The history of Gandia is an undeniable part of our present-day legacy, in a city that has managed to preserve its past and blend it harmoniously with modernity.
Every traveler visiting Gandia for the first time and strolling through its historic center immediately senses the unique atmosphere typical of cities with a rich historical and cultural heritage.
We want to share with you all the details of Gandia’s history—one of the key reasons that makes this city a truly unique destination.
It seems unlikely that Gandia existed as an urban center before 1240, the year King James I conquered the Castle of Bayren.
However, Gandia’s history dates back to the Paleolithic period, with the first human settlements in the region. Evidence of this can be found in the Archaeological Museum of Gandia, showcasing discoveries from excavations carried out in the caves of Parpalló and Les Meravelles. Iberian remains have also been unearthed, along with clear signs of intense Romanization.
By the early 14th century, Gandia was a small but thriving medieval town with an economy based on agriculture (particularly sugarcane), trade, and crafts. The construction of a walled enclosure at the beginning of the century provided a central space that brought together previously scattered settlements.
In 1323, King James II granted the Lordship of Gandia to his son, Prince Pere. His son, Alfons el Vell, inherited the Lordship in 1359 and elevated it to the status of a Royal Duchy in 1399.
The new Duke of Gandia, Alfons el Vell, made Gandia his permanent residence and transformed it into a grand court, from which literary figures such as Ausiàs March, Joanot Martorell, and Roís de Corella emerged. He oversaw major works such as the Ducal Palace, the Monastery of Sant Jeroni de Cotalba, and the renovation of the Collegiate Church of Santa Maria.
In 1485, Cardinal Rodrigo de Borja purchased the Duchy of Gandia for his son, Pedro Luis, who became the first Duke of Gandia, ushering in a new era of splendor. After Pedro Luis’s early death, his brother Juan succeeded him and married María Enríquez.
The second Duke of Gandia was assassinated in Rome in 1497. As his heir was still a child, María Enríquez governed the Duchy as regent. Francisco de Borja, a later descendant, initiated the construction of a second city wall and founded a college that would soon become the University of Gandia.
In 1550, upon joining the Society of Jesus, Francisco abdicated in favor of his son, Carles de Borja. Under Carles—who married Magdalena Centelles y Folch, heiress to the Count of Oliva—Gandia became one of the most prosperous states on the Iberian Peninsula and a major power within the Spanish nobility.
However, by the end of the century, with Francesc de Borja y Centelles at the helm, signs of decline began to appear. A series of events—financial deficits, noble indebtedness, the expulsion of the Moriscos, the decline of sugarcane cultivation, outbreaks of plague, banditry, and the Second Germanía uprising—marked the 17th century as a critical period in Gandia’s history.
The War of Spanish Succession had a major impact on the Kingdom of Valencia, which lost its regional laws (Fueros) after the Battle of Almansa in 1707. By this time, the Dukes of Gandia had long been absent from their lands in the Safor region, fueling growing resistance to feudal control.
In the mid-18th century, the eleventh Duke of Gandia, Lluís Ignasi de Borja, died in Madrid. The title then passed to his closest relatives—first the Benavente family, and later the Osuna family, who still hold it today.
Following the Cádiz Courts of 1812, the feudal regime was formally abolished, beginning a process of emancipation from the former lordship that had governed the Borja states. In 1881, the demolition of the city walls began. That same decade saw the launch of Gandia’s first newspaper, El Litoral (1881), the inauguration of the port (1886), and the opening of the Gandia-Alcoi railway (1893).
With improved transportation, orange cultivation began to expand. The end of the 19th century marked the close of Gandia’s “ancient city” era and laid the foundation for steady development that continues to this day.
Despite economic crises and the Spanish Civil War, Gandia and the Safor region recovered thanks to the orange trade and, from the 1960s onward, tourism.
