2nd century to 3rd century AD
Roman domination. In 1st century BC the colony Barcino arose to today's Barcelona.

5th century
Immigration of the Visigoths. Barcelona becomes capital of the empire of the Visigoths.

8th century
The Moors conquered Catalonia. The influence in the present day is not as great as in southern Spain.

801
Barcelona is occupied by the Franks. Emperor Charles the Great makes Barcelona the capital of the Spanish Mark, which is for the defense of the Swiss franc against the empire of the Moors occupied the remaining Spain.

988
The county of Barcelona is declared autonomously by Borell II. Thus begins the independence of France’s kingdom.

1137
The marriage of Berenguer IV, the Catalan count of Barcelona with the throne of Aragon, Petronilla, the Catalan-Aragonese fFederation arises. This extends their power range up to Naples and Sardinia.

1213-1276
Reigned by Jaume I. Successful economic expansion of Barcelona. Reconquest of the Balearic Islands, Valencia, Menorca and Mallorca from the Moors.

1347
Start of construction of the cathedral. This lasts over 400 years.

1469
Fernando II of Aragon and Isabella of Kasilien marry. The association of Christian kingdoms leads in 1492 to recapture of Grenada, the last Muslim bastion on the Iberian Peninsula. The influence of Barcelona is waning, however.

1640-1659 Reapers' War (Guerra dels Segadors)
The occasion for the revolt of the farmers and reapers was the murder of the vice king on Corpus Christi day, June 7, 1640. The actual reason were the ongoing feudalistic burdens put on the Catalans by the Castilian king Felipe IV. The Catalans had to supply to the Spanish troops that were stationed in Catalonia during the Spanish-French conflicts of the Thirty Years War. The conflict with the Spanish king lasted beyond the end of the Thirty Years War. The song Dels Segadors describes the revolt and has become the Catalan national anthem, today in a slightly shortened version. At the beginning of the revolt, the Castell de Montjuïc was erected. On January 26, 1641, the Castilian besiegers were beaten in the Battle of Montjuïc.
The Generalitat proclaimed Louis XIII of France as Count of Barcelona and thus ruler over all of Catalonia. In the Treaty of the Pyrenees, France renunciated the county of Catalonia, but Roussillion, in today's south of France, fell to the French. This resulted in the separation of Catalonia which still goes on today.

1701-1714
Spanish war of succession. The Catalans support the Habsburgs. On 11 September 1714 is the day to surrender. As a result, Catalonia loses its self-government and many special rights. The day of capitulation is today a national holiday.

1808-1814
Napoleon's troops destroy large parts of the city during the Spanish War of Independence.

Middle of the 19th century
So-called Renaixença (renewal). The National awareness of the Catalans lives. Barcelona is the most important industrial city in Spain.

1888
The first World Exposition held in Barcelona on the floor of the former citadel.

1914
A Catalan provincial government is proclaimed, which is abandoned in the 1925 by the military dictatorship.

1929
The second World Exhibition in Barcelona is on Montjuïc.

1932
Catalonia has autonomy status. The 1936 to 1939 Spanish civil war ends the Catalan autonomy.

1939
The President of the general officers is executed by Franco. The Catalan way of life and language will now be brutally repressed.

1977
On 11 September 1977, the anniversary of the defeat in the war of succession 1714 and the related loss of independence was held in Barcleona the largest demonstration, which Europe had never seen until then. Since 1939, it was banned under Franco, to celebrate the so-called Diada. Without great organised calls 1.5 million people poured in the Passeig de Gracia and demonstrated peacefully and in the absence of any police to the autonomous status and against a centralised government, nor held responsible for the persecution and oppression.

1979
Catalonia is an autonomous region.

1986
Spain enters the EU. With the announcement of Barcelona as a venue for the Olympic Summer Games in 1992 a strong construction starts.

1992
In the Year of the 500th anniversary of the discovery of America by Columbus Barcelona XXV. Olympic Summer Games are held in Barcelona. This has given the urban development a positive and visible pulse.

2004
Barcelona is declared as a bullfighting-free zone by the city administration. However, with no legal consequences: every Sunday at 19:00 in the bullring  this gruesome spectacle takes place.