History of Mallorca
Long before the tourists arrived, pre-historic man wandered across Mallorca and ruins can still be found today dating to this period. Phoenician traders made regular calls to the ports of the Balearic Islands, followed by the Carthaginians, who founded Ibiza city in 654 BC, and made it one of the Mediterranean’s foremost trading ports. The Romans also came, conquered by the Visigoths, who in turn succumbed to the might of the Moors, who invaded the islands in the eighth century. Dominating the islands for more than three centuries, the Moors left a lasting legacy which can be seen today in the appearance and customs of the local people, in their local dress and in much of the islands’ architecture. Like the rest of Spain, the Balearics, Mallorca included, were conquered by the Christians and in the thirteenth century they became Catalan colonies and important trading centres. This did not last long though and for close to the remainder of the millennium the islands suffered, sporadically suffering invasion by foreign forces, among them the British who were granted Menorca along with Gibraltar in 1713 (British rule lasted until 1802).
Mallorca is the largest of the Balearic Islands (3640 sq km) and it was here that the first tourist flight arrived in the 1950’s. Firmly back in Spanish hands, the islands were once again discovered and since then have become one of the premier tourist destinations in Europe. Property in Mallorca ranges from beachside apartments, country villas, traditional village houses and sumptuous mansions.
What now?
Click here to read about the geography of Mallorca.
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