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Menorca
Carthage 4th century BC– 201 BC
Roman Republic 123 BC–27 BC
Roman Empire 27 BC–455
Vandal Kingdom 455–534
Byzantine Empire 534–628
Umayyad state of Córdoba 903–1015
Taifa of Dénia 1015–1076
Taifa of Majorca 1076–1115
Almoravid Dynasty 1115–1158
Taifa of Majorca 1158–1203
Almohad Dynasty 1203–1229
Crown of Aragon (Taifa of Menorca) 1229/1231–1287
Crown of Aragon 1287–1298
Kingdom of Mallorca 1298–1343
Crown of Aragon 1343–1708
Kingdom of Great Britain 1708–1756
Kingdom of France 1756–1763
Kingdom of Great Britain 1763–1782
Kingdom of Spain 1782–1798
Kingdom of Great Britain 1798–1800
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 1801–1802
Kingdom of Spain 1802–1808
Kingdom of Spain 1813–1931
Second Spanish Republic 1931–1939
Spanish State 1939–1978
Spain 1978–present
Balearic Islands 1983–present
Menorca or Minorca (from Latin: Insula Minor, lit. 'smaller island', later Minorica) is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. Its name derives from its size, contrasting it with nearby Mallorca (Majorca). Its capital is Maó, situated on the island's eastern end, although Menorca is not a province and forms a political union with the other islands in the archipelago. Ciutadella and Maó are the main ports and largest towns.
Per the Census of 1 January 2025, Menorca had a population of 102,477. Its highest point, a hill in the middle of the island named El Toro (from Catalan "turó" meaning hill), is 358 metres (1,175 feet) above sea level.
The island is known for its collection of megalithic stone monuments: navetes, taules and talaiots, which indicate very early prehistoric human activity. Some of the earliest culture on Menorca was influenced by other Mediterranean cultures, including the Greek Minoans of ancient Crete (see also Gymnesian Islands). For example, the use of inverted plastered timber columns at Knossos is thought to have influenced early peoples of Menorca in imitating this practice.
The end of the Punic Wars saw an increase in piracy in the western Mediterranean. The Roman occupation of Hispania had meant a growth of maritime trade between the Iberian and Italian peninsulas. Pirates took advantage of the strategic location of the Balearic Islands to raid Roman commerce, using both Menorca and Mallorca as bases. In reaction to this, the Romans invaded Menorca. By 123 BC, both islands were fully under Roman control, later being incorporated into the province of Hispania Citerior.
In 13 BC, Roman emperor Augustus reorganised the provincial system and the Balearic Islands became part of the Tarraconensis imperial province. The ancient town of Mago (Mahón) was transformed from a Carthaginian to a Roman town.
The island had a Jewish population. The Letter on the Conversion of the Jews by a fifth-century bishop named Severus tells of the forced conversion of the island's 540 Jewish men and women in AD 418. Several Jews, including Theodore, a rich representative Jew who stood high in the estimation of his coreligionists and of Christians alike, underwent baptism. The act of conversion brought about, within a previously peaceful coexisting community, the expulsion of the ruling Jewish elite into the bleak hinterlands, the burning of synagogues, and the gradual reinstatement of certain Jewish families after the forced acceptance of Christianity, allowing the survival of those Jewish families who had not already perished. Many Jews secretly retained their Jewish faith while outwardly professing Christian beliefs. Some of these Jews form part of the Xueta community.
When Menorca became a British possession in 1713, they actively encouraged the immigration of foreign non-Catholics, which included Jews who were not accepted by the predominantly Christian inhabitants. When the Jewish community in Mahon requested the use of a room as a synagogue, their request was refused, and they were denounced by the clergy. In 1781, when Louis des Balbes de Berton de Crillon, duc de Mahon invaded Menorca, he ordered all Jews to leave in four days. At that time, the Jewish community consisted of about 500 people and they were transported from Menorca in four Spanish ships to the port of Marseille.
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Menorca
Carthage 4th century BC– 201 BC
Roman Republic 123 BC–27 BC
Roman Empire 27 BC–455
Vandal Kingdom 455–534
Byzantine Empire 534–628
Umayyad state of Córdoba 903–1015
Taifa of Dénia 1015–1076
Taifa of Majorca 1076–1115
Almoravid Dynasty 1115–1158
Taifa of Majorca 1158–1203
Almohad Dynasty 1203–1229
Crown of Aragon (Taifa of Menorca) 1229/1231–1287
Crown of Aragon 1287–1298
Kingdom of Mallorca 1298–1343
Crown of Aragon 1343–1708
Kingdom of Great Britain 1708–1756
Kingdom of France 1756–1763
Kingdom of Great Britain 1763–1782
Kingdom of Spain 1782–1798
Kingdom of Great Britain 1798–1800
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 1801–1802
Kingdom of Spain 1802–1808
Kingdom of Spain 1813–1931
Second Spanish Republic 1931–1939
Spanish State 1939–1978
Spain 1978–present
Balearic Islands 1983–present
Menorca or Minorca (from Latin: Insula Minor, lit. 'smaller island', later Minorica) is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. Its name derives from its size, contrasting it with nearby Mallorca (Majorca). Its capital is Maó, situated on the island's eastern end, although Menorca is not a province and forms a political union with the other islands in the archipelago. Ciutadella and Maó are the main ports and largest towns.
Per the Census of 1 January 2025, Menorca had a population of 102,477. Its highest point, a hill in the middle of the island named El Toro (from Catalan "turó" meaning hill), is 358 metres (1,175 feet) above sea level.
The island is known for its collection of megalithic stone monuments: navetes, taules and talaiots, which indicate very early prehistoric human activity. Some of the earliest culture on Menorca was influenced by other Mediterranean cultures, including the Greek Minoans of ancient Crete (see also Gymnesian Islands). For example, the use of inverted plastered timber columns at Knossos is thought to have influenced early peoples of Menorca in imitating this practice.
The end of the Punic Wars saw an increase in piracy in the western Mediterranean. The Roman occupation of Hispania had meant a growth of maritime trade between the Iberian and Italian peninsulas. Pirates took advantage of the strategic location of the Balearic Islands to raid Roman commerce, using both Menorca and Mallorca as bases. In reaction to this, the Romans invaded Menorca. By 123 BC, both islands were fully under Roman control, later being incorporated into the province of Hispania Citerior.
In 13 BC, Roman emperor Augustus reorganised the provincial system and the Balearic Islands became part of the Tarraconensis imperial province. The ancient town of Mago (Mahón) was transformed from a Carthaginian to a Roman town.
The island had a Jewish population. The Letter on the Conversion of the Jews by a fifth-century bishop named Severus tells of the forced conversion of the island's 540 Jewish men and women in AD 418. Several Jews, including Theodore, a rich representative Jew who stood high in the estimation of his coreligionists and of Christians alike, underwent baptism. The act of conversion brought about, within a previously peaceful coexisting community, the expulsion of the ruling Jewish elite into the bleak hinterlands, the burning of synagogues, and the gradual reinstatement of certain Jewish families after the forced acceptance of Christianity, allowing the survival of those Jewish families who had not already perished. Many Jews secretly retained their Jewish faith while outwardly professing Christian beliefs. Some of these Jews form part of the Xueta community.
When Menorca became a British possession in 1713, they actively encouraged the immigration of foreign non-Catholics, which included Jews who were not accepted by the predominantly Christian inhabitants. When the Jewish community in Mahon requested the use of a room as a synagogue, their request was refused, and they were denounced by the clergy. In 1781, when Louis des Balbes de Berton de Crillon, duc de Mahon invaded Menorca, he ordered all Jews to leave in four days. At that time, the Jewish community consisted of about 500 people and they were transported from Menorca in four Spanish ships to the port of Marseille.