Prehistory and Ancient Era Since the
Lower Paleolithic era, the Region of Murcia has been inhabited by humans, with
Neanderthal remains found in the
Sima de las Palomas site in the south east of the region. The
Argaric culture one of the most developed cultures of the
Metal Ages, flourished into the early
Bronze Age, with the site of
La Bastida in the southwest of the region being a prominent example. Later, the
Iberians were present in this territory during the Middle and Late Bronze Age and remained until very early in ancient history, before the Romans conquered a large part of the Iberian Peninsula. In 227 BC,
Carthaginians settled in what is now
Cartagena with the mountainous territory merely the hinterland of their seacoast
empire although in 209 BC it was conquered by the Romans and was incorporated into the
province of
Hispania Carthaginensis. During the Roman era, Carthago Nova was the most important place in the region, and there are still remains of ancient villas in the Campo de Cartagena. The Romans built a salt factory and settled in a little town called Ficaria, in the current municipality of
Mazarrón.
Altiplano and Noroeste
comarcas (a kind of region) both contain surviving dwellings of the Romans. In the early 5th century, the
Vandals together with the
Suebi and
Alans invaded the Iberian Peninsula with the Vandals settling in the region. The Roman Empire successfully proposed an alliance with the
Visigoths to recover its lost Spanish land in return for goods and territory. The Vandals fled to North Africa and the Visigoths federated to the Roman Empire in a kingdom that stretched from Gibraltar to the
Loire River. The Visigothic kingdom became independent of the Roman Empire in 476. In 555 AD, the Byzantines, under the emperor
Justinian the Great, conquered the southeastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula and established the province of
Spania. Part of the current Region of Murcia belonged to the province and therefore to the Eastern Roman or
Byzantine Empire. The current of
Campo Cartagena-Mar Menor (Cartagena, La Unión, Fuente Álamo, Torre-Pacheco, Los Alcázares, Mazarrón) and
Alto Guadalentín (Lorca, Águilas, San Javier and Santiago de la Ribera, and Puerto Lumbreras) also belonged to the province.
Moorish Middle Ages In the early 8th century there was a disputed succession to the Visigothic throne. The king
Wittiza wanted his son Agila to be his successor, but the nobles of the court elected
Roderic, duke of
Baetica, as king. The people in favour of Agila conspired to overthrow Roderic. They asked the
Moors for help and promised spoils of war in return. The Moors began conquering the Iberian Peninsula in 711. Roderic was killed, and the Visigothic kingdom disappeared. Consequently, the Moors quickly conquered much of the peninsula. Following the support of local Muslims for the
Mudéjar revolt of 1264–1266, in 1266
Alfonso X of Castile annexed the territory outright with critical military support from his uncle
Jaime I of Aragon. The Castilian conquest of Murcia marked the end of the
Aragon's southward expansion along the Iberian Mediterranean coast. The kingdom of Murcia was repopulated with people from Christian territories by giving them land.
James II of Aragon broke an agreement between the Castile and Aragon regarding the division of territory between the two kingdoms and, from 1296 to 1302, conquered Alicante, Elche, Orihuela, Murcia, Cartagena, and Lorca. In consequence of those victories, James II and
Ferdinand IV of Castile agreed to the
Treaty of Torrellas, which stipulated the return of the conquered territory to Castile, save for the towns of Cartagena, Orihuela, Elche, and Alicante. In 1305, Cartagena was returned to Castile. The kingdom of Murcia lost the territory of the current province of Alicante. The Castilian monarchs proceeded to delegate power over the whole Kingdom of Murcia (then a borderland of the Crown of Castile, near Granada and Aragon) to a senior officer called the
Adelantado. The kingdom of Murcia was divided into religious manors, nobility manors, and
realengo (a type of
manorialism in which the noble had the property, but the king had the authority to administer justice). There were two noble lineages during the
Late Middle Ages and the modern period: Los Manueles and Los Fajardos. The Kingdom of Murcia was adjacent to the
Emirate of Granada, which provoked several Muslim raids and wars that occurred mainly during the 15th century. In the early 16th century, the population increased in the Kingdom of Murcia. There were three plague epidemics during the century, but they did not severely affect the region. In the first third of the century, the
Revolt of the Comuneros occurred. Some places that supported the revolt were towns in the present-day Castile and León and Castilla-La Mancha regions. In the Kingdom of Murcia, the revolutionary towns were Murcia, Cartagena, Lorca, Caravaca, Cehegín, and Totana. The castle of
Aledo defended the monarchy. In 1521, the Revolt of the Comuneros was defeated. In the early 17th century, King
Philip III of Spain expelled all the Moriscos (descendants of Muslims) from Valencia, Aragon, and Castille. During this century, two
plague epidemics also occurred. During the 18th century,
Francisco Salzillo was a notable Baroque artist in the Kingdom of Murcia. He made carvings with religious imagery.
Napoleonic wars In 1807, Napoleon signed the
Treaty of Fontainebleau with Spain, in order for French armies to cross the peninsula to conquer Portugal. In early 1808, Napoleon betrayed Spain and invaded Pamplona, San Sebastián, Barcelona, Burgos, and Salamanca. In 1808, the people of Madrid rebelled, and all of Spain was summoned to fight the French invaders. The people of the country established for each province political organisations, or
juntas, as alternatives to the official administrations. Since the French were not much present in the Kingdom of Murcia, battles were rare in the region. Nevertheless, Spaniards from the region battled the French in other areas of Spain. In addition, the region became a staging area for the movement of troops, guns, and supplies destined for the eastern Iberian Peninsula, or Andalucía. In 1810, French troops did attack the Kingdom of Murcia. Most local officials escaped. The French, coming from Lorca, invaded the town of Murcia on 23 April, and looted it on the 26th. The troops returned to the town in August, but defensive measures had been taken and the French attack was repelled. The French army occupied Murcia again in January 1812, looting Águilas, Lorca, Caravaca, Cehegín, Jumilla, Yecla, Mula, Alhama de Murcia, and the Ricote Valley. Cartagena withstood a French siege, owing to its rampart and the help of an English fleet. In 1813, the French were decisively defeated in the north at the
Battle of Vitoria.
20th century In 1936, under the
Second Spanish Republic, there was an uprising. The North African territories of Spain were taken on 17 July. The uprising was successful in
some areas of Spain. The partial success of the uprising brought on the
Spanish Civil War. The province of Murcia supported the
Popular Front (the governing party in that era). The port of Cartagena became the main base of the Republican navy and was home to destroyer, cruiser, and submarine fleets. Thus, the Region of Murcia was of geostrategic importance during the war. To defend Cartagena, there were anti-aircraft bases throughout the region. The region was not near the frontlines and overall it was not attacked, except from the air against Cartagena and Águilas. Large factories, basic services, and some other properties were seized by trade unions. There was an impoverishment among the inhabitants and a lack of food supplies. Consequently, rationing was established in the region. Under
Francoist Spain, wine agriculture and economic activities increased in the Altiplano (north of the region). An oil refinery infrastructure was established in Cartagena in 1942, and power refineries, supply refineries, and factories were constructed in the same area during the 1950s and 1960s. Murcia became an autonomous region in 1982. Massive riots erupted in Cartagena in 1992 protesting against the closing down of shipbuilding, mining and chemical companies and the regional legislature building was set on fire. == Symbols ==