The islands, which have been inhabited since prehistoric times, attained a notable culture in the Bronze Age, with a very individual civilization.

Overrun by the Carthaginians, whose last stroghold on Spanish soil they were, they later belonged to the Romans, the Vandals, the Byzantines, the Visigoths, the Arabs and, when the Caliphate of Cordoba fell, they became a 'Reino de Taifas'.

The island were conquered by the King of Aragon, James I, in the 13th century, and were resettled by people of Catalan origin who contributed a human element which would later contitute a notable individual identity.

At the beginning of the 18th century, the War of the Spanish Succession had unfortunate consequences for the life of the islands. In 1708 Minorca was occupied by the English, who retained ir until 1802, except for two periodos, one of French (1756-65) and one of Spanish (1784-89) rule. Under the Decree of the New Organization ('Nueva Planta'), Mallorca and Ibiza lost all their privileges and customs exemptions and were reduced to the status of mere provinces.