The Siege of Barcelona 1714

The Siege of Barcelona 1714


Siege-of-Barcelona-11-septiembre-1714

Above: Siege of Barcelona. Jacques Rigaud (1680–1754) / Parr / Bowles - Institut Cartogràfic de Catalunya.

The Siege of Barcelona was a thirteen month siege which took place at the end of the War of Spanish Succession (1701–14). On 11th September 1714 Barcelona was defeated and the defeat ended the 13-year long War of the Spanish Succession. The war was between the Archduke Charles of Austria of the Habsburg dynasty who was supported by the  'Grand Alliance' of Great Britain,  the Netherlands and Catalonia - and Philip, Duke of Anjou of the Bourbon dynasty, who was supported by France. 

Origins of the conflict

The conflict arose over the disputed succession to the Spanish throne after the death of the childless King Charles II of Spain in the year 1700. The Spanish throne was vacant with two contenders to the throne: Archduke Charles of Austria and Philip, Duke of Anjou. Archduke Charles of Austria arrived in Spain in 1705 to make his claim and he stayed for six years, ruling as Charles III, but only able to rule over Catalonia.

When Charles' brother, Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor, died in 1711, Charles returned to Austria to assume the Austrian imperial crown and the title of Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI. This caused the Grand Alliance for Charles' claim to the Spanish throne to fall apart and the Bourbon contender for the crown, Philip of Anjou became Philip V of Spain. Philip was the first member of the French House of Bourbon to rule as king of Spain. Philip eventually won the war for the throne and became Philip V of Spain. Catalonia unfortunately found themselves on the losing side and Barcelona was the last pro-Habsburg and pro-Charles stronghold on the Iberian Peninsula when the city fell.

Prior to the fall of Barcelona in 1714, Catalonia was part of the Crown of Aragon, and was known as the Principality of Catalonia. At the time, the Crown of Aragon was in a dynastic union with the Crown of Castile. The union had been formed by the Catholic Monarchs, Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon, in 1469. The union was an alliance of their kingdoms, which were at the time referred to, as "the Spains". 

The defeat of Barcelona led to the end of the War of Spanish Succession and also to the end of the Principality of Catalonia's political status. Ironically, at the beginning of the conflict, the Principality of Catalonia had originally accepted Philip Duke of Anjou as their new Spanish King after succesful negotiations between Philip and the Catalan Consell de Corts parliament. However, the Principality of Catalonia switched sides and this decision would cause Catalonia's special rights and self-determination agreements within the Spanish crown to end from 1716. The Crown of Aragon, which included the Principality of Catalonia, was abolished by the Nueva Planta decree issued by new Spanish King Philip V in 1716 after his victory.

9th September 1714


The 13 month siege of Barcelona ended on 9th September 1714. The assault on Barcelona on 11 September started at 4:30 in the morning and succesfully breached the city wall in several places. Barcelona's "Conseller en cap" chief councilor and chief commander of the Coronela (the urban militia of Barcelona) was Rafael Casanova i Comes and he was wounded during the fight. The day was marked by fighting in the streets of Barcelona. Antoni de Villarroel was the general commander of the Army of Catalonia and he was also wounded. The day ended in surrender. There is a monument to Rafael Casanova i Comes in Barcelona near the place, where it is believed Rafael Casanova i Comes was wounded in battle on the last day of fighting. The defenders of the city were buried in a mass grave, now a square named 'Fossar de les Moreres' by the gothic church Santa Maria del Mar.

The war ended with the Peace of Utrecht which is a series of individual peace treaties signed in the Dutch city of Utrecht between April 1713 and February 1715. After the defeat, the Nueva Planta decree of 1716 was imposed by Philip V. King Philip V of Spain. Inspired by the model of French rule Philip imposed a unifying central government and administration across Spain, suppressing the Crown of Aragon, banning Catalan political institutions and rights and merging Catalonia into the Crown of Castile as a province. During his reign Spain evolved from a personal union of different states to a centralized kingdom. Following Dictactor Franco's death in 1975 and the transition to full democracy, the Catalan autonomous community government was created and the  Diada Nacional de Catalunya celebration was reinstated in 1980.

Exhibition Siege of Barcelona 1714

Archaeological site and permanent exhibition about the Barcelona Siege of 1714 in El Born Centre Cultural in the Born area of Barcelona's old medieval city centre. El Born Centre Cultural is housed in the former Mercat del Born, which is a iron construction from 1876. It was previously Barcelona's wholesale food market. It has been renovated and transformed into an impressive multipurpose cultural facility which gives Barcelona visitors and locals a glimpse of life in early 18th century Barcelona bringing together three centuries of Barcelona's history.

El Born Centre Cultural is housed in the former Mercat del Born, which is a iron construction from 1876. It was previously Barcelona's wholesale food market. It has been renovated and transformed into an impressive multipurpose cultural facility which gives Barcelona visitors and locals a glimpse of life in early 18th century Barcelona bringing together three centuries of Barcelona's history.

Below this 19th century marketplace you can see ruins of streets and house of early 18th century Barcelona that suffered the siege of 1714 falling to the Spanish after heroic resistance and a lengthy siege. After the siege all of Catalonia's national liberties were lost following the Nueva Planta decree. Visitors can enjoy the archaeological site known as the Ciutat del Born; a permanent exhibition on the Barcelona of the year 1700; an exhibition on the Siege of 1714, and a programme of arts and cultural events and more.

El Born Centre Cultural

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Last Updated on Tuesday, 17 September 2024 20:25
 

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