There have been people in what is now Madrid for many years, since pre-historic times in fact, and it is known that during Roman times the area belonged to the diocese of Complutum – the present-day Alcalá de Henares. The city’s name and arrival into in history proper however, comes with the Moorish invasion of the Iberian peninsular. It was during the early period of the occupation in the 9th Century that there are records of Muhammad I ordering the construction of a palace in the site that occupies today’s Palacio Real. The building of the palace led to further development around it including the citadel al-Mudaina. Close to this there was the Manzanares, known to the Moors as al-Majrīṭ, or source of water, which over time and in modern spelling has become Madrid.

The Moors time started to come to an end throughout the peninsular, and in 1085 Alfonso VI of Castile passed through what is now Madrid on his way to capturing Toledo, and took the city, converted the Mosque into the church of the Virgin of Almudena and drove most of the Moors from the area. Moors were allowed t continue living in the city, working on the land around it, until they were expelled at the end of the fifteenth century along with the Jews living in the area. The city had been growing in importance for a number of years, with the Cortes Generals choosing to assemble in the city in 1329 to advise Alfonso XI of Castile. However the city faced internal struggles and a large fire ripped through the place and thus Henry III of Castile (1379–1406) set about rebuilding the city, including building himself a fortified area outside the main part of the city in El Pardo.

Renaissance Period

Spain was formed by bringing together the Kingdom of Castile, with its capital at Toledo and the Crown of Aragon, which had capital at Zaragoza by the merging of the two Catholic Monarchs Queen Isabella of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon; their grand entry into Madrid was seen as the ending of strife for the war-wary peninsular.

It was their Great Grandson, Philip II (1527–1598) son of grandson Charles I of Spain (also known as Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor) who brought Madrid into greater prominence as he favoured it over Seville, and though he let the southern city continue to be the most important place for commerce with the colonies, he moved the court to Madrid and spent more time there. Thus, even though there was not an official announcement or declaration, Madrid became the de facto capital of Spain, controlling what was happening in Seville.

From 19th Century Onwards

Isabella II ruled the country in the late 1800s and the build up of tension against her rule could not be repressed and thus there was a revolt leading to the First Spanish Republic. However, this did not last too long, and Madrid was the site of the return to Monarchy and the Second Spanish Republic before the rise to power of the fascists and the Spanish Civil War. During the war the streets of Madrid became a battle ground and its residents suffered much between 1936 and 1939. The city was known as a stronghold for the Republicans and thus has the unfortunate distinction of being the first city bombed by airplanes, with the specific targeting of civilians. The civil war eventually won by the forces of the fascist dictator Francisco Franco, who set about industrialising large parts of the country, bringing more people into the cities and swelling the size of Madrid.

After Franco’s death, Juan Carlos I succeeded him as ruler of the country and took to the throne in a bid to make a compromise between the different fractions in the emerging Spanish democracy. Madrid became the seat of the King and Spain entered its current life as a constitutional monarchy. Since then Madrid has grown in importance and wealth, becoming one of the most important cities on the Iberian peninsular and Europe as a whole. It is currently an important place for studying, working and technological development.