A Brief Summary of Mallorca's History…

The Island of Mallorca has been home to humankind for at least the last 5,000 years, from the evidence discovered in caves in the mountains and the Northern part of the island, but the first signs of civilization appeared around 1,300 B.C. with the Talayotic culture. There are still many talaiots, or distinctive stone towers visible on the island and opinion is divided as to whether these towers were purely for the defence of primitive fortified settlements, or used as silos to store and protect grain and produce from marauding sailors, or even for funerary and ceremonial use.

Traders came from the East from at least around 1000 B.C. to visit the island in search of metals.  A flourishing trade in metals was then developing between the Iberian Peninsula and Sardinia, and the population of Mallorca grew as the island lay on this profitable route. This trade dwindled around 600 B.C. when larger Phoenician, Carthaginian and Greek ships no longer needed to stop midway during their sea journey. Many islanders became soldiers for hire and were famous during the Punic Wars for their deadly accuracy using stones flung from a leather sling shot.

In 123 B.C. the island was conquered by the Roman, Quintus Cecilius Metelo, who named it Balearis Major, established the Roman towns of Pollentia in the North, which is now Alcudia, and Palma in the South and introduced olives and vineyards to the island.  There are still a number of ancient olive trees up in the mountains, some of which have been carbon dated the results of which prove that they were planted before the birth of Christ. 

In 465 A.D. the Island was overpowered by the ruthless Vandal King Genserico, who persecuted followers of the Christian Church and expelled over 5,000 believers to North Africa.

In 543 A.D. Byzantium came to the rescue and won Mallorca for the Province of Sardinia. The Catholic Church was restored and flourished until the increasing frequency of raids by Saracen invaders culminated in the complete conquest of the island by the Arab General Al Jaulani in 923 A.D.

After a long and bloody battle, Mallorca became part of the Caliphate of Cordoba. The Arabs introduced oranges, almonds and advanced techniques of market gardening using windmills to draw up water and irrigate the land. Palma became Medina Mayurka, many former churches were converted into mosques, and the city became the envy of all Europe with such marvels as street lighting, and heated public baths, an example of which is still to be seen in the Old City of Palma today.

The Arabs ruled relatively peacefully for the next three centuries, and although there were squabbles between the Muslims and Christians, trade prospered from its strategic position between Africa and Islamic Spain, and agriculture improved until Jaime 1, King of Aragon and Cataluna landed a great fleet at Santa Ponca in 1229 A.D., reconquered Mallorca and brought hundreds of Catalan families to live on the island and secure his conquest. He made Catalan the official language and these early Catalan immigrants introduced traditions and customs which are still upheld by the Mallorquin community today.

On his death, the Kindom of Aragon and Cataluna was divided up, and his son Jaime 11 was crowned first of the two true Kings of Mallorca. Under Jaime 11, the great Cathedral in Palma, the palau D’Almudaina and Belver Castle were built, but this brief Golden Age ended with the defeat of Jaime 111 at LLucmajor in 1349.

Almost a half century later, with the final defeat of the Moors in Granada and the union of Castile and Aragon, by 1492, Mallorca became reunited with the rest of Spain.

Still, Mallorca was neglected by a ruling elite more interested in the Aragonese court. The islands were not allowed to trade with the newly discovered Americas, and the economy went into decline. The 16th century saw civil unrest, Jewish executions ordered by the Inquisition and threats from the Ottoman Turks. The 17th century wasn't much better: trade didn't improve and the plague killed thousands of people.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the island, having been depleted by wars and plague, also suffered from repeated attacks from fleets of Pirates of the Mediterranean, and the populace of many coastal towns like Andraitx and Polenca withdrew inland to protect themselves. Coastal watchtowers were built.

In 1715, Philip V of Spain converted Mallorca into a Province of Spain and imposed Castilian Spanish as the official language. This did not deter the waves of Catalan refugees who fled to the island during the Napoleonic wars. Famine, drought and epidemics made 19th-century life hard on the island, however. Communications with mainland Spain, a new railway and agricultural advancements helped and Catalan culture experienced a revival. Nonetheless many islanders left Mallorca for America.

In the Spanish civil war, the island was attacked by Republican troops in late 1936, but after Mussolini send warplanes from Italy, the attack was repulsed and Mallorca remained in Nationalist hands throughout the rest of the war.

With the advent of mass tourism in the 1960s the island made an impressive comeback from poverty. Since then thousands of people have flocked to the beautiful beaches every year, and the islanders now enjoy the highest standard of living in Spain.

In 1983 the Balearic Islands became one of Spain's autonomous regions, with Palma de Mallorca its capital.

This information is for background. The more recent history of Mallorca can be found in a variety of books, and there is a history text in the Wikipedia online encyclopaedia which I’ll quote HERE.

To return to our main website page, click HERE.