. Asturias was inhabited first by
Homo erectus, then by
Neanderthals. Since the
Lower Paleolithic era, and during the
Upper Paleolithic, Asturias was characterized by cave paintings in the eastern part of the area. In the
Mesolithic period, a native culture developed, that of the
Asturiense, and later, with the introduction of the
Bronze Age,
megaliths and
tumuli were constructed. In the
Iron Age, the territory came under the cultural influence of the
Celts; the local Celtic peoples, known as the
Astures, were composed of tribes such as the
Luggones, the
Pesicos, and others, who populated the entire area with
castros (fortified hill towns). Today the
Astur Celtic influence persists in
place names, such as those of rivers and mountains. . With the conquest of Asturias by the
Romans under
Augustus (29–19 BC), the region entered into recorded history. The Astures were subdued by the Romans, but were never fully conquered. After several centuries without foreign presence, they enjoyed a brief revival during the Germanic invasions of the late 4th century AD, resisting
Suebi and
Visigoth raids throughout the 5th century AD, ending with the
Moorish invasion of Spain. However, as it had been for the Romans and Visigoths, the Moors did not find mountainous territory easy to conquer, and the lands along Spain's northern coast never became part of
Islamic Spain. With the beginning of the Moorish conquest in the 8th century, this region became a refuge for Christian nobles, and in 722, a
de facto independent kingdom was established, the
Regnum Asturorum, which was to become the cradle of the incipient
Reconquista (Reconquest). In the 10th century, the Kingdom of Asturias gave way to the
Kingdom of León, and during the
Middle Ages the geographic isolation of the territory made historical references scarce. Through the rebellion of Prince Henry (the later
Henry II of Castile) in the 14th century, the Principality of Asturias was established. The most famous proponents of independence were Gonzalo Peláez and
Queen Urraca, who, while achieving significant victories, were ultimately defeated by
Castilian troops. After its integration into the
Kingdom of Spain, Asturias provided the Spanish court with high-ranking aristocrats and played an important role in the colonisation of America. Since 1388, the heir to the Castilian (later Spanish) throne has been styled
Prince (or Princess) of Asturias. In the 16th century, the population reached 100,000 for the first time, and within another century that number would double due to the arrival of American
corn. In the 18th century, Asturias was one of the centres of the
Spanish Enlightenment. The renowned
Galician thinker
Benito de Feijóo settled in the
Benedictine Monastery of
San Vicente de Oviedo.
Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos, a
polymath and prominent reformer and politician of the late 18th century, was born in the seaside town of
Gijón. During the
Napoleonic Wars, Asturias was the first Spanish province to rise up against the French following the abdication of King
Ferdinand VII on 10 May 1808. Riots began in Oviedo and on 25 May the local government formally declared war on
Napoleon with 18,000 men called to arms to resist invasion. The
Industrial Revolution came to Asturias after 1830 with the discovery and systematic exploitation of coal mines and iron factories at the
mining basins of
Nalón and
Caudal. At the same time, there was significant migration to
the Americas (especially
Argentina,
Uruguay,
Puerto Rico,
Cuba and
Mexico); those who succeeded overseas often returned to their native land much wealthier. These entrepreneurs were known collectively as
Indianos, for having visited and made their fortunes in the
West Indies and beyond. The heritage of these wealthy families can still be seen in Asturias today: the region is dotted with many large
modernista villas, as well as cultural institutions such as free schools and public libraries. Asturias played an important part in the events that led up to the
Spanish Civil War. In October 1934, Asturian miners and other workers staged an armed uprising (see
Revolution of Asturias) to oppose the coming to power of the
right-wing CEDA party, which had obtained three ministerial posts in the centralist government of the
Second Spanish Republic. For a month, a Popular Front Committee exercised control in southern Asturias, while local workers committees sprang up elsewhere in the region. A defense committee led by
anarcho-syndicalist supporters took power in Oviedo. Troops under the command of a then-unknown general named
Francisco Franco Bahamonde were brought from
Spanish Morocco to suppress the revolt. Franco applied tactics normally reserved for overseas colonies, using troops of the
Spanish Legion and
Moroccan troops; ferocious oppression followed. As a result, Asturias remained loyal to the republican government during the
Spanish Civil War, and was the scene of an extraordinary defence in extreme terrain, the
Battle of El Mazuco. With Franco eventually gaining control of all of Spain, Asturias — traditionally linked to the
Spanish Crown — was known merely as the "Province of Oviedo" from 1939 until Franco's death in 1975. The province's name was restored fully after the return of democracy to Spain in 1977. In the 50s and 60s the industrial progress of Asturias continued with the constitution of national enterprises like
Ensidesa and Hunosa, but the 80s was the decade of a dramatic
industrial restructuring. On 30 December 1981, Asturias became an autonomous community within the decentralised territorial structure established by the Constitution of 1978.
Rafael Luis Fernández Álvarez, who had previously served as the president of the Regional Council since 1978, became the first
president of the Principality of Asturias, upon the adoption of autonomy. The
Asturian regional government holds comprehensive competencies in important areas such as health, education and protection of the environment. The current president, elected in 2019, is
Adrián Barbón (
PSOE). == Administrative and territorial division ==