era of exploration and conquest. Roman Catholicism is established as Spain’s state religion. Within 10 years, most Jews and Muslims are forced to convert or leave. Columbus brought knowledge of America to Europe. 1492‐1500, 6000 Spaniards had already emigrated to the “New World”. They were the vanguard of a Spanish empire in south and central America –and nearby islands –which overthrew the indigenous peoples and sent vast quantities of treasure back to Spain. When Portugal was incorporated into Spain in 1580, the latter became rulers of the large Portuguese empire too. in the 17th century Catalonia went to war with Spain, declaring its independence with the support of France. From the 15th to 18th centuries Barcelona entered a period of decline, while it struggled to maintain