Seville is more than 2,000 years old. The passage of the various civilizations, instrumental in its growth, has left the city a distinct personality, and a large and well-preserved historical centre. Although it has a strong medieval, renaissance and baroque heritage, the city received heavy influences from Arabic culture. The city was known from Roman times as Hispalis. After the conquest of the Iberian Peninsula by the Islamic Moors, Seville was an important center in Al-Andalus, or Moorish Spain. The city was taken by the Muslims in 712 and renamed Išbīliya, from which the present name "Sevilla" is derived. It was capitol for the Kings of the Umayyad Caliphate, the Almoravid dynasty, and the Almohad dynasty, from the 8th to 13th centuries. In 1248 forces of King Fernando III of Castile won victory in Seville's chapter of the peninsula's Catholic Reconquista (reconquest).

Many original Moorish elements remain, including public structures, the urban fabric in the historic district, and large sections of the fortified city wall. The Moorish aesthetic and urban influences continued and are very present in contemporary Seville, a legacy appreciated by scholars and travelers; and a prestigious UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Following the 1492 Christopher Columbus expedition to the New World (from Seville's port), the results from his claiming territory and trade for the Crown of Castile (Spain) in the West Indies began to profit the city. A 'golden age of development' commenced, due to being the only port awarded the royal monopoly for trade with and riches from the growing Spanish colonies in the Americas. The city's population grew to nearly a million people in the first hundred years after Columbus.

The city's development continued, mainly due to its economical position in the Kingdom of Castile , with the construction of public buildings including churches, many of which are in Mudéjar style. The Moors' Palace became the Castilian royal residence, the Alcázar of Seville.

In the late 16th century the monopoly was broken, with the port of Cádiz also authorized as a port of trade. The Great Plague of Seville in 1649 reduced the population by almost half, and it would not recover until the early 1800s. As the Spanish Empire became unified and ruled by monarchs from European dynasties the Kingdom of Castile lost influence. By the 18th century international importance was in decline. After the silting up of the harbor by the Guadalquivir (river) upriver shipping ceased and the city went into relative economic decline. Seville's development in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was characterised by population growth and increasing industrialisation, unlike the rest of Andalusia.

Franco: Seville fell very quickly to General Franco's troops near the beginning of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 due to its proximity to the invasion force coming from Morocco. After the initial takeover of the city, resistance continued amongst the working-class areas for some time, until a series of fierce reprisals took place.