However, long before it was known even to the ancient Romans, it was an important city for trade known as Iruña to the Basque tribes.  In 75 BC the Roman general Pompey (Julius Caesar's famous rival) made it an important Roman military city for his campaigns against Sertorius on the Iberian peninsula.  The city took Pompey's name and was known to the Romans as Pompaelo, which later became Pamplona. 

In the Middle Ages and Renaissance periods, Pamplona was the capital city of the Kingdom of Navarre.  Several famous kings resided in this city, ruling the fertile and diverse lands of northern Spain and southern France.  Historically Navarra has retained special political privileges.  Until 1841 Navarre was an autonomous kingdom in personal union with Spain.  Today it retains some of its historic privileges in relation to the central Spanish government.
Since 1926 when Hemingway published his first best-selling novel, "The Sun Also Rises," tourism to the annual festival of San Fermin has increased tremendously.  Each year more than a million visitors are expected as the popularity of The Running of the Bulls increases with media attention.