The History Of Alicante

The beautiful city of Alicante

Alicante is one of the most important cities that Spain has, a city that attracts millions of visitors every year as result of its beauty and its interesting history that seem to be like magnets for people from all over the world. Alicante is bathed by the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, so it is a great tourist destination for any person who wants to spend a relaxing holiday on a delicate beach enjoying the warm sun and the perfect blue of the waters.

However, these are not the only attractions of the city. As I was saying, Alicante’s history attracts those tourists who are interested in finding out how different cities appeared and what was the process that made them look like they do today.

A short history lesson

The history of Alicante is strongly connected to the surrounding places; its strategic position turned out to be very attractive for different civilizations as you will find Alicante somewhere between Mount Benacantil, Albufereta and the picturesque area of the Serra Grossa Mountains. The Moors showed a particularly high interest in Alicante as they conquered it and ruled over the city for centuries.

Nevertheless, Alicante is not the type of city in Spain to be the exception from the rule, so after centuries of Moorish occupation, the Christians conquered it as they conquered many other important Spanish cities that were under Moorish rule. It was King Alfonso who fought against the Moors and won the city in 1245. 1308 was the year when King James I decided to include the city into the Kingdom of Valencia, but this only lasted for a few decades as King Ferdinand offered the city the individual status it needed in 1490. In 1590, the city gained a lot of importance due to the fact that its port became the most influential trading spot in the Castilla Kingdom, so the city flourished.

During the end of the 17th century, the city of Alicante had to live some rough days as it was bombed by the troops of the French Armada. At the beginning of the 18th century, other rough days came over the city as the Brits attacked the beautiful, but imposing Alicante Castle. The 19th century and its first years were full of peace and quiet for Alicante, so it started to recover from its wounds and started to flourish and develop into the beautiful city that tourists visit today.