An ancient Roman villa around Ruscino, is most probably the origin of Perpignan.
The Counts of Roussillon, by settling at Perpinyà in the last years of the 10th century made it the political capital of the county.
In 1258, Saint Louis renounces his rights of sovereignty to the benefit of Jack I the Conquerer. This act made, for several centuries, Perpignan and Roussillon belong to the kingdom of Catalan-Aragonais.
The city of Perpignan was at its peak between 1276 and 1344. A period during which it becomes the continental capital of the new "Kingdom of Majorca". It was instituted by Jack I the Conquerer, including the Baleares islands, Roussillon, Cerdagne and the seigniory of Montpellier.
It is from then on that the Royal Castle of Perpignan was instituted, where resided successively Jacques I (1276-1311), Sanche (1311-1324) and Jacques II (1324-1344), king of the short-lived Kingdom of Majorca.
Perpignan, during this period enjoyed a considerable commercial and industrial boom.
Occupied by Louis XI in 1463, Perpignan rose up against the French in 1473 and was recaptured in 1474, after a terrible siege. The repression was hard, but in 1493 Charles VIII, wishing to have a free hand in Italy, restored Roussillon and Cerdagne to the Catholic Kings.
The French-Spanish rivalry and the conflicts which follow, quickens the economic downfall of Perpignan.
Following the Catalane revolt of 1640 ( the Catalans revolted against the government of Madrid), Perpignan experienced again a memorable siege, in which Louis XIII and the Cardinal of Richelieu participated.
The gigantic works of Vauban must have made Perpignan a fortified city and yet, today, remains almost nothing of the work of the great engineer. The need for expansion caused the city to break down the surrounding walls which constricted her (around 1900).

Since then, the new city has grown considerably and has a series of beautiful squares and avenues shaded by plane, mimosa and palm trees. It keeps a stictly Southern color and flavor which gives it the added value of a leisure city where one spends a pleasant and enjoyable stay.