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  • Cartagena, Murcia, Spain
    522
    Justinian I

    Justinian took Cartagena

    Cartagena, Murcia, Spain
    522

    In 552, Justinian dispatched a force of 2,000 men, this army was led by the octogenarian Liberius.The Byzantines took Cartagena and other cities on the southeastern coast and founded the new province of Spania before being checked by their former ally Athanagild, who had by now become king. This campaign marked the apogee of Byzantine expansion.




  • Spain
    551
    Byzantine Empire

    Athanagild sought Justinian's help in a rebellion against the king

    Spain
    551

    In 551, Athanagild, a noble from Visigothic Hispania, sought Justinian's help in a rebellion against the king, and the emperor dispatched a force under Liberius, a successful military commander. The empire held on to a small slice of the Iberian Peninsula coast until the reign of Heraclius.




  • Spain
    552
    Justinian I

    Justinian invaded Hispania

    Spain
    552

    Finally, Justinian dispatched a force of approximately 35,000 men (2,000 men were detached and sent to invade southern Visigothic Hispania) under the command of Narses.




  • Tortosa, Spain
    Thursday Dec 30, 1148
    Crusades

    Siege of Tortosa

    Tortosa, Spain
    Thursday Dec 30, 1148

    Six-month siege of Tortosa, ending on 30 December 1148 with a defeat for the Moors.




  • Kingdom of Aragon (Present Day Spain)
    Wednesday Jan 22, 1479
    Holy Roman Empire

    Ferdinand II of Aragon

    Kingdom of Aragon (Present Day Spain)
    Wednesday Jan 22, 1479

    Ferdinand II (10 March 1452 – 23 January 1516), called the Catholic, was King of Aragon from 1479 until his death. In 1469, he married Infanta Isabella, the future queen of Castile, which was regarded as the marital and political "cornerstone in the foundation of the Spanish monarchy". As a consequence of the marriage, in 1474 he became de jure uxoris King of Castile as Ferdinand V, when Isabella held the crown of Castile, until her death in 1504. At Isabella's death the crown of Castile passed to their daughter Joanna, by the terms of their prenuptial agreement and Isabella‘s last will and testament, and Ferdinand lost his monarchical status in Castile. Joanna's husband Philip became de jure uxoris King of Castile, but died in 1506, and Joanna ruled in her own right. In 1504, after a war with France, he became King of Naples as Ferdinand III, reuniting Naples with Sicily permanently and for the first time since 1458. In 1506, as part of a treaty with a France, Ferdinand married Germaine of Foix of France, but Ferdinand's only son and child of that marriage died soon after birth. (Had the child survived, the personal union of the crowns of Aragon and Castile would have ceased.) In 1508, Ferdinand was recognized as regent of Castile, following Joanna's alleged mental illness, until his own death in 1516. In 1512, he became King of Navarre by conquest.




  • Spain
    Friday Aug 15, 1502
    Chocolate

    Christopher Columbus with the Cacao

    Spain
    Friday Aug 15, 1502

    Christopher Columbus encountered the cacao bean on his fourth mission to the Americas on August 15, 1502, when he and his crew seized a large native canoe that proved to contain among other goods for trade, cacao beans. His son Ferdinand commented that the natives greatly valued the beans, which he termed almonds, "for when they were brought on board ship together with their goods, I observed that when any of these almonds fell, they all stooped to pick it up, as if an eye had fallen."




  • Madrigalejo, Extremadura
    Sunday Jan 23, 1516
    Holy Roman Empire

    Ferdinand II of Aragon death

    Madrigalejo, Extremadura
    Sunday Jan 23, 1516

    In 1516, Ferdinand II of Aragon, grandfather of the future Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, died.


  • Spain
    1519
    Chocolate

    Cortés and Díaz

    Spain
    1519

    Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés may have been the first European to encounter chocolate when he observed it in the court of Montezuma in 1519. In 1568, Bernal Díaz, who accompanied Cortés in the conquest of Mexico.


  • Spain
    1529
    Inca Empire

    Royal approval

    Spain
    1529

    It was clear that they had reached a wealthy land with prospects of a great treasure, and after another expedition in 1529 Pizarro traveled to Spain and received royal approval to conquer the region and be its viceroy. This approval was received as detailed in the following quote: "In July 1529 the Queen of Spain signed a charter allowing Pizarro to conquer the Incas. Pizarro was named governor and captain of all conquests in Peru, or New Castile, as the Spanish now called the land."


  • Spain
    1582
    Plague

    A new outbreak of bubonic plague occurs in Spain

    Spain
    1582

    A new outbreak of bubonic plague occurs, in the Canary Islands, mainly affecting the city of San Cristóbal de La Laguna on the island of Tenerife. Between 5,000 and 9,000 people die, a considerable number considering that the population of the island at the time was less than 20,000 inhabitants.


  • Spain
    1637
    Plague

    Plague breaks out in Andalusia

    Spain
    1637

    Plague breaks out in Andalusia, killing about 20,000 people in less than four months.


  • Spain
    1647
    Plague

    Plague ravages Spain

    Spain
    1647

    Plague ravages Spain. About 30,000 die in Valencia. The great Plague of Seville breaks out.


  • Madrid, Spain
    1800
    Simón Bolívar

    Bolívar was sent to Spain to follow his military studies in Madrid

    Madrid, Spain
    1800

    In 1800, he was sent to Spain to follow his military studies in Madrid, where he remained until 1802.


  • Madrid, Spain
    1802
    Simón Bolívar

    Marriage

    Madrid, Spain
    1802

    In 1799, following the early deaths of his father Juan Vicente (dead since 1786) and his mother Concepción (who died in 1792), Bolívar traveled to Mexico, France, and Spain, at the age of 16 years, to complete his education. While in Madrid during 1802 and after a two-year courtship, he married María Teresa Rodríguez del Toro y Alaiza, who was to be his only wife. She was related to the aristocratic families of the marquis del Toro of Caracas and the marquis de Inicio of Madrid.


  • Pyrenees mountains ( Spain, France and Andorra)
    Saturday Oct 17, 1807
    Napoleon

    French troops crossed the Pyrenees

    Pyrenees mountains ( Spain, France and Andorra)
    Saturday Oct 17, 1807

    On 17 October 1807, 24,000 French troops under General Junot crossed the Pyrenees with Spanish cooperation and headed towards Portugal to enforce Napoleon's orders.


  • Spain
    Tuesday Feb 16, 1808
    Napoleon

    Napoleon announced that he would intervene to mediate between the rival political factions in the country

    Spain
    Tuesday Feb 16, 1808

    Throughout the winter of 1808, French agents became increasingly involved in Spanish internal affairs, attempting to incite discord between members of the Spanish royal family. On 16 February 1808, secret French machinations finally materialized when Napoleon announced that he would intervene to mediate between the rival political factions in the country.


  • Madrid, Spain
    Thursday Mar 24, 1808
    Napoleon

    The French arrived in Madrid

    Madrid, Spain
    Thursday Mar 24, 1808

    Marshal Murat led 120,000 troops into Spain. The French arrived in Madrid on 24 March, where wild riots against the occupation erupted just a few weeks later.


  • Spain
    Monday Jun 6, 1808
    Napoleon

    Napoleon appointed his brother as the new King of Spain

    Spain
    Monday Jun 6, 1808

    Napoleon appointed his brother, Joseph Bonaparte, as the new King of Spain in the summer of 1808.


  • Bailén, Spain
    Saturday Jul 16, 1808
    Napoleon

    Battle of Bailén

    Bailén, Spain
    Saturday Jul 16, 1808

    The shocking French defeat at the Battle of Bailén in July gave hope to Napoleon's enemies and partly persuaded the French emperor to intervene in person.


  • Ebro River, Spain
    Nov, 1808
    Napoleon

    Napoleon crossed the Ebro River

    Ebro River, Spain
    Nov, 1808

    Napoleon then returned to France and prepared for war. The Grande Armée, under the Emperor's personal command, rapidly crossed the Ebro River in November 1808 and inflicted a series of crushing defeats against the Spanish forces.


  • Madrid, Spain
    Sunday Dec 4, 1808
    Napoleon

    Napoleon entered Madrid

    Madrid, Spain
    Sunday Dec 4, 1808

    After clearing the last Spanish force guarding the capital at Somosierra, Napoleon entered Madrid on 4 December with 80,000 troops.


  • Corunna, Galicia, Spain
    Monday Jan 16, 1809
    Napoleon

    Battle of Corunna

    Corunna, Galicia, Spain
    Monday Jan 16, 1809

    Napoleon then unleashed his soldiers against Moore and the British forces. The British were swiftly driven to the coast, and they withdrew from Spain entirely after a last stand at the Battle of Corunna in January 1809.


  • Spain
    1809
    Napoleon

    Napoleon never returned to Spain after the 1808 campaign

    Spain
    1809

    Napoleon would end up leaving Iberia in order to deal with the Austrians in Central Europe, but the Peninsular War continued on long after his absence. He never returned to Spain after the 1808 campaign. Several months after Corunna, the British sent another army to the peninsula under the future Duke of Wellington. The war then settled into a complex and asymmetric strategic deadlock where all sides struggled to gain the upper hand. The highlight of the conflict became the brutal guerrilla warfare that engulfed much of the Spanish countryside. Both sides committed the worst atrocities of the Napoleonic Wars during this phase of the conflict.


  • Spain
    Thursday Mar 19, 1812
    Spanish Civil War

    Spanish Constitution of 1812

    Spain
    Thursday Mar 19, 1812

    The 19th century was a turbulent time for Spain. Those in favour of reforming Spain's government vied for political power with conservatives, who tried to prevent reforms. Some liberals, in a tradition that started with the Spanish Constitution of 1812, sought to limit the power of the monarchy of Spain and to establish a liberal state. The reforms of 1812 were overturned when King Ferdinand VII dissolved the Constitution and ended the Trienio Liberal government.


  • Spain
    19th Century
    Spanish Civil War

    Twelve successful coups were carried out

    Spain
    19th Century

    Twelve successful coups were carried out between 1814 and 1874.


  • Spain
    1868
    Spanish Civil War

    Popular uprisings led to the overthrow of Queen Isabella II

    Spain
    1868

    In 1868, popular uprisings led to the overthrow of Queen Isabella II of the House of Bourbon. Two distinct factors led to the uprisings: a series of urban riots and a liberal movement within the middle classes and the military (led by General Joan Prim) concerned with the ultra-conservatism of the monarchy.


  • Spain
    1873
    Spanish Civil War

    King Amadeo I of the House of Savoy

    Spain
    1873

    In 1873, Isabella's replacement, King Amadeo I of the House of Savoy, abdicated due to increasing political pressure, and the short-lived First Spanish Republic was proclaimed.


  • Spain
    Tuesday Dec 29, 1874
    Spanish Civil War

    Restoration of the Bourbons

    Spain
    Tuesday Dec 29, 1874

    After the restoration of the Bourbons in December 1874, Carlists and Anarchists emerged in opposition to the monarchy.


  • Barcelona, Spain
    19th Century
    Spanish Civil War

    Spanish politician and leader of the Radical Republican Party, helped bring republicanism to the fore in Catalonia

    Barcelona, Spain
    19th Century

    Alejandro Lerroux, Spanish politician and leader of the Radical Republican Party, helped bring republicanism to the fore in Catalonia, where poverty was particularly acute. Growing resentment of conscription and of the military culminated in the Tragic Week in Barcelona in 1909.


  • Ferrol, Galicia, Spain
    Sunday Dec 4, 1892
    Francisco Franco

    Birth

    Ferrol, Galicia, Spain
    Sunday Dec 4, 1892

    Franco was born on 4 December 1892 at 108 Calle Frutos Saavedra in Ferrol, Galicia.


  • Madrid, Spain
    1897
    Pablo Picasso

    Education

    Madrid, Spain
    1897

    Picasso's father and uncle decided to send the young artist to Madrid's Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, the country's foremost art school. At age 16, Picasso set off for the first time on his own, but he disliked formal instruction and stopped attending classes soon after enrollment.


  • Figueres, Catalonia, Spain
    Wednesday May 11, 1904
    Salvador Dali

    Birth

    Figueres, Catalonia, Spain
    Wednesday May 11, 1904

    Salvador Dalí was born on 11 May 1904, on the first floor of Carrer Monturiol, 20 in the town of Figueres, in the Empordà region, close to the French border in Catalonia, Spain.


  • Ḷḷuarca, Valdés, Asturias, Spain
    Sunday Sep 24, 1905
    Severo Ochoa

    Ochoa's birth

    Ḷḷuarca, Valdés, Asturias, Spain
    Sunday Sep 24, 1905

    Ochoa was born in Luarca (Asturias), Spain. His father was Severo Manuel Ochoa, (who he was named after), a lawyer and businessman,and his mother was Carmen de Albornoz.


  • Toledo, Spain
    1910
    Francisco Franco

    Graduated

    Toledo, Spain
    1910

    In 1907, he entered the Infantry Academy in Toledo, graduating in July 1910 as second lieutenant (251st out of 312 cadets).


  • Spain
    Jun, 1912
    Francisco Franco

    First lieutenant

    Spain
    Jun, 1912

    At 19, Franco was promoted to the rank of first lieutenant in June 1912.


  • Malaga, Spain
    1912
    Severo Ochoa

    Ocha's father death

    Malaga, Spain
    1912

    His father died when Ochoa was seven, and he and his mother moved to Málaga, where he attended elementary school through high school.


  • Figueres, Catalonia, Spain
    1916
    Salvador Dali

    Drawing School

    Figueres, Catalonia, Spain
    1916

    Dalí attended drawing school.


  • Spain
    Saturday Jul 28, 1917
    Spanish Civil War

    Spain was neutral in World War I

    Spain
    Saturday Jul 28, 1917

    Spain was neutral in World War I. Following the war, wide swathes of Spanish society, including the armed forces, united in hopes of removing the corrupt central government, but were unsuccessful. Popular perception of communism as a major threat significantly increased during this period.


  • Madrid, Spain
    May, 1918
    Spanish Flu

    The "Spanish" Flu

    Madrid, Spain
    May, 1918

    The Spanish Flu didn't begin in Spain, however, news inclusion of it did. During World War I, Spain was a neutral country with a free media that secured the story from the beginning, first reporting it from Madrid in late May of 1918. Meanwhile, Allied nations and the Central Powers had wartime sources that covered up the flu news to keep morale high. Since Spanish news sources were the main ones giving a report of influenza, many trusted it started there.


  • Worldwide
    1918
    Spanish Flu

    Struggling Against the Flu

    Worldwide
    1918

    At the point when the 1918 influenza hit, specialists and researchers were uncertain what made it or how to treat it. Unlike today, there were no compelling vaccines or antivirals, medicates that treat seasonal influenza.


  • Malaga, Spain
    1910s
    Severo Ochoa

    Santiago Ramón y Cajal's influence

    Malaga, Spain
    1910s

    Ochoa's interest in biology was stimulated by the publications of the Spanish neurologist and Nobel laureate Santiago Ramón y Cajal.


  • Spain
    Nov, 1918
    Spanish Flu

    Name Origins

    Spain
    Nov, 1918

    The origin of the "Spanish flu" name stems from the pandemic's spread to Spain from France in November 1918. Spain was not involved in the war, having remained neutral, and had not imposed wartime censorship. Newspapers were, therefore, free to report the epidemic's effects, such as the grave illness of King Alfonso XIII, and these widely spread stories created a false impression of Spain as especially hard hit.


  • Worldwide
    1919
    Spanish Flu

    The Flu Endpoint

    Worldwide
    1919

    By the summer of 1919, the Spanish flu pandemic reached its endpoint, as the infected people either died or fought the flu through their immune system.


  • Figueres, Catalonia, Spain
    Sunday Feb 6, 1921
    Salvador Dali

    Mother's Death

    Figueres, Catalonia, Spain
    Sunday Feb 6, 1921

    On 6 February 1921, Dalí's mother died of uterus cancer.


  • Spain
    1923
    Spanish Civil War

    Military coup brought Miguel Primo de Rivera

    Spain
    1923

    In 1923, a military coup brought Miguel Primo de Rivera to power; as a result, Spain transitioned to government by military dictatorship.


  • Madrid, Spain
    1923
    Severo Ochoa

    Joining University of Madrid

    Madrid, Spain
    1923

    In 1923, he went to the University of Madrid Medical School, where he hoped to work with Cajal, but Cajal retired. He studied with father Pedro Arrupe, and Juan Negrín was his teacher.


  • Spain
    Monday Oct 22, 1923
    Francisco Franco

    Marriage

    Spain
    Monday Oct 22, 1923

    On 22 October 1923, Franco married María del Carmen Polo y Martínez-Valdès.


  • Barcelona, Spain
    Saturday Nov 14, 1925
    Salvador Dali

    First Solo Exhibition

    Barcelona, Spain
    Saturday Nov 14, 1925

    Dalí held his first solo exhibition at Galeries Dalmau in Barcelona, from 14 to 27 November 1925.


  • Figueres, Catalonia, Spain
    1926
    Salvador Dali

    Left the academy

    Figueres, Catalonia, Spain
    1926

    Dalí left the Academy in 1926, shortly before his final exams.


  • Madrid, Spain
    1920s
    Severo Ochoa

    Isolating creatinine

    Madrid, Spain
    1920s

    Negrín encouraged Ochoa and another student, José Valdecasas, to isolate creatinine from urine. The two students succeeded and also developed a method to measure small levels of muscle creatinine.


  • Arganda del Rey, Madrid, Spain
    Monday Feb 7, 1927
    Spanish Civil War

    Battle of Jarama

    Arganda del Rey, Madrid, Spain
    Monday Feb 7, 1927

    The consolidation of various militias into the Republican Army had started in December 1936. The main Nationalist advance to cross the Jarama and cut the supply to Madrid by the Valencia road, termed the Battle of Jarama, led to heavy casualties (6,000–20,000) on both sides. The operation's main objective was not met, though Nationalists gained a modest amount of territory.


  • Madrid, Spain
    1927
    Severo Ochoa

    Biochemistry career beginning

    Madrid, Spain
    1927

    During the summer he refined the assay procedure further and upon returning to Spain he and Valdecasas submitted a paper describing the work to the Journal of Biological Chemistry, where it was rapidly accepted, marking the beginning of Ochoa's biochemistry career.


  • Cadaqués, Catalonia, Spain
    Saturday Dec 28, 1929
    Salvador Dali

    Thrown out

    Cadaqués, Catalonia, Spain
    Saturday Dec 28, 1929

    Violently thrown out of his paternal home on 28 December 1929. Dalí's relationship with his father was close to rupture. Don Salvador Dalí y Cusi strongly disapproved of his son's romance with Gala, and saw his connection to the Surrealists as a bad influence on his morals. The final straw was when Don Salvador read in a Barcelona newspaper that his son had recently exhibited in Paris a drawing of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ, with a provocative inscription: "Sometimes, I spit for fun on my mother's portrait". Outraged, Don Salvador demanded that his son recant publicly. Dalí refused, perhaps out of fear of expulsion from the Surrealist group, and was violently thrown out of his paternal home on 28 December 1929. His father told him that he would be disinherited and that he should never set foot in Cadaqués again.


  • Port Lligat, Spain
    1930
    Salvador Dali

    ٍSmall fisherman's cabin

    Port Lligat, Spain
    1930

    The following summer, Dalí and Gala rented a small fisherman's cabin in a nearby bay at Port Lligat. He bought the place, and over the years enlarged it by buying the neighboring fishermen cabins, gradually building his much-beloved villa by the sea. Dalí's father would eventually relent and come to accept his son's companion.


  • Madrid, Spain
    1930
    Severo Ochoa

    MD thesis research

    Madrid, Spain
    1930

    In 1930 Ochoa returned to Madrid to complete research for his MD thesis, which he defended that year, and minted a new MD in 1931.


  • Zaragoza, Spain
    1931
    Francisco Franco

    Director of the Zaragoza Military Academy in 1931

    Zaragoza, Spain
    1931

    Franco was removed as Director of the Zaragoza Military Academy in 1931; about 95% of his former Zaragoza cadets later came to side with him in the Civil War.


  • Spain
    Sunday Apr 12, 1931
    Spanish Civil War

    General Dámaso Berenguer

    Spain
    Sunday Apr 12, 1931

    Support for the Rivera regime gradually faded, and Miguel Primo de Rivera resigned in January 1930. He was replaced by General Dámaso Berenguer, who was in turn himself replaced by Admiral Juan Bautista Aznar-Cabañas; both men continued a policy of rule by decree. There was little support for the monarchy in the major cities. Consequently, King Alfonso XIII gave in to popular pressure for the establishment of a republic in 1931 and called municipal elections for 12 April of that year. The socialist and liberal republicans won almost all the provincial capitals, and following the resignation of Aznar's government, King Alfonso XIII fled the country.


  • Spain
    Tuesday Apr 14, 1931
    Spanish Civil War

    Second Spanish Republic

    Spain
    Tuesday Apr 14, 1931

    At this time, the Second Spanish Republic was formed. It remained in power until the culmination of the Spanish Civil War.


  • Spain
    Apr, 1931
    Spanish Civil War

    The provisional government

    Spain
    Apr, 1931

    The revolutionary committee headed by Niceto Alcalá-Zamora became the provisional government, with Alcalá-Zamora as president and head of state. The republic had broad support from all segments of society.


  • Spain
    May, 1931
    Spanish Civil War

    An Incident

    Spain
    May, 1931

    In May, an incident where a taxi driver was attacked outside a monarchist club sparked anti-clerical violence throughout Madrid and south-west Spain. The government's slow response disillusioned the right and reinforced their view that the Republic was determined to persecute the church.


  • Zaragoza, Spain
    Jun, 1931
    Francisco Franco

    Military Academy closed

    Zaragoza, Spain
    Jun, 1931

    With the fall of the monarchy in 1931, Franco did not take any notable stand. But the closing of the Academy in June by War Minister Manuel Azaña provoked his first clash with the Spanish Republic.


  • Sevilla, Spain
    Jun, 1931
    Spanish Civil War

    the Confederación Nacional del Trabajo

    Sevilla, Spain
    Jun, 1931

    In June and July, the Confederación Nacional del Trabajo, known as the CNT, called several strikes, which led to a violent incident between CNT members and the Civil Guard and a brutal crackdown by the Civil Guard and the army against the CNT in Seville. This led many workers to believe the Spanish Second Republic was just as oppressive as the monarchy, and the CNT announced its intention of overthrowing it via revolution. Elections in June 1931 returned a large majority of Republicans and Socialists.


  • Spain
    Oct, 1931
    Spanish Civil War

    Manuel Azaña became prime minister of a minority government

    Spain
    Oct, 1931

    Republican Manuel Azaña became prime minister of a minority government in October 1931.


  • Spain
    1931
    Spanish Civil War

    Government tried to assist rural Spain by instituting an eight-hour day and redistributing land tenure to farm workers

    Spain
    1931

    With the onset of the Great Depression, the government tried to assist rural Spain by instituting an eight-hour day and redistributing land tenure to farm workers.


  • Spain
    Wednesday Dec 9, 1931
    Spanish Civil War

    Spanish Constitution of 1931

    Spain
    Wednesday Dec 9, 1931

    Fascism remained a reactive threat, helped by controversial reforms to the military. In December, a new reformist, liberal, and democratic constitution was declared. It included strong provisions enforcing a broad secularisation of the Catholic country, which included the abolishing of Catholic schools and charities, which many moderate committed Catholics opposed.


  • Coruña, Spain
    Friday Feb 5, 1932
    Francisco Franco

    Command in a Coruña

    Coruña, Spain
    Friday Feb 5, 1932

    On 5 February 1932, he was given a command in Coruña.


  • Madrid, Spain
    1932
    Severo Ochoa

    Getting married

    Madrid, Spain
    1932

    Ochoa married Carmen García Cobián, he did not have any children.


  • Madrid, Spain
    1933
    Severo Ochoa

    Returning to Madrid

    Madrid, Spain
    1933

    In 1933 the Ochoas returned to Madrid where he began to study glycolysis in heart muscle.


  • Spain
    Sunday Nov 19, 1933
    Spanish Civil War

    1933 Spanish general election

    Spain
    Sunday Nov 19, 1933

    In 1933, the parties of the right won the general elections, largely due to the anarchists' abstention from the vote, increased right-wing resentment of the incumbent government caused by a controversial decree implementing land reform, the Casas Viejas incident, and the formation of a right-wing alliance, Spanish Confederation of Autonomous Right-wing Groups (CEDA). Another factor was the recent enfranchisement of women, most of whom voted for centre-right parties.


  • Spain
    Nov, 1933
    Spanish Civil War

    Black two years

    Spain
    Nov, 1933

    Events in the period after November 1933, called the "black two years", seemed to make a civil war more likely. Alejandro Lerroux of the Radical Republican Party (RRP) formed a government, reversing changes made by the previous administration and granting amnesty to the collaborators of the unsuccessful uprising by General José Sanjurjo in August 1932.


  • Barcelona, Spain
    Friday Oct 5, 1934
    Spanish Civil War

    Azaña was in Barcelona

    Barcelona, Spain
    Friday Oct 5, 1934

    On 5 October 1934, in response to an invitation to CEDA to form part of the government, the Acción Republicana and the Socialists (PSOE) and Communists attempted a general left-wing rebellion. The rebellion had a temporary success in Asturias and Barcelona, but was over in two weeks. Azaña was in Barcelona that day, and the Lerroux-CEDA government tried to implicate him. He was arrested and charged with complicity. The October 1934 rebellion is regarded by historians as the beginning of the decline of the Spanish Republic and of constitutional government and constitutional consensus, as the Socialists and left Republicans had been integral to the new system and had governed for two years, yet the Socialists were now attempting a revolt against the democratic system and the left Republicans provided a sort of passive support for them.


  • Spain
    1934
    Spanish Civil War

    Two government collapses

    Spain
    1934

    In the last months of 1934, two government collapses brought members of the CEDA into the government. Farm workers' wages were cut in half, and the military was purged of Republican members.


  • Spain
    1935
    Spanish Civil War

    Violence against farm-workers and socialists

    Spain
    1935

    Reversals of land reform resulted in the central and southern countryside in 1935 witnessing expulsions, firings and arbitrary changes to working conditions, with landowners' behaviour at times reaching "genuine cruelty", violence against farm-workers and socialists, which caused several deaths. One historian argued that the behaviour of the right in the southern countryside was one of the main causes of hatred during the Civil War and possibly even the Civil War itself.


  • Madrid, Spain
    1935
    Severo Ochoa

    Spanish Civil War

    Madrid, Spain
    1935

    Within two years, he was offered the directorship of the Physiology Section in a newly created Institute for Medical Research at the University of Madrid Medical School. Unfortunately the appointment was made just as the Spanish Civil War erupted. Ochoa decided that trying to perform research in such an environment would destroy forever his "chances of becoming a scientist." Thus, "after much thought, my wife and I decided to leave Spain."


  • Spain
    Jan, 1936
    Spanish Civil War

    Popular front alliance was organised

    Spain
    Jan, 1936

    Landowners taunted workers by saying that if they went hungry, they should "Go eat Republic!" Bosses fired leftist workers and imprisoned trade union and socialist militants, and wages were reduced to "salaries of hunger." A popular front alliance was organised, which narrowly won the 1936 elections.


  • Spain
    1936
    Spanish Civil War

    Various groups of officers got together to begin discussing the prospect of a coup

    Spain
    1936

    Shortly after the Popular Front's election victory, various groups of officers, both active and retired, got together to begin discussing the prospect of a coup. It would be only be by the end of April that General Emilio Mola would emerge as the leader of a national conspiracy network. The Republican government acted to remove suspect generals from influential posts. Franco was sacked as chief of staff and transferred to command of the Canary Islands. Manuel Goded Llopis was removed as inspector general and was made general of the Balearic Islands. Emilio Mola was moved from head of the Army of Africa to military commander of Pamplona in Navarre. This, however, allowed Mola to direct the mainland uprising. General José Sanjurjo became the figurehead of the operation and helped reach an agreement with the Carlists. Mola was chief planner and second in command. José Antonio Primo de Rivera was put in prison in mid-March in order to restrict the Falange. However, government actions were not as thorough as they might have been, and warnings by the Director of Security and other figures were not acted upon.


  • Spain
    Sunday Feb 16, 1936
    Francisco Franco

    Spanish general election, 1936

    Spain
    Sunday Feb 16, 1936

    After the ruling centre-right coalition collapsed amid the Straperlo corruption scandal, new elections were scheduled. Two wide coalitions formed: the Popular Front on the left, ranging from Republican Union to Communists, and the Frente Nacional on the right, ranging from the centre radicals to the conservative Carlists. On 16 February 1936, the left won by a narrow margin.


  • Canary Islands, Spain
    Sunday Feb 23, 1936
    Francisco Franco

    To the Canary Islands

    Canary Islands, Spain
    Sunday Feb 23, 1936

    On 23 February Franco was sent to the Canary Islands to serve as the islands' military commander, an appointment perceived by him as a destierro (banishment).


  • Busdongo de Arbás, León, Spain
    Saturday Mar 28, 1936
    Amancio Ortega

    Birth

    Busdongo de Arbás, León, Spain
    Saturday Mar 28, 1936

    on March 28, 1936, Ortega was born in Busdongo de Arbás, León, Spain, to Antonio Ortega Rodríguez and Josefa Gaona Hernández.


  • Spain
    Apr, 1936
    Spanish Civil War

    April 1936

    Spain
    Apr, 1936

    By April 1936, nearly 100,000 peasants had appropriated 400,000 hectares of land and perhaps as many as 1 million hectares by the start of the civil war; for comparison, the 1931-33 land reform had granted only 6000 peasants 45,000 hectares. As many strikes occurred between April and July as had occurred in the entirety of 1931. Workers increasingly demanded less work and more pay. "Social crimes" - refusing to pay for goods and rent - became increasingly common by workers, particularly in Madrid. In some cases this was done in the company of armed militants. Conservatives, the middle classes, businessmen and landowners became convinced that revolution had already begun.


  • Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
    Jun, 1936
    Francisco Franco

    Discuss starting a military coup

    Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
    Jun, 1936

    In June, Franco was contacted and a secret meeting was held within the forest of La Esperanza on Tenerife to discuss starting a military coup. An obelisk commemorating this historic meeting was erected at the site in a clearing at Las Raíces.


  • Spain
    Friday Jun 12, 1936
    Spanish Civil War

    Prime Minister Casares Quiroga met General Juan Yagüe

    Spain
    Friday Jun 12, 1936

    On 12 June, Prime Minister Casares Quiroga met General Juan Yagüe, who falsely convinced Casares of his loyalty to the republic. Mola began serious planning in the spring. Franco was a key player because of his prestige as a former director of the military academy and as the man who suppressed the Asturian miners' strike of 1934. He was respected in the Army of Africa, the Army's toughest troops. He wrote a cryptic letter to Casares on 23 June, suggesting that the military was disloyal, but could be restrained if he were put in charge. Casares did nothing, failing to arrest or buy off Franco.


  • Spain
    Tuesday Jun 23, 1936
    Francisco Franco

    Offering to quell the discontent in the Spanish Republican Army

    Spain
    Tuesday Jun 23, 1936

    On 23 June 1936, he wrote to the head of the government, Casares Quiroga, offering to quell the discontent in the Spanish Republican Army, but received no reply.


  • Spain
    Jul, 1936
    Adolf Hitler

    Spanish Civil War

    Spain
    Jul, 1936

    Hitler sent troops to Spain to support General Franco during the Spanish Civil War after receiving an appeal for help in July 1936.


  • Spain
    Jul, 1936
    Spanish Civil War

    German involvement began days after fighting broke out

    Spain
    Jul, 1936

    German involvement began days after fighting broke out in July 1936. Adolf Hitler quickly sent in powerful air and armored units to assist the Nationalists. The war provided combat experience with the latest technology for the German military. However, the intervention also posed the risk of escalating into a world war for which Hitler was not ready. Therefore he limited his aid, and instead encouraged Benito Mussolini to send in large Italian units.


  • Canary Islands, Spain
    Saturday Jul 11, 1936
    Spanish Civil War

    From the Canary Islands to Spanish Morocco

    Canary Islands, Spain
    Saturday Jul 11, 1936

    With the help of the British Secret Intelligence Service agents Cecil Bebb and Major Hugh Pollard, the rebels chartered a Dragon Rapide aircraft (paid for with help from Juan March, the wealthiest man in Spain at the time) to transport Franco from the Canary Islands to Spanish Morocco. The plane flew to the Canaries on 11 July, and Franco arrived in Morocco on 19 July.


  • Madrid, Spain
    Sunday Jul 12, 1936
    Spanish Civil War

    Falangists in Madrid killed police officer Lieutenant José Castillo of the Guardia de Asalto

    Madrid, Spain
    Sunday Jul 12, 1936

    On 12 July 1936, Falangists in Madrid killed police officer Lieutenant José Castillo of the Guardia de Asalto (Assault Guard). Castillo was a Socialist party member who, among other activities, was giving military training to the UGT youth. Castillo had led the Assault Guards that violently suppressed the riots after the funeral of Guardia Civil lieutenant Anastasio de los Reyes. (Los Reyes had been shot by anarchists during 14 April military parade commemorating the five years of the Republic.)


  • Spain
    Friday Jul 17, 1936
    Francisco Franco

    Spanish Civil War

    Spain
    Friday Jul 17, 1936

    The Spanish Civil War began in July 1936 and officially ended with Franco's victory in April 1939, leaving 190,000 to 500,000 dead.


  • Spain
    Jul, 1936
    Spanish Civil War

    Casares Quiroga refused an offer of help from the CNT and Unión General de Trabajadores (UGT)

    Spain
    Jul, 1936

    On 18 July, Casares Quiroga refused an offer of help from the CNT and Unión General de Trabajadores (UGT), leading the groups to proclaim a general strike—in effect, mobilising. They opened weapons caches, some buried since the 1934 risings, and formed militias.


  • Seville, Spain
    Monday Jul 20, 1936
    Francisco Franco

    Air bridge to Seville

    Seville, Spain
    Monday Jul 20, 1936

    From 20 July onward Franco was able, with a small group of 22 mainly German Junkers Ju 52 aircraft, to initiate an air bridge to Seville, where his troops helped to ensure the rebel control of the city.


  • Spain
    Jul, 1936
    Spanish Civil War

    The rebels failed to take any major cities

    Spain
    Jul, 1936

    The rebels failed to take any major cities with the critical exception of Seville, which provided a landing point for Franco's African troops, and the primarily conservative and Catholic areas of Old Castile and León, which fell quickly. They took Cádiz with help from the first troops from Africa. The government retained control of Málaga, Jaén, and Almería. In Madrid, the rebels were hemmed into the Cuartel de la Montaña siege, which fell with considerable bloodshed. Republican leader Casares Quiroga was replaced by José Giral, who ordered the distribution of weapons among the civilian population. This facilitated the defeat of the army insurrection in the main industrial centres, including Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia, but it allowed anarchists to take control of Barcelona along with large swathes of Aragón and Catalonia. General Goded surrendered in Barcelona and was later condemned to death. The Republican government ended up controlling almost all the east coast and central area around Madrid, as well as most of Asturias, Cantabria and part of the Basque Country in the north. The government retained control of Málaga, Jaén, and Almería. In Madrid, the rebels were hemmed into the Cuartel de la Montaña siege, which fell with considerable bloodshed. Republican leader Casares Quiroga was replaced by José Giral, who ordered the distribution of weapons among the civilian population.


  • Ferrol, Galicia, Spain
    Tuesday Jul 21, 1936
    Spanish Civil War

    Nationalists captured the central Spanish naval base

    Ferrol, Galicia, Spain
    Tuesday Jul 21, 1936

    On 21 July, the fifth day of the rebellion, the Nationalists captured the central Spanish naval base, located in Ferrol, Galicia.


  • Burgos, Spain
    Friday Jul 24, 1936
    Francisco Franco

    Coordinating junta was established

    Burgos, Spain
    Friday Jul 24, 1936

    From 24 July a coordinating junta was established, based at Burgos. Nominally led by Cabanellas, as the most senior general, it initially included Mola, three other generals, and two colonels; Franco was later added in early August.


  • Spain
    Saturday Jul 25, 1936
    Francisco Franco

    Negotiate with the for more military support

    Spain
    Saturday Jul 25, 1936

    Through representatives, he started to negotiate with the United Kingdom, Germany, and Italy for more military support, and above all for more aircraft. Negotiations were successful with the last two on 25 July.


  • Spain
    Monday Jul 27, 1936
    Spanish Civil War

    French government declared that it would not send military aid

    Spain
    Monday Jul 27, 1936

    In July 1936, British officials convinced Blum (the prime minister) not to send arms to the Republicans and, on 27 July, the French government declared that it would not send military aid, technology or forces to assist the Republican forces. However, Blum made clear that France reserved the right to provide aid should it wish to the Republic: "We could have delivered arms to the Spanish Government [Republicans], a legitimate government... We have not done so, in order not to give an excuse to those who would be tempted to send arms to the rebels [Nationalists]."


  • Spain
    Saturday Aug 1, 1936
    Spanish Civil War

    Pro-Republican rally of 20,000 people confronted Blum

    Spain
    Saturday Aug 1, 1936

    On 1 August 1936, a pro-Republican rally of 20,000 people confronted Blum, demanding that he send aircraft to the Republicans, at the same time as right-wing politicians attacked Blum for supporting the Republic and being responsible for provoking Italian intervention on the side of Franco.


  • Spain
    Friday Aug 7, 1936
    Spanish Civil War

    Blum government provided aircraft to the Republicans

    Spain
    Friday Aug 7, 1936

    However, the Blum government provided aircraft to the Republicans covertly with Potez 540 bomber aircraft (nicknamed the "Flying Coffin" by Spanish Republican pilots), Dewoitine aircraft, and Loire 46 fighter aircraft being sent from 7 August 1936 to December of that year to Republican forces.


  • Spain
    Friday Sep 4, 1936
    Spanish Civil War

    The Republican government under Giral resigned

    Spain
    Friday Sep 4, 1936

    The Republic proved ineffective militarily, relying on disorganised revolutionary militias. The Republican government under Giral resigned on 4 September, unable to cope with the situation, and was replaced by a mostly Socialist organisation under Francisco Largo Caballero. The new leadership began to unify central command in the republican zone.


  • Gipuzkoa, Spain
    Saturday Sep 5, 1936
    Spanish Civil War

    Nationalists closed the French border to the Republicans

    Gipuzkoa, Spain
    Saturday Sep 5, 1936

    On 5 September, the Nationalists closed the French border to the Republicans in the battle of Irún.


  • San Sebastián, Spain
    Tuesday Sep 15, 1936
    Spanish Civil War

    San Sebastián was taken by Nationalist soldiers

    San Sebastián, Spain
    Tuesday Sep 15, 1936

    On 15 September, San Sebastian, home to a divided Republican force of anarchists and Basque nationalists, was taken by Nationalist soldiers.


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