The Christian
repopulation, mainly Castilians and Leonese, had all kinds of privileges and
exemptions to facilitate their settlement. With the aim of ensuring a better
settlement and growing more actively to promote greater economic and trade
promotion, in August 1252 what Alfonso X gave the city was real, very similar
to Cordova.
Alfonso X gave the
town council strong, numerous tax exemptions and a large municipality, which
encompassed the present towns of Agost, Monforte del Cid, Aspe, Novelda, Elda, Petrel, Busot, Water Busot, Campello, Muchamiel, San Juan, and San Vicente
del Raspeig. In addition, the Castilian king excused extensive support to the port of Alicante, which is considered of great
strategic value.
Between 1264 and 1266 Alicante was immersed in a Mudejar rebellion that lasted
almost throughout the Kingdom of Murcia, the Castilian king, then employed in the
siege of Niebla, with James I of Aragon quelling it. He spoke
rapidly and reduced all the cities that revolted from the acceptance of Spanish
sovereignty.
Crown ofAragon
Due to a crisis by the
dynastic succession of Sancho IV el Bravo, Fernando de la Cerda, an
illegitimate candidate for the Crown of Castile, sought help from James II of
Aragon in exchange for a gift of the crown, the Kingdom of Murcia, as the
secret of Calatayud (1289), Ariza (January 1296), and Seron (February 1296).
Taking advantage of the situation, James II came to conquer theKingdom ofMurcia.
Alicante was conquered in April 1296 despite the
resistance of the warden of thecastle
ofNicolas Peris; it ended
with the Spanish sovereignty. The conquest was, in part, facilitated by the
Christian settlers of Catalan or Aragonese origin (e.g., the help of the Torregrossa
family, whose coat is on the current crest of the city).
Still, James II
respected the privileges and old institutions adapted to the new political
situation, particularly after the addition ofAlicante
and other counties bordering theKingdom
ofValencia, by changing
the set in the Treaty of Almizra (Arbitral de Torrellas, 1304) and the Treaty
of Elche (1305).
The Christian
repopulation continued, this time with Catalans and, to a lesser extent,Aragon,
with a higher speed and number, so the Spanish population was originally from
the minority Christian population.
Crown of Castile
From the beginning
Alfonso X the Wise attempted to group the Christians in Alicante because of the large military and
commercial importance of the town, but the process was slow in repopulating and
lasted throughout the 13th century, although little is documented cause of the
disappearance of the Distribution of Books.
Still, until the first
expulsion of the Moors, the people of Arabic origin were compared with the
majority of Christians. The restocking was mostly Lleida, so the language used
from then until the 19th century, apart from Castilian, was the Catalan
language called Western.
The growth of the early 14th century would be
truncated from 1333; when famine was felt in Alicante, the first sign of crisis was
detected. The War of the Union (1348), the Black Plague (1348), and War of the
Two Pedros (Pedro I of Castile
and Pedro IV of Aragon) took
place between 1356 and 1366 in Alicante,
which was one of its main sites.
The villa was in Spanish
hands, and the population emigrated, died, or fell captive. As a result, the
population was reduced by half, as in other cities of the Kingdom of Valencia.
Peace began with social and economic reconstruction, while Mudejar virtually
disappeared, and the Jews became a minority.
Pedro IV the Ceremonious
rendered many steps to revive the economy and social peace, but this did not
prevent the attack on the Jews of 1391 that ended the presence of the community
in the society of Alicante.
During the 15th
century, Alicante
continued to grow and prosper from export-oriented agriculture (wine, dried
fruits, and esparto); this promoted a notable development of wine and a middle-class
who controlled the municipal government.
The only conflict was
the war with Castile
in 1430 over undue consequences. The population continued to increase, and this
served as justification for progress and for Ferdinand the Catholic to give the
title of city in 1490.
