History of Gibraltar

Gibraltar was considered to be the end of the earth before Columbus discovered America. The Spanish town of Tarifa is named after the Arab word Taraf, which means the end of something. Going beyond Tarifa meant that you would fall over the edge of the earth. It took 2 years for Tariq’s small force to subdue the peninsula. But after crossing the Pyrenees, they were defeated by the Franks and withdrew. 

 

Tariq ibn-Ziyad died about 720. Gibraltar was recaptured by the Castilians in 1309 but was regained by the Moors in 1333 and held until 1462, when it finally passed from Moorish possession. In 1502, it was annexed to the Spanish crown. In 1830, Gibraltar became a British crown colony. After the sacking of Gibraltar by the Algerian corsair Barbarossa II in 1540, the Rock was furnished with strong defenses by command of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. On July 24, 1704, during the War of the Spanish Succession, Gibraltar was captured by combined English and Dutch forces. In 1830, Gibraltar was named a crown colony. 

 

Source:interestingtopics.net