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Canary Islands History

The Canary Islands’ indigenous population had escaped without too many colonisation attempts before the Castilians began their conquest in the early 15th century; only the Portuguese had made much of an attempt to gain any sort of control previously. Under the leadership of Henry III of Castile a force gained control firstly of Lanzarote, followed by Fuerteventura and El Hierro. The force then formed a base on El Gomero but was unable to exert proper control over the island for a good few years. The remaining islands ensured they kept the Spanish colonisers out for some time.

Then, in 1459, the Portuguese were expelled from the islands which led to a Portuguese recognition of Castilian rule of the islands 20 years later. By 1495 a total control of the islands was achieved and so they were brought under Castilian rule. The conquerors set up a single-crop economy – firstly sugar cane was the mainstay and then in later years wine became the main item of production. The islands became wealthy in subsequent years and also were used as a stop off point for those travelling to the west. The growth in wealth inevitably brought an added interest from pirates who sailed into the region.

In 1599 the Canary Islands came under a severe attack from the Dutch during the Dutch War of Independence. They assaulted Las Palmas and sieged the city but eventually gave up. Also, in 1797, the British attacked Santa Cruz under the leadership of Nelson but again the onslaught was held off.

By the 19th century the islands were hit by a tailing off in the sugar industry due to its strength in other Spanish colonies. This sparked a mass emigration, however, the economy was given a helping hand with the introduction of a new crop. Further, in the 20th century another popular addition was made to the economy – the banana.

Finally, as Franco began to march through Spain his army had little trouble in demolishing any resistance put up by the Canarians.
 

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