Spanish SEVILLA, ancient Hispalis, city and capital of the provincia of Seville, in the Andalusia comunidad autnoma ("autonomous community") of southern Spain. Seville lies on the left (east) bank of the Guadalquivir River at a point about 54 miles (87 km) north of the Atlantic, and about 340 miles (550 km) southwest of Madrid. An inland port, it is the chief city of Andalusia and the fourth largest in Spain. It was important in history as a cultural centre, as a capital of Muslim Spain, and as a centre for Spanish exploration of the New World.Seville was originally an Iberian town. Under the Romans it flourished from the 2nd century BC onward as Hispalis, and it was an administrative centre of the province of Baetica. The Silingi Vandals made it the seat of their kingdom early in the 5th century AD, but in 461 it passed under Visigothic rule. In 711 the town fell to the Muslims, and under their rule Ixvillia, as it was now called, flourished. It became a leading cultural and commercial centre under the 'Abbadid dynasty and the subsequent Almoravid and Almohad confederations. As the Almohad capital in the 12th century, Seville enjoyed great prosperity and ambitious building programs. But after the Muslim possession of Seville was ended in 1248 by Spanish Christians under Ferdinand III, the substantial Moorish and Jewish minorities were driven into exile, and the local economy temporarily fell into ruin.The Spanish discovery of the Americas brought new prosperity to the city. Seville became the centre of the exploration and exploitation of America through the House of Trade, which was established there in 1503 to regulate commerce between Spain and the New World. For two centuries Seville was to hold a dominant position in Spain's New World commerce; it was the site of the chief mint for gold and silver from the Americas, and many Spanish emigrants to the New World sailed from its quays. Seville was in fact the richest and most populou...
