This section of the timeline ofHispania concerns Spanish and Portuguese history events from the Carthaginian conquests (236 BC) to before the barbarian invasions (408 AD).
236 BC - The Carthaginian GeneralHamilcar Barca enters Iberia with his armies throughGadir.[1]
228 BC - Hamilcar Barca dies in battle. He is succeeded in command of the Carthaginian armies in Iberia by his son-in-lawHasdrubal, who extends the newly acquired empire by skillful diplomacy, and consolidates it by the foundation of Carthago Nova (Cartagena) as the capital of the new province.[2]
226 BC - Hasdrubal the Fair, who ruled relatively independently ofCarthage, signed theEbro treaty with Rome, which fixed the riverEbro as the boundary between the two powers. Under the terms of the treaty, Carthage may not expand north of the Ebro, as long as Rome likewise may not expand to the south of the river.[3]
Carthaginian conquests in Iberia
221 BC - Hasdrubal is killed by a Celtic slave.Hannibal Barca, Hamilcar Barca's older son, is acclaimed commander-in-chief by the army and confirmed in his appointment by the Carthaginian Senate.[4]
220 BC - Hannibal capture the Vaccean cities of Helmantica (Salamanca) and Arbucala (Zamora).[4][5]
219 BC
Hannibal defeated a combined force of Vaccaei,Olcades andCarpetani, thus completing his conquest of Hispania south of the Ebro with the exception ofSaguntum.[4]
Beginning of the siege of Saguntum. The city call for Roman aid and the Roman Senate sends envoys to declare the city under Roman protection, which is disregarded by Hannibal.[4]
218 BC
Hannibal Barca takes Saguntum with the aid of the Turboletae and departs for the Italian peninsula in order to attack the Romans in their own territory. His younger brotherHasdrubal Barca is left in the command of the Carthaginian armies in Iberia.[4]
A Roman army underGnaeus Cornelius Scipio Calvus defeat an outnumbered Carthaginian army nearCissa, thus gaining control of the territory north of the Ebro River that Hannibal had just subdued a few months prior in the summer. This is the first battle the Romans ever fought in Iberia.[4]
Scipio and the Roman army winter atTarraco. Hasdrubal retire to Cartagena after garrisoning allied towns south of the Ebro.[4]
217 BC
Hasdrubal Barca launch a joint expedition to destroy the Roman base north of the Ebro River, but is defeated after a surprise attack by the Roman ships, who completely annihilate the Carthaginian naval contingent.[6]
After thebattle of Ebro River, Hasdrubal dismiss the Iberian crews, sparking a rebellion in the Trudetani tribe.
During the fall,Publius Cornelius Scipio joins his brother Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Calvus, reinforcing the Roman troops.[6]
216 BC
The Scipio brothers raid Barcid possessions in Iberia and Balearic Islands and recruit auxiliary troops from Iberian tribes, consolidated their hold north of the Ebro River. They also encourage Iberian tribes friendly with the Romans to raid tribes loyal to Carthage beyond the Ebro.
Hasdrubal spend the year in subduing the Iberian tribes, with little effort made to confront the Romans.
215 BC
The Romans lay siege to Ibera, a small Iberian town allied to Carthage. Hasdrubal march north with his field army to the Ebro, but besiege a town allied with the Romans across Dertosa instead. The Scipios lift their siege and move to engage Hasdrubal, defeating him in thebattle of Dertosa.[7]
The Romans retake Saguntum and go deeper into Iberia.
212 BC - The Romans and theirEdetani allies invade Turboletania, seize the capital Turba and raze it to the ground, selling his residents to slavery.[8]
211 BC
Large Carthaginian counter-offensive led by Hasdrubal Barca, his brotherMago Barca andHasdrubal Gisco. Publius Cornelius Scipio and his brother Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Calvus are killed in theBattles of the Upper Baetis. Carthaginian victory.[7]
Rome send reinforcements to Iberia under the command ofGaius Claudius Nero, but Nero scores no spectacular victories.[9]
The Roman general Scipio Africanus conquers Carthago Nova.[9]
209 BC - The three Carthaginian armies remain separated, and their generals at odds with each other, thus giving the Romans a chance to deal with them one by one.
208 BC
Scipio move against Hasdrubal, whose force wintered atBaecula, inflicting great losses.[7]
After the battle, Hasdrubal lead his depleted army over the western passes of the Pyrenees into Gaul, and subsequently into Italy with a mostly Gallic force in an ill-fated attempt to join his brother Hannibal.
Scipio retire his army to Tarraco, and manage to secure alliances with most of the native Iberian tribes, who switch side after the recent Roman successes.
207 BC
Carthaginian reinforcements land in Iberia underHanno, who soon join Mago Barca. Together they raise a powerful army by heavy recruiting of Celtiberians.
Hasdrubal Gisco advance his army from Gades into Andalusia.
Scipio send a detachment underMarcus Junius Silanus to strike Mago first. Achieving complete surprise, Silanus fall on the Carthaginian camps, dispersing Mago's Celtiberians and capturing Hanno.
206 BC
Battle of Ilipa (nearSeville) between Roman legions, commanded by Scipio Africanus, and Carthaginian armies, commanded by Hasdrubal Barca and Mago. Roman victory that results in the evacuation of Iberia by the Punic commanders.[7]
Gadir surrenders without a fight to the Romans.
205 BC - The exhaustedTurboletae sue for peace, on which the Roman Senate force them to pay a huge compensation to the surviving citizens of Saguntum.
202 BC - End of the Second Punic War with the defeat of Hannibal Barca in theBattle of Zama in North Africa.[7]
200 BC - The Latin poetQuintus Ennius records, for the first time, the use of the word Hispania to designate the Iberian peninsula (from the Carthaginian name).
In a first attempt of a Roman provincial administration in Hispania,Gaius Sempronius Tuditanus andM. Helvius divide the peninsula intoHispania Ulterior andHispania Citerior (the one actually controlled by Rome). These two provinces are to be ruled by Governors with a mandate of one year.
196 BC - The Tuboletae revolt is crushed byQ. Minucius, Praetor of Hispania Citerior, in a pitched battle near the ruins of Turba. Their devastated lands are divided among theBastetani andEdetani, resulting in their total disappearance.
195 BC -Cato the Elder becomes consul, assuming the command of the whole of Hispania. Cato first put down the rebellion in the northeast, then march south and put down the revolt by the Turdetani.[10]
193 BC - Consul Marco Fulvio Flaco defeats a coalition ofVacceos,Vettones andLusones near Toletum (Toledo). The rebelling forces take refuge in the Lusone city of Contrebia Belaisca, which is taken by the consul. The rebellion is over.[11]
Several tribes along the Ebro, especially the Lusones, rebel against Roman rule, invading Hispania Ulterior, Ebro valley and Iberic Levante in search of a land on which to live. Beginning of theFirst Celtiberian War.[11]
180 BC
Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus, proconsul of Hispania Citerior, frees the city of Caravis (Magallón), a Roman ally, from the Celtiberians.[11]
Gracchus conquers Contrebia and the vicinities, dividing this region with the indigenous Roman allies and founding Gracurris (Alfaro) for the dispossessed Celtiberians.[11]
179 BC - Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus defeats the Celtiberian coalition in the battle ofMoncayo, ending the 1st Celtiberian War.[11]
Lusitanians, under Caesarus, pillage throughBaetica (modern Andalusia).
Rome forbid the enlargement of the fortification ofSegeda, capital of the Belli, considering an infraction to the treaty with Gracchus in 179 BC. However, the Belli continue the enlargement. Beginning of the2nd Celtiberian War.[11]
Nobilior destroys the city of Segeda, takes Ocilis (Medinaceli), but is ambushed by the Belli General Caros, leader of the Celtiberian coalition, at the battle ofRibarroya, at the Baldano river valley.[11][13]
Nobilior arrives at the city of Numantia, where he spend the winter without taken it.[13]
152 BC -Marcus Claudius Marcellus replaces Nobilior as Consul and takes the Celtiberian cities ofOcilis andNertobriga. Entrapped, the Numantines surrender. End of the 2nd Celtiberian war.[13]
147 BC -Viriathus is acclaimed leader of the Lusitanians.[14]
143 BC
Viriathus form a league against Rome with several Celtic tribes. The Arevaci are one of these tribes, beginning the second phase of theNumantine War.[15]
Fabius Servilianus, new Consul of Hispania Ulterior, after having sacked several cities loyal to Viriathus in Baetica and southern Lusitania, is defeated by the Lusitanians inErisane (in Baetica).[15]
Fabius Servilianus, after the defeat, declare Viriathus to be a Friend of the Rome.[15]
141 BC - After suffering severe defeats, the generalQuintus Pompeius secretly negotiate a peace with the city of Numantia.[16]
140 BC
In Hispania Ulterior, Servilius Cipianus, with the aid ofMarcus Popillius Laenas' armies, severely defeat the Lusitanians and oblige Viriathus to take refuge north of the Tagus river.[15]
Servilius Cipianus armies also attack the Vettones and the Gallaecians.[15]
139 BC
The Roman Senate deems Fabius Servilianus' actions unworthy of Rome, and sendsServilius Cipianus to defeat the rebellious tribes of Hispania.[15]
Viriathus send emissaries to negotiate the peace with Servilius Cipianus, but is betrayed and killed in his sleep by his companions, bribed by Marcus Popillius Laenas.[17]
Lusitanian armies, now led byTautalus, still tries a southern incursion against the Romans, but are defeated. End of the Lusitanian War.[17]
138 BC - The general Marcus Popillius Laenas don't recognize the peace treaty of 141 BC signed between Quintus Pompeius and the Arevaci, beginning the final phase of the Numantine War.[16]
137 BC -Gaius Hostilius Mancinus assault the city of Numantia, but is repulsed several times before being routed and encircled, and so forced to accept a treaty. However, the Roman Senate don't ratify this treaty.[16]
136 BC - After crossing the rivers Douro and Minho,Decimus Junius Brutus lays siege and conquers the city ofTalabriga, thus defeating the Gallaecians. After the military campaigns, the Roman legions depart south and leave no garrisons.
134 BC - The ConsulScipio Aemilianus is sent to Hispania Citerior to end the war against the city of Numantia.[18]
133 BC - Scipio builds a ring of seven fortresses around Numantia itself before beginning the siege proper. After suffering pestilence and famine, most of the surviving Numantines commit suicide rather than surrender to Rome. End of the Numantine War and the Celtiberian Wars.[19][20][21]
105 BC - After theBattle of Arausio, the GermanicTeutons andCimbri plunder through all north Iberia as far as Gallaecia.
102 BC - The Germanic Teutons and Cimbri move out of Iberia to attack the Romans in their native territory in Gaul, where they are defeated in the battles ofAquae Sextiae andVercellae.
81 BC - Generalized Roman Republican war in all of Iberia.
80 BC -Battle of the Baetis River, where rebel forces under Quintus Sertorius defeat the legal Roman forces ofLucius Fulfidias, governor of Hispania Ulterior. Quintus Sertorius' second in command,Hirtuleius, defeats the governor.[23]
79 BC
Quintus Sertorius' armies control most of Hispania Ulterior and parts of Hispania Citerior.[23]
The appointed governor of Hispania Ulterior,Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius, attacks the positions of Quintus Sertorius' armies, namely the city of Lacobriga (probablyLagos in the Algarve), but is unable to take it.
77 BC
Quintus Sertorius is joined by the GeneralMarcus Perperna Vento from Rome, with a following of Roman nobles.[23]
74 BC - Pompeius founds the city of Pompaelo (modernPamplona) after being camped in the region. Beginning of the romanization of theVascones.[24]
73 BC
Quintus Sertorius loses all the region of Celtiberia (north central Iberia).
Pompey and Quintus Cecilius Metellus Pius conquer theTurmodigi and include their lands, corresponding today to the central and westernBurgos province and the easternPalencia province, in Hispania Citerior.
TheBelli and theirTitii allies merge with the pro-RomanUraci,Cratistii andOlcades tribes to form the Late Celtiberian people of romanized southern Celtiberia.
Quintus Sertorius is assassinated at a banquet.[23]
72 BC
Marcus Perperna Vento assumes the command of Quintus Sertorius' armies, but is swiftly defeated by Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus. Ultimate defeat of Quintus Sertorius' Hispanic revolt.[23]
Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius pacifies and submits Hispania Ulterior. The regions north of the Tagus river are still not effectively occupied by the Roman Republic.
60 BC - Julius Caesar wins considerable victories over theGallaecians and Lusitanians. During one of his victories, his men hail him as Imperator in the field, which is a vital consideration in being eligible for a triumph back in Rome.[26]
56 BC - A joint uprising of the Turmodigi, Vaccaei and other people is defeated by the PraetorMetellus Nepote.[27]
Battle of Munda, in southern Hispania, where, in his last victory, Julius Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Gnaeus Pompeius.[26]
Sextus Pompeius, departing from his garrison atCorduba (in Baetica), roams Hispania Ulterior fighting against its governor (appointed by Julius Caesar), before fleeing forSicily. End of the Roman Civil War.
Julius Caesar, before going back to Rome, leaves his legate governors with the mission of pacifying Hispania and punish the local tribes for their disloyalty.
The Greek cities ofEmporion andRhodes lose their autonomy as punishment of their support to the Pompeian party.[29]
29 BC -Statilius Taurus make the first important Roman intervention against the tribes of Northern Meseta, beginning theCantabrian Wars.
Administrative organization of emperor Augustus in 17 BC
The emperorAugustus returns to Hispania and makes a new administrative division, leaving the provinces as follows: Provincia Hispania Ulterior Baetica (Hispania Baetica), whose capital is Corduba (presentlyCórdoba); Provincia Hispania Ulterior Lusitania, whose capital is Emerita Augusta (nowMérida); Provincia Hispania Citerior, whose capital is Tarraco (Tarragona), later known asTarraconensis.[24]
26 BC - The Emperor Caesar Augustus, establishes his base inSegisama (near Burgos), beginning a major campaign against the Cantabrians.[30]
25 BC
Augustus give Brigantum, the camp ofAugustan Asturica, to theBrigaeci as a reward for their help. Additionally, he share out land in the plains to the allies. However, later theAsturians join the Cantabrians in the common defense.[31]
The Roman generalCarisius attack the Astur armies, pursuing them toMons Medullius. The Roman legions besiege this mountain, but the Astur soldiers prefer to commit suicide rather than surrender.[31]
Augustus retire to Tarraco, presumably because of sickness.
19 BC - The Astures and Cantabri surrender to Rome, ending the Cantabric Wars.
17 BC - Emperor Augustus reorganizes the Hispanic provinces, transferring the Galician, Asturian and Cantabrian territories from the province of Lusitania to the province of Hipania Citerior Tarraconensis.
Administrative organization of Hispania in 212 by emperor Caracalla.
212 - The EmperorCaracalla makes a new administrative division which lasts only a short time. He splits Hispania Citerior again into two parts, creating the new provinces Hispania Nova Citerior and Asturiae-Calleciae.
238 - The unified province Tarraconensis or Hispania Citerior is reestablished. Asturias and Gallaecia are again part of it.
293 - The newdioecesis Hispaniae become one of the four dioceses governed by a vicarius of the praetorianprefecture of Gaul (also comprising the provinces ofGaul,Upper andLower Germania andBritannia). The diocese, with capital at Emerita Augusta (modern Mérida), comprise the five peninsular Iberian provinces (Baetica, Gallaecia and Lusitania, each under a governor styled consularis; and Carthaginiensis, Tarraconensis, each under a praeses), theInsulae Baleares and the North African province ofMauretania Tingitana.[34]
