Editing Valencia (section)

==History==
{{main|History of Valencia}}
{{For timeline}}

===Roman colony===
[[File:Museu d'Història de València, detall del mosaic de la Medusa.jpg|thumb|right|Detail of 2nd-century Roman mosaic found in the city]]

Valencia is one of the oldest cities in Spain, founded in the Roman period {{Circa|138 BC}} as ''Valentia Edetanorum''.<ref name="Law1999">{{cite book|author=Gwillim Law|title=Administrative Subdivisions of Countries: A Comprehensive World Reference, 1900 through 1998|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nXCeCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA340|year=1999|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-1-4766-0447-3|page=340}}</ref> A few centuries later, with the power vacuum left by the demise of the Roman imperial administration, the [[Catholic Church]] assumed power in the city, coinciding with the first waves of the invading Germanic peoples ([[Suebi]], [[Vandals]], [[Alans]], and later [[Visigoths]]).

===Middle Ages===
After the fall of the [[Western Roman Empire]], Valencia became part of the [[Visigothic Kingdom]] from 546 to 711 AD.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Valentia (138 a.c. - 711) {{!}} Museu d'Història de València |url=https://mhv.valencia.es/es/historia-viva/valentia-138-ac-711 |access-date=2024-04-20 |website=mhv.valencia.es |archive-date=20 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240420094735/https://mhv.valencia.es/es/historia-viva/valentia-138-ac-711 |url-status=live }}</ref> The city surrendered to the invading [[Moors]] about 714 AD.<ref name="Sanz2003">{{cite book |author=Coscollá Sanz, Vicente |title=La Valencia musulmana |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZxclI2EHjrMC&pg=PA16 |year=2003 |publisher=Carena Editors, S. L. |isbn=978-84-87398-75-9 |page=16 |access-date=14 November 2015 |archive-date=27 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160427145425/https://books.google.com/books?id=ZxclI2EHjrMC&pg=PA16 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Abd al-Rahman I]] laid waste to old Valencia by 788–789.{{Sfn|Torró|2009|p=159}} From then on, the name of Valencia (Arabised as ''Balansiya'') appears more related to the wider area than to the city, which is primarily cited as ''Madînat al-Turâb'' ('city of earth' or 'sand') and presumably had diminished importance throughout the period.{{Sfn|Torró|2009|p=160}} During the emiral period, the surrounding territory, under the ascendancy of Berber chieftains, was prone to unruliness.{{Sfn|Torró|2009|p=161}} In the wake of the start of the [[fitna of al-Andalus]], Valencia became the head of an independent emirate, the [[Taifa of Valencia]].{{Sfn|Torró|2009|p=163}} It was initially controlled by [[eunuch]]s,{{Sfn|Torró|2009|p=163}} and then, after 1021, by Abd al-Azîz (a grandson of [[Almanzor]]).{{Sfn|Torró|2009|pp=164–165}} Valencia experienced notable urban development in this period.{{Sfn|Torró|2009|p=165}} Many Jews lived in Valencia, including the accomplished Jewish poet and philosopher [[Solomon ibn Gabirol]], who spent his last years in the city.<ref name=Angel>Saénz-Badillos, Ángel. "Valencia". IN: ''Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World'', Executive Editor Norman A. Stillman. First published online: 2010.</ref> After a damaging offensive by Castilian–Leonese forces towards 1065, the territory became a satellite of the [[Taifa of Toledo]], and following the fall of the latter in 1085, a protectorate of "[[El Cid]]". A revolt erupted in 1092, handing the city to the [[Almoravid dynasty|Almoravids]] and forcing El Cid to [[Siege of Valencia (1092–1094)|take the city by force]] in 1094, henceforth establishing [[Lordship of Valencia|his own principality]].{{Sfn|Torró|2009|pp=166–167}}

Following the evacuation of the city in 1102, the Almoravids took control. As the Almoravid empire crumbled in the mid 12th-century, [[Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Saʿd ibn Mardanīsh|ibn Mardanīsh]] took control of eastern al-Andalus, creating a Murcia-centred independent emirate to which Valencia belonged, resisting the [[Almohad Caliphate|Almohads]] until 1172.{{Sfn|Torró|2009|p=168}} During the Almohad rule, the city perhaps had a population of about 20,000.{{Sfn|Torró|2009|p=169}} When the city fell to [[James I of Aragon]], the Jewish population constituted about 7 per cent of the total population.<ref name=Angel/>

[[File:Plat àrab València.jpg|thumb|12th-century Arab dish]]
In 1238,<ref name="Guichard2001">{{cite book |author=Guichard, Pierre |title=Al-Andalus frente a la conquista cristiana: los musulmanes de Valencia, siglos XI-XIII |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0vrzEdzdOMUC&pg=PA176 |year=2001 |publisher=Universitat de València |isbn=978-84-7030-852-9 |page=176 |access-date=14 November 2015 |archive-date=29 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160529095118/https://books.google.com/books?id=0vrzEdzdOMUC&pg=PA176 |url-status=live}}</ref> King James I of Aragon, with an army composed of [[Aragonese people|Aragonese]], [[Catalans]], Navarrese, and crusaders from the [[Order of Calatrava]], laid siege to Valencia and on 28 September [[Conquest of Valencia (1238)|obtained a surrender]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}} Fifty thousand Moors were forced to leave.{{citation needed|date=September 2021}} The Jews of Valencia were afforded a quarter for residence in 1239, which was surrounded by a high wall in 1390. The quarter had three gates, all of which were closed at night; the Jewish cemetery was permitted just beyond 'the Jew's Gate', the ''Portal dels Jueues''.<ref>[https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/14628-valencia ''Jewish Encyclopedia''.]</ref>

Valencia endured serious troubles in the mid-14th century, including the decimation of the population by the [[Black Death|Black Death of 1348]] and subsequent years of epidemics—as well as the series of wars and riots that followed.

In 1391, there was a [[pogrom]] on the Jewish Quarter of Valencia, which became known as the [[Massacre of 1391]]. The violence against Jews had begun by Catholic mobs in Seville, then spread to all of Castile and on to the Crown of Aragon, which included Valencia. Although the royal guards tried to protect the Jews, thousands were murdered and those who survived were forced to convert. The Jewish quarter was destroyed.<ref name=Angel/>

By the late 14th century, [[Republic of Genoa|Genoese]] traders promoted the expansion of the cultivation of [[Morus alba|white mulberry]] in the area and later introduced innovative [[silk]] manufacturing techniques. Valencia became a centre of mulberry production and was, for a time, a major silk-producing centre.<ref name=silk>{{Cite web |url=https://www.uv.es/vlc-ruta-seda/es/blog-ruta-seda/blog-ruta-seda-1285971056578/GasetaRecerca.html?id=1285971184937 |publisher=[[University of Valencia|Universitat de València]] |title=La influencia de la seda en la historia y la cultura valenciana |date=7 June 2016 |first=Ricardo |last=Franch Benavent |access-date=20 July 2020 |archive-date=10 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410155213/https://www.uv.es/vlc-ruta-seda/es/blog-ruta-seda/blog-ruta-seda-1285971056578/GasetaRecerca.html?id=1285971184937 |url-status=live}}</ref> The Genoese community in Valencia—merchants, artisans and workers—became, along with Seville's, one of the most important in the Iberian Peninsula.{{sfn|Navarro Espinach|1994|pp=223–224}}

In 1407, following the model of the Barcelona institution created some years before, a ''[[Taula de canvi]]'' (a municipal public bank) was created in Valencia, although its first iteration yielded limited success.<ref>{{Cite journal |url=https://revistas.um.es/medievalismo/article/view/407021/274671 |pages=318–319 |publisher=[[University of Murcia|Editum]] |location=Murcia |issue=29 |year=2019 |journal=Medievalismo |title=La estructura del primer banco público de Europa: la Taula de Canvi de Barcelona (siglo XV) |first=Laura |last=Miquel Milian |issn=1131-8155 |doi=10.6018/medievalismo.407021 |s2cid=213263696 |doi-access=free |access-date=4 June 2022 |archive-date=7 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230307042248/https://revistas.um.es/medievalismo/article/view/407021/274671 |url-status=live |hdl=10201/93080 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

The 15th century was a time of economic expansion, known as the Valencian Golden Age, during which culture and the arts flourished. Concurrent population growth made Valencia the most populous city in the Crown of Aragon.{{cn|date=February 2025}} Some of the city's landmark buildings were built during the Late Middle Ages, including the [[Torres de Serranos|Serranos Towers]], the [[Lonja de la Seda|Silk Exchange]], the [[Miguelete Tower]], and the Chapel of the Kings of the Convent of Sant Domènec. In painting and sculpture, [[Flemish people|Flemish]] and Italian trends had an influence on Valencian artists.

Valencia became a major [[History of slavery|slave trade]] centre in the 15th century, second only to [[Lisbon]] in the West,{{Sfn|González Arévalo|2019|p=17}} prompting a Lisbon–[[Seville]]–Valencia axis by the second half of the century powered by the incipient Portuguese slave trade originating in [[West Africa]].{{Sfn|González Arévalo|2019|p=19}} By the end of the 15th century Valencia was one of the largest European cities, being the most populated city in the Hispanic Monarchy and second to Lisbon in the Iberian Peninsula.{{Sfn|Santamaría|1992|p=373}}

Valencia also became one of the major ports of embarkation for Jews who left after the [[Expulsion of Jews from Spain|expulsion from Spain]] in 1492, [[Isaac ben Yehudah Abrabanel]] and his family among them, by special permission granted to him by King Ferdinand.{{cn|date=February 2025}}

=== Modern history ===
Following the death of [[Ferdinand II of Aragon|Ferdinand II]] in 1516, the nobiliary estate challenged the Crown amid the relative void of power.{{Sfn|Pérez García|2019}} In 1519, the ''Taula de Canvis'' was recreated again, known as ''Nova Taula''.<ref>{{Cite journal |url=https://revistas.um.es/rcsar/article/view/385751/266291 |publisher=[[University of Murcia|Editum]] |location=Murcia |journal=Revista de Contabilidad |volume=3 |issue=6 |year=2000 |issn=1138-4891 |title=Los contables de la ''Taula de Canvis'' de Valencia (1519-1649). Su formación teórica y práctica |first=Francisco |last=Mayordomo García-Chicote |access-date=4 June 2022 |archive-date=4 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220604171031/https://revistas.um.es/rcsar/article/view/385751/266291 |url-status=live }}</ref> The nobles earned the rejection from the people of Valencia, and the whole kingdom was plunged into the [[Revolt of the Brotherhoods]] and full-blown civil war between 1521 and 1522.{{Sfn|Pérez García|2019}} Muslim vassals were forced to convert in 1526 at the behest of [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles V]].{{Sfn|Pérez García|2019}}

Urban and rural delinquency—linked to phenomena such as [[vagrancy]], [[gambling]], [[larceny]], [[Procuring (prostitution)|pimping]] and false begging—as well as the nobiliary banditry consisting of the revenges and rivalries between the aristocratic families flourished in Valencia during the 16th century.{{Sfn|García Martínez|1972|pp=85–86}} Furthermore, [[Barbary pirates|North African piracy]] targeted the whole coastline of the [[kingdom of Valencia]], forcing the fortification of sites.{{Sfn|García Martínez|1972|p=88}} By the late 1520s, the intensification of Barbary [[Corsairs of Algiers|corsair]] activity along with domestic conflicts and the emergence of the Atlantic Ocean in detriment of the Mediterranean in global trade networks put an end to the economic splendor of the city.{{Sfn|Franch Benavent|2008|p=84}} This piracy also paved the way for the ensuing development of Christian piracy, that had Valencia as one of its main bases in the Iberian Mediterranean.{{Sfn|García Martínez|1972|p=88}} The Berber threat—initially with [[Ottoman empire|Ottoman]] support—generated great insecurity on the coast, and it would not be substantially reduced until the 1580s.{{Sfn|García Martínez|1972|p=88}}

[[File:València el 1563, per Anton van den Wyngaerde.jpg|thumb|center|upright=1.8|View of Valencia by [[Anton van den Wyngaerde]] (1563)]]
[[File:Embarco moriscos en el Grao de valencia.jpg|thumb|Expulsion of the Moriscos from Valencia Grau by Pere Oromig (1616)]]
The crisis deepened during the 17th century with the 1609 expulsion of the [[Morisco]]s, descendants of the Muslim population that had converted to Christianity. The Spanish government systematically forced Moriscos to leave the kingdom for Muslim North Africa. They were concentrated in the former [[Crown of Aragon]], and in the [[Kingdom of Valencia]] specifically, and constituted roughly a third of the total population.<ref>{{cite book |last=Meyerson |first=Mark D. |title=The Muslims of Valencia in the Age of Fernando and Isabel: between Coexistence and Crusade |publisher=University of California Press |location=Berkeley, California |date=1991 |isbn=978-0-520-06888-9 |page=14}}</ref> The expulsion caused the financial ruin of some of the Valencian nobility and the bankruptcy of the ''Taula de canvi'' in 1613.{{cn|date=February 2025}}

The decline of the city reached its nadir with the [[War of the Spanish Succession]] (1702–1709), marking the end of the political and legal independence of the [[Kingdom of Valencia]]. During the [[War of the Spanish Succession]], Valencia sided with the [[House of Habsburg|Habsburg]] ruler of the [[Holy Roman Empire]], [[Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles of Austria]]. King Charles vowed to protect the laws (''[[Furs of Valencia|Furs]]'') of the [[Kingdom of Valencia]], which gained him the sympathy of a wide sector of the Valencian population. On 24 January 1706, after having ridden south from Barcelona, [[Charles Mordaunt, 3rd Earl of Peterborough]], led a handful of English cavalrymen into the city and captured the nearby fortress at [[Sagunto|Sagunt]], bluffing the Spanish Bourbon army into withdrawal.{{cn|date=February 2025}}

The English held the city for 16 months, defeating several attempts to expel them. After the victory of the Bourbons at the [[Battle of Almansa]] on 25 April 1707, the English army evacuated Valencia and [[Philip V of Spain|Philip V]] ordered the repeal of the Furs of Valencia as punishment for the kingdom's support of Charles of Austria.<ref>{{cite book |last=Norwich |first=John Jules |title=The Middle Sea. A History of the Mediterranean |year=2007 |publisher=Chatto & Windus |location=London |isbn=978-0-7011-7608-2}}</ref> By the [[Nueva Planta decrees]], the ancient [[Furs of Valencia|Charters of Valencia]] were abolished and the city was governed by the Castilian Charter, similarly to other places in the Crown of Aragon.

The Valencian economy recovered during the 18th century with the rising manufacture of woven silk and ceramic tiles. The silk industry boomed during this century, with Valencia replacing [[Toledo, Spain|Toledo]] as the centre of silk-manufacturing in Spain.<ref name=silk /> The Palau de Justícia is an example of the affluence manifested in the most prosperous times of Bourbon rule (1758–1802) during the rule of Charles III. The 18th century was the [[Age of Enlightenment]] in Europe and, in Valencia, its humanistic ideals influenced men such as [[Gregorio Mayans]] and [[Francisco Pérez Bayer]], who maintained correspondence with the leading French and German thinkers of the time.{{cn|date=February 2025}}

====Peninsular War====
{{main|Peninsular War}}
The 19th century began with Spain embroiled in wars with France, Portugal, and England—but the Peninsular War (also known as the Spanish War of Independence) affected the Valencian territories and the capital city. The repercussions of the French Revolution were still being felt when Napoleon's armies invaded the Iberian Peninsula. The Valencian people rose up in arms against them on 23 May 1808, inspired by leaders such as Vicent Doménech el Palleter.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}}

The mutineers seized the Citadel, the [[Supreme Junta]] government took over, and on 26–28 June, Napoleon's Marshal [[Bon-Adrien Jeannot de Moncey|Moncey]] attacked the city with a column of 9,000 French [[Grande Armée]] troops at the first [[Battle of Valencia (1808)|Battle of Valencia]]. He failed to take the city in two assaults and retreated to Madrid. Marshal [[Louis-Gabriel Suchet|Suchet]] began a long siege of the city in October 1811, and after intense bombardment forced it to surrender on 8 January 1812. After the capitulation, the French instituted reforms in Valencia, which became the capital of Spain when the [[Bonapartism|Bonapartist]] king, [[Joseph Bonaparte|José I]] (Napoleon's elder brother), moved the Court there in the middle of 1812. The disaster of the [[Battle of Vitoria]] on 21 June 1813 obliged Suchet to quit Valencia, and the French troops withdrew in July.{{cn|date=February 2025}}

====Post-war====
[[File:València el 1832, per A. Guesdon.jpg|thumb|right|Valencia in 1832 by French lithographer [[Guesdon|Alfred Guesdon]]]]
[[Ferdinand VII of Spain|Ferdinand VII]] returned to the throne at end of the Peninsular War, which freed Spain from Napoleonic domination. On his return, on 24 March 1814 from exile in France, the Cortes requested that he respect the liberal Constitution of 1812, which significantly limited royal powers. Ferdinand refused and went to Valencia instead of Madrid. Here, on 17 April, [[Francisco Javier de Elío|General Elio]] invited the King to reclaim his absolute rights and put his troops at the King's disposition. The king abolished the [[Spanish Constitution of 1812|Constitution of 1812]] and dissolved the two chambers of the Spanish Parliament on 10 May. Thus began six years (1814–1820) of absolutist rule, but the constitution was reinstated during the [[Trienio Liberal]], a period of three years of liberal government in Spain from 1820 to 1823.

On King Ferdinand VII's death in 1833, [[Baldomero Espartero]] became one of the most ardent defenders of the hereditary rights of the king's daughter, the future [[Isabella II of Spain|Isabella II]]. During the regency of [[Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies|Maria Cristina]], Espartero ruled Spain for two years as its 18th prime minister from 16 September 1840 to 21 May 1841. City life in Valencia carried on in a revolutionary climate, with frequent clashes between liberals and republicans.{{cn|date=February 2025}}

[[File:Inauguración de los trabajos del derribo de las murallas en Valencia.jpg|thumb|The start of demolition work on the walls of the city in 1865]]
The reign of Isabella II as an adult (1843–1868) was a period of relative stability and growth for Valencia. During the second half of the 19th century the bourgeoisie encouraged the development of the city and its environs; landowners were enriched by the introduction of the orange crop and the expansion of vineyards and other crops. This economic boom corresponded with a revival of local traditions and of the [[Valencian language|Valencian]] language, which had been ruthlessly suppressed from the time of Philip V.{{cn|date=February 2025}}

Work to demolish the walls of the old city started on 20 February 1865.<ref name=murallas>{{Cite web |date=8 December 2006 |first=Daniel |last=Sala |title=La demolición de las murallas de la ciudad |url=https://www.lasprovincias.es/valencia/prensa/20061208/ocio/demolicion-murallas-ciudad_20061208.html |website=[[Las Provincias]] |access-date=20 July 2020 |archive-date=22 December 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091222142613/http://www.lasprovincias.es/valencia/prensa/20061208/ocio/demolicion-murallas-ciudad_20061208.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The demolition of the citadel ended after the [[Glorious Revolution (Spain)|1868 Glorious Revolution]].<ref name=murallas />

During the [[Cantonal rebellion]] in 1873, Valencia was the capital of the short-lived [[Valencian Canton]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Casals Bergés |first=Quintí |date=2022 |title=El Cantonalismo (1873): Notas para un estudio comparado |url=https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=8726311 |journal=Aportes: Revista de historia contemporánea |volume=37 |issue=110 |pages=59–101 |issn=0213-5868 |access-date=8 October 2023 |archive-date=12 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231012113805/https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=8726311 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Following the introduction of [[universal manhood suffrage]] in the late 19th century, the political landscape in Valencia—until then consisting of the bipartisanship characteristic of the early [[Restoration (Spain)|Restoration period]]—experienced a change, leading to a growth of [[Republicanism in Spain|republican forces]], gathered around the emerging figure of [[Vicente Blasco Ibáñez]].{{Sfn|Aguiló Lúcia|1992|pp=61–62}} Not unlike the equally republican [[Lerrouxism]], the Populist {{ill|Blasquism|es|Blasquismo|lt=}} came to mobilize the Valencian masses by promoting [[Anti-clericalism|anticlericalism]].{{Sfn|Suárez Cortina|2011|p=28}} Meanwhile, in reaction, the right-wing coalesced around several initiatives such as the Catholic League or the reformulation of Valencian [[Carlism]], and [[Valencianism]] did similarly with organizations such as Valencia Nova or the Unió Valencianista.{{Sfn|Aguiló Lúcia|1992|p=62}}

===20th century===
[[File:Baldomer Gili Roig. El Palmar (La Albufera de València), c. 1915 (2).jpg|thumb|right|Women working at the Albufera ({{circa|1915}})]]
[[File:Bombardeo sobre la estación del Norte en Valencia.jpg|thumb|right|Bombing of the city by the Italian ''[[Aviazione Legionaria]]'' (1937) during the Spanish Civil War]]
In the early 20th century, Valencia was an industrialised city. Although the silk industry had disappeared, there was a large production of hides and skins, wood, metals, and foodstuffs, the latter with substantial exports, particularly of wine and citrus. Small businesses predominated, but with the rapid mechanisation of the industry, larger companies were being formed. The best expression of this dynamic was in regional exhibitions, including that of 1909 held next to the ''L'Albereda'' (''Paseo de la Alameda''), which depicted the progress of agriculture and industry. Among the most architecturally successful buildings of the era were those designed in the [[Art Nouveau]] style, such as the [[Estació del Nord (Valencia)|Estació del Nord]] and the Central and Columbus markets.{{cn|date=February 2025}}

[[World War I]] (1914–1918) greatly affected the Valencian economy, causing the collapse of its citrus exports. The [[Second Spanish Republic]] (1931–1939) opened the way for democratic participation and the increased politicisation of citizens, especially in response to the rise of Conservative Front power in 1933. The inevitable march toward civil war and combat in Madrid resulted in the relocation of the capital of the Republic to Valencia.{{cn|date=February 2025}}

After the continuous unsuccessful [[Francoist Spain|Francoist]] offensive on besieged Madrid during the [[Spanish Civil War]], Valencia temporarily became the capital of Republican Spain on 6 November 1936. It hosted the government until 31 October 1937.<ref>{{citation |url=https://elpais.com/ccaa/2015/11/16/valencia/1447694968_672284.html |title=Valencia, capital de la Segunda República española |work=[[El País]] |author=Cristina Vázquez |date=16 November 2015 |access-date=17 April 2018 |archive-date=18 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180418032348/https://elpais.com/ccaa/2015/11/16/valencia/1447694968_672284.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Francoist Spain ====
During the [[Spanish Civil War]], Valencia was heavily bombarded by air and sea, mainly by the [[Fascist Italy (1922–1943)|Fascist Italian]] air force, as well as the Francoist air force with [[Nazi Germany|Nazi German]] support. By the end of the war, the city had survived 442 bombardments, leaving 2,831 dead and 847 wounded, although it is estimated that the death toll was higher. The Republican government moved to Barcelona on 31 October of that year. On 30 March 1939, Valencia surrendered and Nationalist Spanish troops entered the city.{{cn|date=February 2025}}

The postwar years were a time of hardship for Valencians. During Franco's regime, speaking or teaching [[Valencian language|Valencian]] was prohibited; in a significant reversal, it is now compulsory for every schoolchild in Valencia. Franco's dictatorship forbade political parties and began a harsh ideological and cultural repression countenanced and sometimes led by the Catholic Church. During Franco's regime some leading Valencian intellectuals, such as [[Juan Peset]], [[Rector (academia)|rector]] of [[University of Valencia]], were executed and many of them, including [[Josep Renau]] and [[Max Aub]], went into exile.{{cn|date=February 2025}}

[[File:Historia30-valencia - Valencia anegada por la riada de 1957.jpg|thumb|right|Image of the 1957 flood]]
[[File:Barraques de Beniparrell abans de la Gran Riuada de València (País Valencià, 1957).jpg|thumb|Valencian houses following the Valencia flood of 1957]]
In 1943, Franco decreed the exclusivity of Valencia and Barcelona for the celebration of international [[fair]]s in Spain.<ref name=ventoso>{{Cite web |url=https://www.abc.es/espana/20140210/abci-como-cataluna-volvio-rica-201402100444.html |website=[[ABC (Spain)|ABC]] |title=De cómo Cataluña se volvió rica y Galicia, pobre |date=11 February 2014 |first=Luis |last=Ventoso |access-date=20 July 2020 |archive-date=28 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200828171157/https://www.abc.es/espana/20140210/abci-como-cataluna-volvio-rica-201402100444.html |url-status=live}}</ref> These two cities would hold the monopoly on international fairs for more than three decades, until the rule's abolishment in 1979 by the government of [[Adolfo Suárez]].<ref name=ventoso /> In October 1957, [[1957 Valencia flood|a flood]] from the Turia river resulted in 81 casualties and extensive property damage.<ref name=levante>{{Cite web |url=https://www.levante-emv.com/valencia/2017/10/04/riada-57-valencia-aniversario-60-anos/1623886.html |first=Sara |last=Cañada Guillen |website=[[Levante-EMV]] |date=4 October 2017 |title=Riada de 1957 en València: Se cumplen 60 años |access-date=15 June 2020 |archive-date=15 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200615211323/https://www.levante-emv.com/valencia/2017/10/04/riada-57-valencia-aniversario-60-anos/1623886.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The disaster led to the remodelling of the city and the creation of a new river bed for the Turia, with the old one becoming one of the city's "green lungs".<ref name=levante /> The economy began to recover in the early 1960s, and the city experienced explosive population growth through immigration spurred by jobs created with the implementation of major urban projects and infrastructure improvements.

==== Post-Franco ====
With the [[Spanish transition to democracy|advent of democracy]] in Spain, the ancient kingdom of Valencia was established as a new autonomous entity, the [[Valencian Community]], the Statute of Autonomy of 1982 designating Valencia as its capital. Valencia has since then experienced a surge in its cultural development, exemplified by exhibitions and performances at such iconic institutions as the ''Palau de la Música'', the ''Palacio de Congresos'', the Metro, the [[City of Arts and Sciences]] ''(Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències)'', the Valencian Museum of Enlightenment and Modernity ''(Museo Valenciano de la Ilustracion y la Modernidad)'', and the Institute of Modern Art ''(Institut Valencià d'Art Modern)''. The various productions of [[Santiago Calatrava]], a renowned structural engineer, architect, and sculptor and of the architect [[Félix Candela]] have contributed to Valencia's international reputation. In 1983 the statue of Francisco Franco in ''Plaza del [[Caudillo]]'' was torn down and the plaza renamed ''[[Plaza del Ayuntamiento]]''. Some time after, the bronze statue ''La Paz y la Concordancia'' by José Puche was erected in ''[[Plaza de la Reina]]'' and dedicated to victims of terrorism. These public works and the ongoing rehabilitation of the "Old City" ''(Ciutat Vella)'' have helped improve the city's livability, and tourism is continually increasing.

===21st century===
[[File:Valencia - panoramio (7).jpg|thumb|right|Modern developments in the Penya-Roja neighborhood]]

On 3 July 2006, a major mass transit disaster, the [[Valencia Metro derailment]], left 43 dead and 47 wounded.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.lasexta.com/programas/salvados/noticias/accidente-metro-valencia-historia-tragedia-silenciada_2013042957278f764beb28d44602f8b7.html |date=29 April 2013 |title=43 muertos, 47 heridos y 0 responsables: el accidente de metro de Valencia es la historia de una tragedia silenciada |website=[[LaSexta]] |access-date=15 June 2020 |archive-date=15 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200615213018/https://www.lasexta.com/programas/salvados/noticias/accidente-metro-valencia-historia-tragedia-silenciada_2013042957278f764beb28d44602f8b7.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Days later, on 9 July, the World Day of Families, during Mass at Valencia's Cathedral, Our Lady of the Forsaken Basilica, [[Pope Benedict XVI]] used the ''Sant Calze'', a 1st-century Middle-Eastern artifact that some Catholics believe is the [[Holy Grail]].{{efn|It was supposedly brought to that church by [[Valerian (emperor)|Emperor Valerian]] in the 3rd century, after having been brought by [[Saint Peter|St. Peter]] to Rome from Jerusalem. The ''Sant Calze'' (Holy Chalice) is a simple, small stone cup. Its base was added during the medieval period and consists of fine gold, alabaster and gem stones.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0603899.htm |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20060711190739/http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0603899.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=11 July 2006 |title=About the Santo Caliz (Holy Chalice) |publisher=Catholicnews.com |access-date=9 March 2011}}</ref>}}

Valencia was selected in 2003 to host the historic [[America's Cup]] yacht race, the first European city ever to do so. The [[2007 America's Cup|2007 America's Cup matches]] took place from April to July. On 3 July 2007, [[Alinghi]] defeated [[Team New Zealand]] to retain the America's Cup. Twenty-two days later, on 25 July 2007, the leaders of the Alinghi syndicate, holder of the America's Cup, officially announced that Valencia would be the host city for the 33rd America's Cup, held in June 2009.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.americascup.com/en/33rd/news_5.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100123033408/http://www.americascup.com/en/33rd/news_5.php |url-status=dead |title=Announcement of the election as host city for 33rd America's Cup |archive-date=23 January 2010}}</ref>

The results of the [[Valencia City Council elections|Valencia municipal elections]] from 1991 to 2011 delivered a 24-year uninterrupted rule (1991–2015) by the [[People's Party (Spain)|People's Party]] (PP) and Mayor [[Rita Barberá]], with support from the [[Valencian Union]]. Barberá's rule was ousted by left-leaning forces after the [[2015 Valencia City Council election|2015 municipal election]], with [[Joan Ribó]] of [[Coalició Compromís|Compromís]] becoming the new mayor.