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The
Phoenicians & Carthaginians
The city of Vejer is situated
in the middle of one of the oldest cultural landscapes in Spain.
It owes its early origin to its strong strategic position above
the river Barbate and close to the sea. This location provided
the town with good defenses and easy access to the sea by river.
Vejer most probably already existed during the rule of the Carthaginians
(roughly 400 BC.). The name of the city presumably originates
from that time. It is likely that the Carthaginians called the
river Barbate "Wadi-Baka" - after the city of Baka which
dominated its delta. During the course of time the word "Baka"
gradually seems to have been transformed into the name "Vejer".
The
Romans, Vandals & Visigoths
Visible relics from the time
of the Roman rule include the street at the northern slope of
the hill on which Vejer is situated, the arch at the end of the
Corredera and parts of the lglesia Parroquial. The Teutonic migration
of people into Spain finally ended the Roman rule here. During
the short time the Vandals occupied the South of Spain and before
moving on to North Africa they indirectly provided Andalusia with
its present name. It was the Arabs, who referred to the Southern
part of Spain as " al-Andalus" meaning "country
of the Vandals".
The
Islamic invasion
A part of the vault of the
Iglesía Parroquial originates from the period of the Visigoths.
They were later defeated in a decisive battle against the Arabs
at the lagoon of the river Barbate ("Laguna La Janda")
close to Vejer. In the following centuries the old town developed
its essential characteristics (castle, fortification and layout
of the streets and houses). During the "Reconquista"
at the beginning of the 13th century the first Christian troops
appeared in the area around of Vejer but it was not until 1250
that they finally conquered the town itself.
In the following decades the
occupation of the town changed hands several times between the
Arabs and Christians. From that period stems the appendix "de
la Frontera" pertaining to the frontier between Arab and
Christian occupied Spain. Guzmán el Bueno defended Vejer
against the last Arab attack in 1291. In 1292 Guzmán set
out to defend Tarifa. During these fights he sacrificed one of
his sons who had been captured by the Arabs and held hostage in
an attempt to force the city to surrender. In 1293 Guzmán
became the first mayor of Vejer. Later on the whole town was given
to him by Fernando IV as a reward for his merits.
The
Battle of Trafalgar
On the 2lst of October 1805
the British navy under the command of Admiral Nelson destroyed
the unified French and Spanish armada at Cabo Trafalgar. The roar
of cannon fire could be heard as far as Vejer. In 1811 Napoleon'
s troops occupied Vejer. Don José Miranda Cabezón,
led a successful campaign against the French occupation which
resulted in the liberation of Andalusia. |
