900 BC The Phoenicians trade with Spain 227 BC The Carthaginians from North Africa found Cartagena 218

BC The Romans send an army to Spain and they gradually drive out the Carthaginians 197 BC The Romans divide the Iberian Peninsula into 2 areas, Hispania Citerior and Hispania Ulterior 171-73 Ad People from North Africa raid Spain 409 AD Alans, Sueves and Vandals invade Spain 456 The Visigoths conquer Spain 587 King Reccared becomes a Catholic 654 King Recceswinth makes a code of laws 711 The Moors invade Spain 10th-11th centuries The kingdoms of Aragon, Castile and Navarre emerge 1085 The Castilians capture Toledo 1212 The combined armies of Aragon, Castile and Navarre win a victory at Las Navas de Tolosa 1250 Only Granada is still in Muslim hands 1340 The Christians win the Battle of Salado 1343 The Aragonese capture the Balearic Islands 1348 The Black Death reaches Spain 1469 Ferdinand heir of Aragon marries Isabel heir of Castile 1492 Ferdinand and Isabel capture Granada. All Jews are ordered to convert to Christianity or leave. 1516 Charles V becomes king of Spain

1580 Spain annexes Portugal 1587-1604 England fights Spain 1609 Moriscos (Muslims who had converted to Christianity) are expelled from Spain 1640 The Portuguese rebel against Spanish rule 1659 Spain is forced to cede territory to France 1704 The British capture Gibraltar 1708-11 Spain suffers poor harvests 1763-66 Spain has poor harvests again. Nevertheless agriculture is expanding so is the population and trade and commerce. 1767 The Jesuits are expelled from Spain

1808 Napoleon forces the Spanish king to abdicate and he makes his own brother king of Spain. The Spaniards refuse to accept him so the French send an army. The Spanish begin a guerrilla war. 1813 The French are driven out of Spain 1820 The Spanish rebel 1823 The French army restores Ferdinand to absolute power 1833-39 Civil War in Spain 1848 The first railway is built in Spain 1868 A rebellion takes place against Queen Isabella 1876 Spain gets a new constitution 1880-82 Famine in southern Spain 1892 All men are given the vote 1898 Spain loses a war with the USA

1909 Riots take place in Catalonia 1917 A General Strike is held 1923 General Primo de Riviera stages a coup 1930 de Riviera resigns 1931 Spain gains a new constitution 1933 An uprising takes place in Asturias 1936 In February the left wing wins an election 1936 In July the Spanish Civil War begins. On 1 October General Franco becomes the leader of the Nationalist army. 1937 The Nationalists capture Bilbao 1939 The Nationalists capture Barcelona and Madrid. 1953 Franco signs a treaty with the USA 1955 Spain joins the UN 1975 Franco dies 1977 Elections are held 1981 Army officers attempt a coup 2009-10 Spain suffers high unemployment during a recession