Since when have Ceuta and Melilla been Spanish? The history of the two autonomous cities

Two Spanish cities with different histories

Ceuta and Melilla are Spanish autonomous cities, but they did not become part of the Hispanic Monarchy at the same time or through the same process. Ceuta came under Portuguese sovereignty in the 15th century and subsequently passed to the Spanish Crown. Melilla, by contrast, was occupied by troops of the Crown of Castile at the end of the 15th century, during the reign of the Catholic Monarchs.

That is why answering the question of when they became Spanish requires distinguishing between the two cities. Melilla has been linked to the Crown of Castile since 1497, while Ceuta became incorporated into the Hispanic Monarchy in 1580, when Portugal and its territories came under the same Crown. Spanish sovereignty over Ceuta was subsequently confirmed in 1668, with the Treaty of Lisbon.

Ceuta: from Portugal to the Hispanic Monarchy

Ceuta was conquered by Portugal in 1415, during an expedition led by King John I. From then on, the city remained under Portuguese rule and became a strategic position in North Africa.

The situation changed in 1580, when Philip II of Spain also acceded to the Portuguese throne. During the period known as the Iberian Union, the Portuguese territories and those of the Hispanic Monarchy came under the authority of the same monarch. Ceuta thus became linked to the Spanish Crown.

Although Portugal regained its independence in the 17th century, Ceuta did not return to Portuguese sovereignty. The separation between Portugal and the Hispanic Monarchy was formalised by the Treaty of Lisbon of 1668, which recognised Portuguese independence and confirmed that Ceuta would remain under Spanish sovereignty.

The city itself retains elements linked to its Portuguese past in its coat of arms. These include Portugal's coat of arms, a historical reference to the period that began with the conquest of 1415. However, from a political and legal perspective, the Treaty of Lisbon consolidated Ceuta's belonging to the Spanish Crown.

Two relevant dates can therefore be highlighted: 1580, when Ceuta came under the same monarch as the Spanish territories, and 1668, when the peace agreement with Portugal confirmed that the city would remain under Spanish sovereignty.

Melilla: incorporation into Castile in 1497

Melilla's history followed a different path. The city was occupied by an expedition sent by the Catholic Monarchs in 1497, a few years after the conquest of Granada. The operation was led by Pedro de Estopiñán, who acted on behalf of the Ducal House of Medina Sidonia.

From that incorporation onwards, Melilla became linked to the Crown of Castile. The Castilian presence continued uninterrupted and the city was progressively reinforced as a defensive and strategic enclave on the North African coast.

Unlike Ceuta, Melilla did not become part of Portugal before being linked to the Hispanic Monarchy. Its incorporation took place directly within the framework of Castilian expansion following the end of the conquest of Granada. For this reason, the date habitually used to establish its belonging to Spain is 1497.

The initial occupation did not mean that all the surrounding territory came under Castilian control. The Spanish presence was concentrated in the city and the defensive area that was consolidated around it. Over time, fortifications and subsequent agreements defined the territory linked to Melilla.

There is no single date for both cities

The difference between their trajectories explains why there is no single date for the incorporation of Ceuta and Melilla into Spain. Melilla became linked to Castile in 1497, while Ceuta passed from Portugal to the Hispanic Monarchy in 1580 and remained under Spanish sovereignty after the Treaty of Lisbon in 1668.

It is also important to distinguish between historical belonging to the Crown and the current administrative organisation. Ceuta and Melilla were not autonomous cities from those early moments. Their political and administrative status changed over time, until both acquired the status of autonomous cities through their respective Statutes of Autonomy, approved in the 1990s.

The Spanish Constitution of 1978 establishes that Spain is territorially organised into municipalities, provinces and autonomous communities, and also provides for certain territories to obtain a specific autonomous regime. Within this framework, the Statute of Autonomy of Ceuta, in 1995, and the Statute of Autonomy of Melilla, also in 1995, were approved.

These statutes did not establish the cities' belonging to Spain; rather, they regulated their institutional organisation within the state. Since then, Ceuta and Melilla have had their own Assemblies and Presidencies and have exercised the powers provided for in their statutory rules, without being autonomous communities.

What the official sources say

Spanish public institutions place the Portuguese conquest of Ceuta in 1415 and its subsequent link to the Hispanic Monarchy within the context of the dynastic union of the Spanish and Portuguese Crowns. The confirmation of Spanish sovereignty is associated with the Treaty of Lisbon of 1668.

In Melilla's case, institutional references identify 1497 as the year of its incorporation into the Crown of Castile. The city was integrated into the monarchy's defensive and administrative structure and has maintained a continuous Spanish presence ever since.

Current legal documentation completes this historical perspective. The Constitution recognises the state's territorial framework, while the Statutes of Autonomy establish the specific regime of both cities. Consequently, the Spanish status of Ceuta and Melilla has historical, legal and constitutional dimensions.

The brief answer is therefore as follows: Melilla has been Spanish since 1497, when it was incorporated into the Crown of Castile; Ceuta came under the Hispanic Monarchy in 1580, following the union of the Spanish and Portuguese Crowns, and its continued Spanish sovereignty was confirmed in 1668 by the Treaty of Lisbon.

A distinct historical belonging

Ceuta and Melilla currently share their status as Spanish autonomous cities and their location in North Africa, but their historical paths are not identical. Ceuta retains the mark of its Portuguese period before becoming definitively linked to Spain, while Melilla came under the authority of the Crown of Castile at the end of the 15th century.

This difference in origin is the key to understanding the dates: 1497 for Melilla and 1580, confirmed in 1668, for Ceuta. The statutes approved in 1995 shaped their current institutional organisation, but did not alter the historical process through which both cities became integrated into Spain.