It is the third-most populated municipality in the country, with , inhabitants. An autonomous city in late antiquity, militarization of the place followed the onset of the threat posed by Bizantine presence to the South , that went in parallel with effective integration to the Visigothic Kingdom of Toledo in the late 6 th century.
The Aragonese Christian conquest took place in , and so the city became the capital of the Kingdom of Valencia. The city's population thrived in the 15 th century, owing to trade with the rest of the Iberian Peninsula, Italian ports, and other Mediterranean locations, becoming one of the largest European cities by the end of the century.
Already harmed by the emergence of the Atlantic World trade in detriment to Mediterranean trade in global trade networks, along with insecurity created by Barbary piracy throughout the 16 th century, the city's economic activity experienced a crisis upon the expulsion of the Moriscos in The city became a major silk manufacturing centre in the 18 th century.
During the Spanish Civil War , the city served as the accidental seat of the Spanish Government from to The Port of Valencia is the 4th-busiest container port in Europe and the second busiest container port on the Mediterranean Sea. In , the city was voted the world's top destination for expatriates , based on criteria such as quality of life and affordability. The Roman historian Livy explains that the founding of Valentia in the 2nd century BC was due to the settling of the Roman soldiers who fought against a Lusitanian rebel, Viriatus , during the Third Raid of the Lusitanian War.
During the period of Islamic rule, the city had the title Medina at-Tarab 'City of Joy' according to one transliteration, or Medina at-Turab 'City of Sands' according to another, since it was located on the banks of the River Turia.
