View source for Lleida

==History==
{{see also|Timeline of Lleida}}
[[File:PM 106756 E Lleida.jpg|thumb|left|[[Indibilis and Mandonius|Indíbilis, king of the Ilergetes (left) and Mandonius, king of the Ausetani (right)]]]]
In ancient times the city, named ''Iltrida'' and ''Ilerda'', was the chief city of the [[Ilergetes]], an [[Iberians|Iberian]] tribe. [[Indibilis and Mandonius|Indíbil, king of the Ilergetes, and Mandoni, king of the Ausetanes]], defended it against the Carthaginian and Roman invasions.

Under the Romans the city was incorporated into the Roman province of [[Hispania Tarraconensis]], and was a place of considerable importance, historically as well as geographically. It stood upon an eminence, on the right (west) bank of the river Sicoris (the modern [[Segre River|Segre]]), the principal tributary of the [[Ebre]], and some distance above its confluence with the Cinga (modern [[Cinca River (Spain)|Cinca]]); thus commanding the country between those rivers, as well as the great road from Tarraco (modern [[Tarragona]]), the provincial capital, to the northwest of Spain, which here crossed the Sicoris.<ref>''[[Antonine Itinerary]]'' pp. 391, 452.</ref>

Its situation<ref>To quote [[Julius Caesar]], "''propter ipsius loci opportunitatem''", ''[[Commentarii de Bello Civili]]'' i. 38.</ref> induced the legates of [[Pompey]] in Spain to make it the key of their defense against [[Julius Caesar|Caesar]], in the first year of the [[Caesar's civil war|Civil War]] (49 BC). [[Lucius Afranius (consul)|Afranius]] and [[Marcus Petreius]] threw themselves into the place with five legions; and their siege by Caesar himself ([[Battle of Ilerda]]), as narrated in his own words, forms one of the most interesting passages of military history. Caesar's skill as a general, in a contest where the formation of the district and a series of natural events seemed very favorable to his enemies, ultimately gained him victory. It was ended by the capitulation of Afranius and Petreius.<ref>[[Julius Caesar]] ''[[Commentarii de Bello Civili]]'' i. 38, ''et seq.''; [[Florus]] iv. 12; [[Appian]], ''B.C.'' ii. 42; [[Velleius Paterculus]] ii. 42; [[Suetonius]] ''Caes.'' 34; [[Lucan (poet)|Lucan]], ''Pharsal.'' iv. 11, 144.</ref> In consequence of the battle, the [[Latin phrase]] ''Ilerdam videas'' is said to have been used by people who wanted to cast bad luck on someone else.

Under the [[Roman Empire]] Ilerda was a prosperous city and a ''[[municipium]]''. It minted its own coins. It had a fine stone bridge over the Sicoris, which was so sturdy that its foundations support a bridge to this day. In the time of [[Ausonius]] the city had fallen into decay but it rose again into importance in the Middle Ages.<ref>[[Strabo]] iii. p. 161; Horat. ''Epist.'' i. 20. 13; coins, ''ap.'' [[Enrique Florez|Florez]], ''Med.'' ii. pp. 451, 646, iii. p. 73; Théodore Edme Mionnet, vol. i. p. 44, Suppl. vol. i. p. 89; Sestini, pp. 161, 166; [[Eckhel]], vol. i. p. 51.</ref>

It was part of [[Visigoths|Visigothic]] and [[Al-Andalus|Muslim Hispania]] until it was [[Siege of Lleida (1149)|conquered from the Moors]] by Count [[Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Barcelona|Ramon Berenguer IV]] of [[County of Barcelona|Barcelona]] in 1149.

It used to be the seat of a [[University of Lleida|major university]], the oldest in the [[Crown of Aragon]], until 1717, when it was moved by [[Philip V of Spain|Philip V]] to the nearby town of [[Cervera]]. The [[University of Lleida]] is nowadays active again since 1991.

During the [[Reapers' War]] Lleida was occupied by the French and rebel forces. In 1644 the city was conquered by the Spanish under [[Felipe da Silva]].

Lleida served as a key defence point for [[Barcelona]] during the [[Spanish Civil War]] and fell to the [[Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War)|Insurgents]], whose air forces bombed it extensively in 1937 and 1938. The 2 November 1937 [[Condor Legion]] attacks against Lleida became especially infamous since they targeted the school known as ''[[Liceu Escolar de Lleida]]''. 48 children and several teachers died in it that day, 300 people were killed in the 2 November bombings altogether and the town would be bombed and besieged again in 1938, when it was conquered by [[Francisco Franco]]'s forces.<ref>[http://www.enciclopedia.cat/fitxa_v2.jsp?NDCHEC=0037646] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150416235739/http://www.enciclopedia.cat/fitxa_v2.jsp?NDCHEC=0037646|date=April 16, 2015}}</ref>

After some decades without any kind of population growth it experienced a massive influx of [[Andalusian people|Andalusians]], who helped the town undergo a relative demographic growth. Nowadays it is home to immigrants of 146 different nationalities.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www6.gencat.net/llengcat/noves/hm05primavera-estiu/sola1_3.htm |title=''Noves sl. primavera-estiu 2005. El repte dels plans pilots per a l'impuls del coneixement i l'us de la llengua catalana: del coneixement a l'ús social, per Dolors Solà'' |publisher=.gencat.net |access-date=2011-03-11 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110516191643/http://www6.gencat.net/llengcat/noves/hm05primavera-estiu/sola1_3.htm |archive-date=2011-05-16 }}</ref>

Lleida was the Capital of Catalan Culture in 2007.<ref>{{cite web |author=e-barcelona.org |url=http://e-barcelona.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=8236 |title=''Lleida se estrena como capital de la cultura catalana durante 2007'' :: e-barcelona.org :: ''Fòrum de Cultura, democratitzem la democràcia'' |publisher=e-barcelona.org |access-date=2011-03-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726010215/http://e-barcelona.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=8236 |archive-date=2011-07-26 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

=== Jewish History ===
[[File:The Jewish ritual bath of Llerida, Spain.jpg|thumb|The mikveh, or Jewish ritual bath, in Lleida.]]
The ''[[Jewish quarter (diaspora)|Juderia]]'', or Jewish quarter in Lleida dates back to the 11th century. The Jewish quarter in Lleida was also referred to as La Cuirassa. This name distinction is unique compared to other Jewish communities in Spain, and historians believe that the origin of the term is linked to the former Jewish quarter that existed in the times of the Moors, which was connected to the "coiraça", a protrusion of the city wall. The Jews established their quarter next to this wall, leading to the name "La Cuirassa."<ref>{{cite web |title=La Cuirassa |url=https://demoturisme.paeria.cat/arxius/la-cuirassa-2019-ang |website=Turisme de Lleida |access-date=24 June 2024}}</ref> A street named "Judería", which still exists in today's Lleida dates back to the time where the Jewish quarter was still active. The Jewish quarter was located in the fortified area of Lleida; in this area, a ring with the name "Goig" carved in [[Hebrew]] was found in 1870.<ref>{{cite web |title=Lérida |url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/l-x00e9-rida# |website=Jewish Virtual Library |access-date=24 June 2024}}</ref> A Jewish ritual bath, or [[mikveh]] dating to the 9th century, one of the oldest in Europe, was found in Lleida.<ref>{{cite web |title=JEWISH LLEIDA 1/2 DAY |url=https://www.tondavid.cat/portfolio-items/jewish-lleida-1-2-day/ |website=Ton-David Jover |access-date=24 June 2024}}</ref>