In the meantime, however, the city had moved forward in many respects.  The building of the imposing cathedral was followed by the establishment, in 1531, of the University of Granada by King Carlos V, who is also noted for building an additional palace within the Alhambra walls in a strangely Romanesque style.

The following 3 centuries saw Granada gain further importance within the kingdom as a critical centre of commerce and of learning.  The gold pouring in from Spanish colonies, especially in South America, aided the development of the now very elegant city in a style no others can match, for its retention of the influence of its Moorish background.  Only in the 18^th and 19^th centuries did French and English influence start to change the look of the city.

Spain, in general, had lost its colonies and went through a protracted period of political turmoil combined with natural disasters that led eventually to the Spanish Civil War in 1936 to 1939 and much of the area saw fighting between the two sides.  In the end, of course, General Franco took power as dictator and retained it until his death in 1975, at which point democratic government and the monarchy were both fully restored – as General Franco’s express wish.

Granada, as a centre of learning, had grown in importance throughout the period from the 19^th century.  The influential poet Federico Garcia Lorca was born not far from Granada and lived there until his execution by General Franco.  Another influential inhabitant was the composer Manuel de Falla.  In the 1970’s the University, which until then had been accessible primarily to the upper classes only, opened to all and the city sprouted student halls of residence.  The University itself had developed enormously and now contained, as it does to this day, one of the most important medical departments in the whole of Spain.