Palma History

A CITY’S HISTORY SHAPED BY INVADERS, CONQUERORS AND PIRATES

Whilst strolling around Palma always

remember to look up to admire the ornate “miradors” (covered balconies) overlooking the narrow cobbled streets, and the intricate detailing on the wooden eaves of the historic “palacios” and manor houses. The wealth of architecture, from Gothic to Modernist, monuments and ancient city walls are all testimony to Palma’s rich history.

The island’s geographical position,

in the western Mediterranean, has made it a natural landfall and an attractive base for invaders and conquerors and Palma’s location beside the sea has made the city an important point of entry and a bustling trading port over the centuries.

The worst scourge was the

Barbary pirates, so called because they came from the area where the Berbers lived, now Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya. Their attacks reached a peak in the seventeenth century, although they were active from the sixteenth to the mid-nineteenth century. Traces of their raids can be seen in the many watchtowers that were built along the island’s coastline and in the celebrations that are held throughout the year in locations such as Sóller, Pollença, Sant Elm and Valldemossa, where colourful historic episodes from the fight against the pirates are re-enacted. It is no wonder they are remembered, given that their atrocities shocked Mallorca’s inhabitants deeply. The main purpose of their attacks was to capture women and children to sell as slaves or to kidnap for a ransom. Men who were not taken captive were beheaded. This “economic activity” was considered a type of Holy War and did not contravene the Quran, which permits slavery. Interestingly, many of these pirates were Christian captives who had converted to Islam or Muslims who had been forced to convert to Christianity and were then expelled from Spain. The Romans founded Palmeria in 123 BC and established its port trading in Tyrian purple, olive oil, wine, onions and snails, as well as other products. The city’s name changed to Medina Mayurqa with the arrival of the Moors in AD 902 who had a profound influence on the island’s architecture, culture, and customs. Today, we can still enjoy the shady gardens below the Almudaina Palace with its fountains and pergolas arranged in typical symmetric style, and a visit to the remains of the Arab Baths offers a glimpse of daily life during that period. The end of the Arab period came with the conquest that James I of Aragon embarked upon at the age of just 21. His army landed at Santa Ponsa on 10 September 1229, after a bloody battle it took Palma on 31 December 1229 and two years later conquered the entire island (1231).

King James I renamed the city Ciutat

de Mallorca, and declared it the capital of the Kingdom of Mallorca. In thanksgiving for his successful conquest, he laid the cornerstone for Palma’s famous Gothic Cathedral “La Seu”, still the most recognisable landmark on Mallorca. With the Christian monarchs, the city prospered and many of its famous monuments were constructed during this time, while its wealth also made it a prime target for attack by pirates.

Mallorca’s coastline meant it was

impossible to fortify everywhere and so a ring of observation towers was built at strategic points. Watchmen kept a lookout for suspicious ships and warned the villagers and the military by lighting a series of bonfires in a clockwise or anti-clockwise direction, from tower to tower around the island until the warning reached the Angel Tower on the Almudaina Palace in Palma.

The Spanish War of Independence (18081814) led to a significant increase in Palma’s population as refugees arrived from the mainland and abroad, making the city a very lively place. In 1833, under the territorial division of Spain, the city was officially named Palma de Mallorca and declared the capital of the Balearic Islands. Trade flourished, especially with the exportation of wine to the Spanish mainland and France.

After the Spanish Civil War and by the early 1950’s the island’s new “conquistadors” were tourists. Recognising Mallorca’s potential for tourism, a major investment was made with the opening of the International Son Sant Joan Airport in 1960 just 8 km from the city centre.

Since those early days of

tourism, Palma has emerged as an elegant Mediterranean city and a destination in its own right offering culture, sophistication, stylish hotels, restaurants, café society, designer shopping, and nightlife. Its ancient walls may have witnessed many battles, conquerors and pirates and although they are all long gone, their legacy to this fascinating city remains.