A Brief History of Madrid

The Early Years

At the beginning of the 10th century, Arab Emir Mohamed I (852-886) hastened construction of a fortress on a promontory overlooking the Manzanares River. Magerit, the Arab town that sprang up around the fortress, was intended as a northern defensive outpost of Toledo and served that charge until the Christian King Alfonso VI took over the town from the Muslims in 1083. In the ensuing years the city expanded gradually, the Moors were expelled from their neighborhood, the Morería, and the walls were torn down by order of Fernando and Isabel to allow further growth.

By the time Felipe II (1556-1598) moved the court here from Toledo in 1561, Madrid claimed over 100,000 people. In choosing this unlikely setting as the seat of the government, Felipe II raised more than a few eyebrows; the surrounding area is relatively unremarkable save for the mountains in the north and the coasts were then, as they are today, only a summer expectation. He was aware of the geographical centrality of Madrid in relation to the rest of the country, which would facilitate the administration of the outlying regions; but he also prudently recognized that the town, which had been a relatively insignificant and undesirable place until then, was not bound by potentially disloyal or threatening ties. It wasn’t until 1561 that Felipe III officially made the city the country’s national capital.

Madrid Under the Hapsburgs

Under the Hapsburgs, who took control in the 16th century, Madrid saw greater expansion and the construction of many of its most notable monuments, including the grand Plaza Mayor. During the War of Spanish Succession (1701-1714), the Bourbons came into power. Their reign would spell grandiose improvements within the city, owing in large part to the diligence of Carlos III (1759-1788), who took a particular interest in the city’s refinement. He was the first of the monarchs to move into the Palacio Real, construction of which was begun under Felipe V, and he is credited with charting an urban scheme that would prove to carry Madrid well into the 21st century.

Madrid in the Napoleonic Era

Dark days followed as the city was overrun by French troops during the Napoleonic wars. Napoleon’s brother Joseph was anointed ruler and subsequently saw to it that precious parts of the city, which he felt was too cramped, were torn down to allow it to breathe a little. Despite the popular uprising of the Madrileños on May 2, 1808, the Bourbon Fernando VII would not return from imprisonment until 1814.With his reinstatement, paintings were soon being moved into the former natural history museum in what would constitute one of the world’s greatest art collections; street numbers were installed, waste collection was initiated and major avenues like the Paseo del Prado were lengthened. In 1910 the avenue known as Gran Vía was cut through the barrio (neighborhood) of San Bernardo and towering buildings, theaters and cafés later sprung up on both sides. But the relentless expansion that had characterized Madrid was due for another setback as the events of the Spanish Civil War began to take center stage in the province.

The Franco Years

In 1931 the Republic was declared and years of heavy bombardment ensued. Madrid’s population, as well as its architecture, suffered heavily as combat lines merged on the city and Franco’s troops laid siege during a slow, grueling period from 1936 to 1939. The Nationalist victory assured, Madrid came to be treated with contempt under Franco. Time was the dictator’s undoing as the more vocal among the population gradually pressed for reforms and greater freedoms. Following Franco’s death in the mid-seventies, Madrid came into its own. The constitutional monarchy was restored under King Juan Carlos. Madrid, though still the country’s national seat of government, began the slow process of decentralization that would give greater rights and authority to the other 16 autonomous communities.