The history of Alicante — full of fascinating curiosities

Many historians trace the city's beginnings to Iberian settlements dating from the 3rd century BC, as evidenced by the archaeological sites at Monte Benacantil and Tossal de Manises.

However, it was not until the Roman presence in 201 BC that civilisation in Alicante truly flourished. The first Roman city was called Lucentum and had a maritime and river port located in what is now La Albufereta. Towards the end of Roman rule, the population gradually moved inland, eventually settling at the foot of Monte Benacantil and beginning to build what would become the city centre.

The Islamic presence throughout the province was very significant, and the city of Alicante was no exception — as can be seen in the archaeological remains found near the Town Hall. Muslims arrived in 718 and their rule lasted over five centuries, leaving extraordinary cultural treasures throughout the province. The city was renamed Medina Laqant or Al-Laqant.

The Christian reconquest took 48 years and was carried out through a series of treaties, beginning with the Treaty of Cazola between Alfonso II of Aragon and Alfonso VIII of Castile, and ending with the Treaty of Almizra, which set the boundaries of expansion.

During that period, the city was repopulated with Christians from Castile, but due to various factors the Muslim population remained longer than planned. It was not until 4 December 1248 that Castilian troops took the city by force.

The Crown of Castile held the city between 1248 and 1296, a period during which the city was given great strategic value thanks to its port. Alfonso X the Wise granted privileges to Christians to encourage settlement and promote commercial and economic activity, though the whole process was slow and costly.

Between 1264 and 1266 Alicante was caught up in a Muslim uprising, which was quickly suppressed by James I of Aragon.

The era of the Crown of Aragon began on 22 April 1296 with the conquest by James II of Aragon; after the Moorish revolt, Alicante was rapidly repopulated by Catalans and Aragonese.

This growth was interrupted at the beginning of the 14th century when the War of the Union, the Black Death and the War of the Two Peters halved the population.

Despite everything, in the 15th century Alicante rose again and resumed its growth. This was so dramatic that in 1490 Ferdinand the Catholic granted Alicante the title of city.

In 1510, just a few years after receiving city status, Alicante was already considered the fifth city in the Kingdom of Valencia. Its demographic and economic development was driven largely by maritime trade.

During the Early Modern period, Alicante continued to be a centre of conflict, including the War of the Spanish Succession and the Peninsular War, which left deep scars on the city.

In the 19th century, due to its port, Alicante suffered several epidemics. One of the most devastating was cholera, which even claimed the life of the civil governor Trino González de Quijano, who died after spending 24 days helping and caring for the sick of the province.

The arrival of the railway (1858), the expansion of the port and industrialisation marked Alicante's definitive takeoff. Its connection with the rest of Spain and its major port importance provided enormous demographic growth and the cosmopolitan character it has today.

The 20th century was shaped by the Spanish Civil War: its alignment with the Republican side and the execution of José Antonio Primo de Rivera triggered up to 71 bombings, with the most notorious being the "eight-hour bombing" that followed Rivera's death.

Today Alicante is the second city of the Valencian Community and the fifth most populous province in Spain, with 1,879,888 inhabitants (2020). It is undoubtedly one of the outstanding locations on the Costa Blanca, attracting hundreds of thousands of tourists each year — a pillar of the local economy.

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