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Dateline
550 B.C. Greeks settle at Empuries in northern Catalonia.
218 B.C. The Romans, using Empuries as an entry point, subjugate Spain. Barcino, principally a trading port, is founded.
A.D. 415 Barcelona occupied by the Visigoths.
719 The Muslim invasion of the Peninsula reaches Barcelona.
801 Barcelona taken by the Franks.
878 Guifre el Pilos (Wilfred the Hairy) defeats the Moors and becomes Count of Barcelona, the first in the line of a 5-century-long autonomous rule.
1064 The Usatges, the first Catalan Bill of Rights, is drafted.
1137 A royal marriage unites Catalonia and neighboring region of Aragon.
1213-35 Jaume I conquers Majorca, Ibiza, and Valencia.
1265 Barcelona forms the Consell de Cent, its own municipal government.
1282-1325 Catalonia conquers Corsica and Sicily.
1347-59 The Black Plague halves the city's population. The Generalitat (autonomous government) is founded.
1479 Fernando II, monarch of the crown of Catalonia-Aragon, marries Isabel, queen of Castile, uniting all of Spain. Catalonia falls under Castilian rule.
1492 Columbus discovers America. The "Catholic Kings" expel all remaining Jews and Muslims.
1522 Under the rule of Charles V, Catalans are refused permission to trade in the New World.
1640-50 Catalan revolt known as the Guerra dels Segadors (Harvesters' War).
1702 The War of Succession begins.
1759 Barcelona falls to Franco-Spanish army. Catalan language banned.
1808-14 French occupy Catalonia.
1832 The Industrial Revolution begins in Barcelona with the first steam-driven factory.
1833-39 The Carlist wars begin. Trade unions and collectives form in Barcelona.
1859 Work begins on the "new city," L'Eixample.
1873 First Spanish Republic established.
1888 First International Exhibition in Barcelona held at the Ciutadella Park.
1892-93 Collectives demand Catalan autonomy. Anarchist throws bombs in the Liceu Opera House.
1909 Setmana Tragica; anarchists go on anticlerical rampage in Barcelona.
1923 Dictatorship led by General Primo de Rivera starts in Spain.
1929 Second International Exhibition, this time on Montjuic.
1931 Francesc Macia negotiates autonomy for Catalonia during the Second Republic and declares himself president.
1939 Anarchist-occupied Barcelona is taken by Franco's army.
1953 Defense treaty between Spain and the U.S. signed.
1960s The package tourism boom takes off on Catalonia's Costa Brava.
1975 Franco dies. Barcelonese drink the city dry in celebration.
1978 King Juan Carlos grants Catalonia autonomous rule.
1981 Coup attempt by right-wing officers fails. Democracy prevails.
1982 Socialists gain power after 43 years of right-wing rule.
1986 Spain joins the European Community (now the European Union).
1992 Barcelona hosts the Summer Olympics.
1998 The Generalitat introduces controversial "linguistic normalization" laws in an effort to strengthen Catalan as the region's primary language.
2001 Spain moves forward as an economic powerhouse in Latin America.
2004 Spanish Prime Minister Jose Lluis Zapatero officially requests that Catalan, along with Basque and Galician, be recognized as working languages of the E.U.
2006 A new Estatut (Statute) granting Catalonia more autonomous powers is passed by the Spanish Socialist government.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without
notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before
planning your trip.
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