The History of Valencia Trivia Quiz

Answer: Pompey

The Romans founded Valencia as a strategic stronghold along the Turia River and the Mediterranean Sea. This made Valencia an ideal location for trade and transport. But its strategic location came with a pitfall, as many different factions wanted control over it.

It was not long before Valencia was plunged into war. Pompey led troops during the Sertonian War against Quintus Sertorius and defeated him. He then destroyed the city for reasons that remained largely unknown until archeological evidence discovered in the 1980s revealed that it was punishment for the citizens of Valencia allegedly supporting Quintus Sertorius over Pompey.

Answer: El Cid and Jimena Diaz

Because Rome more or less abandoned Valencia, the centuries after its razing were tumultuous and the city fell into the hands of multiple kingdoms. Moors conquered it in 714 AD, and Islam became the predominate culture in the city. Moors maintained control of the city until 1092 when Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar, better known as El Cid, conquered the city and became prince.

He died defending the city in 1099 and his wife, the Princess Jimena Diaz, inherited Valencia until 1102, when the Almoravid Dynasty reclaimed the city for the Moors. Lady Jimena's advisors allegedly set fire to the city to destroy it after they realized they would not win a battle for control of Valencia.

Answer: Prohibition of the printing press within the city

Valencia did very well economically in the 15th century, largely because it was home to Iberia's first printing press which allowed that industry to prosper and brought in writers and artisans from all over Europe and other places. However, the glory collapsed in the 16th century with the discovery of North and South America. The Trans-Atlantic trade was controlled by the Crown of Castile, which banned Valencians and other Iberian people from participating in the trade.

The Kingdom of Castile prospered while Valencia suffered. Things further went awry when Jews and Muslims were banned from the city in the early 17th century since Jews made up a significant amount of skilled workers and artists. The final nail for Valencia came in the early 1700s when the War of Spanish Succession saw Valencia fall under the rule of the Kingdom of Castile, ending the city's independence and the right to govern itself.

Answer: Silk and tiles

In 1776, the Societat Econòmica d'Amics del País was founded. It was a society of Valencian philosophers and academics who traveled throughout Europe in hopes of forming new ideas to help the city's long struggling economy. The group promoted the arts and culture within the city which help the silk and ceramic tile industry boom.

Answer: Plaça de la companyia

Vicent Doménech was a straw merchant nicknamed El Palleter who, in 1808, opposed the invasion of Napoleon by climbing onto a chair in the Plaça de la companyia (at the time called Plaza de les Panses) and declaring his support for Ferdinand VII. Although the population of Valencia was already firmly against Napoleon, the speech galvanized the crowd. Doménech remains a symbol of Valencia's independence, freedom, and protection from foreign invaders.

Answer: He was active in abolishing the Spanish Constitution of 1812

Francisco Javier de Elio was a general in the Spanish military. Although he was most active in South America's Rio de la Plata, he returned to Spain in 1811 after losing control during a rebellion. He was a fervent supporter of King Ferdinand VII, who had been stripped of most of his royal rights by the Constitution of 1812. de Elio helped the king return from exile and offered his troops in the battle against the supporters of the Constitution of 1812. Valencia was one of the cities most supportive of the Constitution and the general was arrested and executed by garotte in 1822 as punishment for his support of the king and against the general popular consensus.

Answer: Oranges

In the mid 19th century, wealthy landowners who operated vineyards were encouraged to diversify and expand their crops. Oranges were selected and proved to be very profitable with Valencia's climate being ideal for growing oranges. Today, Valencia is known for its fruits, especially its citrus fruits.

It should be noted that the fruit called a Valencia orange is actually a hybrid orange developed in California and so named because oranges from Valencia, Spain, were used to make the hybrid.

Answer: Republicans

At the dawn of the Spanish Civil War in 1936, Valencia started to thrive once again. But all of that changed after Franco took power. Valencia supported the Republican forces and the city became the capital of the Republicans. But the Nationalists defeated Republican forces and the city surrendered.

As a result, Franco suppressed Valencian culture and the city suffered economically. Although by the 1950s, the Valencian agricultural industry was growing with an international market.

Answer: Flooding

In 1957, the River Turia overflowed after a series of intense rainstorms. This was the second flooding in eight years and was more devastating the previous one in 1949. News of the previous flood was covered up, but the 1957 flood was too drastic to hide. An estimated 81 people died, although the death toll is believed to be much higher than that.

As a result of the flooding, a plan was created to reroute the Turia River.

Answer: Train derailment

On July 3, 2006, a train derailed near Valencia's Jesus Station. The accident occurred less than a week before a papal visit by Pope Benedict XVI and a preliminary run of the America's Cup. Because of the approaching high profile events, controversy arose in regards to the government's response. Many critics accused government officials of covering up the causes of the accident because the government was more concerned about lost revenue if tourists did not come to Valencia for fear of unsafe infrastructure.

Mayor Rita Barbera claimed the accident was a fluke. In the following years, several newspapers and news outlets reported that the accident was never seriously investigated and blame was placed on the train conductor who died in the accident without a full investigation. The train's black box recorded that the train was traveling at nearly twice the speed it should have been when it crashed, while employees claimed the line was never properly maintained. The subsequent investigation revealed employees' testimony was dictated to them by to officials during the investigation.