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Constitutional monarchy
Spain is a constitutional monarchy under Alfonso XIII. -
Sheshaun occupation
Spanish troops occupy Sheshaun. -
Soldiers killed
Berber rebels attack the Abberan miltary post, with approximately 180 government soldier deaths. -
Battle of Anual
Government troops and Berber rebels clash near Anual; General Silvestre and 8,000 soldiers are killed. -
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Negotiations
Negotiations between the government troops and the Berber rebels held in Alhucemas Bay. -
Independance offered
Berber rebels offered independance under Spanish protectorate. -
Independance rejected
Mohamed Abd el-Krim, leader of the Berber tribesmen, rejects the offer of independance under a Spanish protectorate. -
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General Primo de Rivera
General Primo de Rivera rules as a military dictator. -
French-Spanish agreement
French and Spanish governments agree to co-operate against Berber rebels. -
Rebel surrender
Mohamed el-Krim surrenders to French troops. -
Rebel exile
Mohamed el-Krim and his family are exiled on the island of Reunion. -
Berber rebellion supression
Spanish troops supress the Berber rebellion. -
Elections
Alfonso abdicates after the elections and Spain becomes a republic. -
Spanish army cuts
Manuel Azana, minister of war, announces massive cuts in the size of the Spanish army. -
Prime minister
Manuel Azana becomes prime minister. -
Prime minister resignation
Niceto Zamora resigns as prime minister and is replaced by Manuel Azana. -
Military uprising
General Jose Sanjurjo leads a military uprising against the government. -
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Anarchist rebellion
25 people are killed when government troops chase anarchists near Cadiz. -
Anarchist uprisings
Anarchist uprisings in Saragossa, Seville, Bilbao and Madrid. -
Resignation
Prime minister Manuel Azana resigns. -
CEDA party
The CEDA party becomes the largest party in the Spanish government. -
Workers' Alliance
A Workers' Alliance is formed in the region of Asturias. -
Asturias uprising
Asturias coal miners rise up in armed insurrection. They held off the Spanish army for nearly two weeks. -
Asturias surrender
Asturias coal miners surrender to government troops. -
Popular Front government
Popular Front government elected. -
Military uprising
Military uprising begins in garrison towns throughout Spain against the Republican government. -
Rebel control
Rebels control Spanish Morocco, Canary Islands, Balearic Islands (except Minorca), norther of the Guadarrama Mountains and Elro River (except for Asturias, Santander and Basque provinces). -
Non-intervention agreement
France, Britain, the Soviet Union, Germany and Italy sign a non-intervention agreement regarding Spain; Germany, the Soviet Union and Italy later ignore it. -
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Republican invasion
Catalan and Valencian troops returned the island of Ibiza to Republican control on Aug. 9, followed by landing on Majorca seven days later. The Nationalist garrison on Majorca was stronger than Ibiza, however, and the Nationalists were able to mount a counter-attack on the Republican troops. -
Madrid bombing
The Nationalists bomb Madrid for the first time. -
Socialist government
Francisco Largo Caballero (leader of the Socialists) becomes prime minister. His government was a coalition of socialists, communists and left Republicans. -
Basque government
The first autonomous Basque government, led by Jose Antonio Aguirre, is formed. On Oct. 1, when General Franco is proclaimed head of state, the Republican government will also grant autonomy to the Basque provinces and Aguirre becomes the first president of the new Basque state, Euzkadi. -
Head of state
General Francisco Franco named head of state and establishes government in Burgos. -
Popular Army
The creation of the Popular Army, incorporating both army units that had remained loyal to the government and the party militias. -
Madrid raids
German and Italian bombers begin a series of raids on Madrid in the hope of destroying civilian resistance. -
Primo de Rivera executed
Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera, who had been stranded in Republican Spain at the time of the Rising, is executed in Alicante. -
Republican government
The Republican government moves to Valencia, fearing that Madrid will fall at any moment to the Nationalists. -
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Battle for Madrid
Insurgent general Emilio Mola deployed 20,000 troops initially on Madrid. They would advance to the outskirts but could not capture the city, when they encountered heavy Republican resistance in the University City quarter (after having captured three-quarters of the area). -
Franco government
Italy and Germany recognize General Franco's government. -
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Corunna Road battle
Nationalist troops, led by General Jose Varela held a seven-mile stretch of road running north of Madrid. Casualties mounted on both sides, leading to a stalemate. -
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Battle for Malaga
Nationalist troops converged on the southern provinces of Republican Spain from the south, west and northeast of the city of Malaga. While there were large numbers of Republican troops available, they were poorly organized and the Nationalists were able to enter Malaga. -
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Battle of Guadalajara
Hoping to cut Madrid off from the rest of the Republic, two Nationalist armies advanded towards Guadalajara, 34 miles from Madrid. The western army had little trouble in pushing back the Republican troops, but the eastern army experienced strong resistance. In the end, the Nationalist army gained some ground, but not the decisive result hoped for. -
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Battle for Bilbao
Nationalist forces began an offensive against Basque forces (who were not well-armed), with the intention of capturing the Basque stronghold of Bilbao. Even though the Basque forces withdrew behind the "Ring of Iron" defences, these proved to be less than effective when subject to heavy artillery bombardment. The "Ring of Iron" collapsed, civilians were evacuated and the Nationalists entered Bilbao. -
Prime minister
Largo Caballero resigns as prime minister. -
Communist governmet
Juan Negrin (a socialist) becomes prime minister. The new government is dominated by communists. -
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Battle of Brunete
After the Nationalists attacked Guadalajara, the Republican troops went on the offensive to cut off the Nationalists forces besieging Madrid from the west. While they were initially successful, the Nationalist troops rallied and forced the Republicans almost all the way back to their start line. -
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Battle for Santander
After capturing Bilbao, the Nationalist forces switched their offensive to Santander. The Republicans, despite their large numbers, were poorly trained with few weapons, and the Basque forces surrended on Aug. 23. The Nationalists entered Santander almost unopposed. -
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Battle for Saragossa
The Republican army was able to push back the Nationalist army to the north and south of the River Ebro, but unable to gain the area around Saragossa or capture Huesca or Teruel. By the end of September the offensive ceased to have any impact and had come to a halt. -
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Battle for Gijon
The only remaining Republican stronghold in the north was Gijon and the surrounding area. When a Navarrese force captured the village of Infiesto, the Asturians were forced to retreat and the whole northern coast of Spain passed into Nationalist control. -
Leader removed
Largo Caballero is removed from the leadership of the Union General de Trabajadores (Socialist Trades Union). -
Government moved
The Republican government moves from Valencia to Barcelona. -
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Battle of Teruel
The Republican army launched an offensive to capture Teruel, to pre-empt a Nationalist attack on Catalonia. The Nationalists were able to hold out for nearly a month, until casualties and lack of supplies forced them to surrender. Without reinforcements, however, the Republicans were in danger of being besieged themselves; by Feb. 17 Morrocan troops had crossed the River Alfambra, forcing the Republicans to retreat and allowing the Nationalists to re-occupy the city. -
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Advance on Mediterranean Coast
Intending to cut Republican Spain into two parts, the Nationalists mounted an offensive on Aragon and Levante. Lerida surrendered on April 3 and Vinaroz was captured on April 15, splitting the Republic. Attempting to widen this gap, Nationalists captured Castellon de la Plana before Republicna resistence increased and Nationalists stopped their offensive in order to rest and re-equip. -
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Barcelona bombed
Barcelona is subject to round-the-clock bombing by Italian aircraft based on Majorca. -
Unconditional surrender
Negrin tries to sue for peace but Franco demands nothing less than unconditional surrender. -
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Battle of the Ebro
The Republicans launched an attack across the River Ebro in order to relieve pressure on the Madrid defenses and divert Nationalist forces from the offensive on Valencia. Initially, the offensive across the river was successful, but superior use of air power and relentless ground attacks forced the Republicans to retreat back across the river. -
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Battle for Barcelona
Nationalists launch an attack against Catalonia, forcing the Republicans to retreat to Barcelona. They maintained a token resistance there until surrendering on Jan. 26. -
President resigns
Manuel Azana resigns from the post of president of the Republic. -
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Madrid civil war
The failure of Negrin's communist government to sue for peace resulted in a civil-war-within-a-civil-war on the streets of Madrid. The National Defence Council tried to negotiate peace terms with General Franco while Negrin and his Russian advisors fled to safety. -
Republican exile
Republican government exiled to France. -
Madrid
Nationalists enter Madrid. -
Hostilities cease
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End of war
General Franco announces that the war is over.