Seville has a rich and fascinating history. The Romans governed
the whole of Spain for more than six centuries. Their first colony
was Italica which may still be visited today.
The Romans changed the face of the countryside and towns, building
aqueducts and long straight roads to link the major towns. Today
some of the best preserved artifacts from this period can be found
at the city's magnificent Archaelogical Museum.
But it was the Moslem civilization which was to have the most
lasting impact on the city. Their reign lasted for nearly 800
years in Andalucia from 711 until 1492 when the Catholic monarchs
defeated the Moslem kingdom of Granada.
Some of the city's most magnificent buildings stand as a legacy
to this era, including the Torre del Oro, Torre de Plata, Giralda,
Patio de los Naranjos, the area of Triana, the Macarena Walls
and the Alcazar. Later the the mudejares used their skill to create
beautiful Moorish-style buildings, such as the Palacio Pedro 1,
part of Seville's Reales Alcazres. There are several Mudejar churches
dating from this period, including the Iglesia de San Marcos,
the Iglesia de Santa Catalina and the Church of San Pedro.
Interestingly, Mudejar architecture continued long after the
Moslem period, one of the best examples being the Casa de Pilatos,
one of the most beautiful buildings you can visit in Seville.
The city walls and gates offer an insight into the history over
the ages.
After the fall of Granada to the Christians, Spain entered an
era of expansion and prosperity. The conquest of the New World
made Seville one of the most affluent cities in Europe, but much
of this wealth was squandered on wars by the Hapsburg kings. The
13 year War of the Spanish Succession saw Bourbons on the throne
in place of the Hapsburgs and, under the Treaty of Utrecht, the
loss of Gibraltar to the British. Later ties with France dragged
Spain into the Napoleonic Wars.
Following the Battle of Trafalgar, the Spanish King, Carlos 1V
abdicated and Napoleon Bonaparte placed his brother, Joseph on
the Spanish throne. The Peninsula War ensued and, with British
help, the French were driven out of Spain. After the Bourbon restoration,
Spain weakened by further strife, began to lose her colonies.
By the 18th century, Spain had fallen into economic decline and
in the 19th and early 20th centuries poverty led to political
conflict and ultimately to civil war.
Many of the more recent historic buildings date from the 1929
Ibero-American Exposion of 1929, including the Plaza de España
and the Parque Maria Luisa.
In 1992 this event was repeated when Expo took place again in
Seville, attracting thousands of visitors from around the world.
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