Paradoxes of history and paradoxes of war. Who is celebrating victory, and who is losing!
To celebrate a victory is understandable. But how to celebrate their own defeat, given to understand, probably, only the Catalans. After all, 11 September 1714, the very last battle of the war for the Spanish inheritance took place just under the walls of Barcelona. Then, after a long siege, the Spanish troops of the King of Spain, Philip V, took the city by storm. According to the inhabitants of this province of Spain, it was then that they lost their independence, and still can not achieve freedom.
Barcelona Storm 11 September 1714
“Catalonia is not Spain,” it is written here on almost every fence. Catalan flags hang on almost every balcony, and the Spanish flag can only be seen above the mayor's office, and then paired with the Catalan! Well, it all started back in the distant 1700 year, when the elderly king of Spain, Charles II, died, leaving no heir. However, dying, he managed to appoint Prince Philip of Anjou as his successor. Well, his grandfather, the "sun king" Louis XIV, who dreamed of uniting Spain and France, declared him and his heir, so the power (and the land!) He had to get just tremendous.
"Sun King" Louis XIV
The Archduke Karl of Habsburg, the youngest son of Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I of Habsburg, undertook to challenge his rights to the throne. He was supported by England and Holland, who did not want to strengthen their main continental enemy. The small states of Europe intervened in the feud, wishing to "pinch off the big pie." That's how this war started and continued from 1701 to 1714 year. The Anglo-Dutch troops were commanded by the famous commander Duke of Marlborough, and the allied forces of Austria were the equally famous Prince Eugene of Savoy. Moreover, it would hardly be such a big exaggeration to call this war “the first world war”, because its battles were fought not only in Europe, but also in the overseas American colonies and on the seas and oceans. And the war itself was rather strange. Famous commanders drove their armies across Europe, here and there, without causing any harm to civilians. It was then that the English sunk the Spanish “silver fleet” in Vigo Bay (the event described by Jules Verne in the famous novel “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea” *), but in the end it was they who got the most from this war! They got as the French colonies in America (though not all yet), and Gibraltar, and England became the most powerful colonial power in Europe.
Battle of Denen 1712 year. That's so beautiful then fought!
Battle at Vigo bay 1702. How much gold and silver has sunk there - nobody knows exactly.
Philip of Anjou also made the throne! But he had to give up the French throne, so that no unification of Spain and France had happened! On September 11, after a fierce assault, Barcelona fell, and its inhabitants supported the Archduke Charles. And the era began, which can be briefly said so: "Woe to the vanquished!"
By the first decree of the king, all local Catalan authorities were abolished. Then the Catalan language came under attack - it was first forbidden to conduct any clerical work, then it was imposed administrative punishment for using Catalan speech in public places, including imprisonment. The fact that he was taught in school or printed books on it, there was nothing to dream. And this situation with some periodic indulgences persisted for almost three centuries, until the death of the dictator Franco in 1975.
But the most severely punished Barcelona itself. King Philip ordered the inhabitants of the richest urban area of La Ribera to dismantle their houses and build a fortress from these stones - the Citadel. In the fortress is located the Spanish royal garrison, whose task was to suppress the uprisings of recalcitrant Barcelonians. Another garrison was in a fortress on Mount Montjuic, and so during the insurrections the city could be covered with royal cannon fire from both sides at once. Citizens are forbidden to have at home any weapon, including cold. There was a rule: one house - one table knife, and it should be chained to the table with the help of a chain - even this mockery of the people! Spanish soldiers came to the houses of Barcelona at any time, and if someone found more than one knife, but two or a single knife was loosely chained, his master could be executed right on the spot of “crime”.
Philip of Anjou did everything that the Spaniards and the Catalans hated each other for ever and ever!
The prohibition on the destruction of the old city wall and on the construction of houses outside of it was a very difficult test for the inhabitants of Barcelona. Philip decided that a small town was easier to control, and did not allow it to develop. Only in the middle of the XIX century, the city was allowed to demolish its medieval wall, and the townspeople did it in just a few days - so great was their hatred. The citadel fortress was also destroyed then, and in its place today is the central city park.
At the same time, Philip offended the Catalans with the fact that he issued decrees that put an end to the political autonomy of the kingdoms of Aragon, which supported the Archduke Charles. But Navarre and the Basque provinces, which supported his person, did not lose their autonomy and retained their power institutions, laws, and culture.
As a result, the Catalans had nothing to do, how quietly and fiercely to hate the central government, although this was sometimes expressed rather strangely. So, in Barcelona, they began to celebrate the day of the capture of the city with great fanfare, that is, 11 of September. That is, this holiday was established by the royal power for a very long time, but ... turned into a nationwide. “Yes, we lost once,” say the people of Barcelona. - But we can win! That which bends does not break, and can straighten! ”So the bright and colorful folk festival 11 of September in Barcelona should not deceive anyone. In fact, this is a celebration of resistance, which was thus disguised as an officially authorized event.
Another and very funny symbol, if not of freedom, then of national identity, for sure, was a kaganer, or “serun”, a figurine of a man in a national Catalan costume performing a defecation act! Catalans put a figurine of a kaganer to the traditional Christmas crib, and the local Catholic church, however, looks at it quite tolerantly. For Christmas, they should be carefully hidden somewhere in the house or right in the den with the image of the Holy Family, and guests and children try to find them. It is believed that the one who finds and will keep the kaganer in sight throughout the year (at home or at his workplace) will definitely get lucky in life.
At the same time, the protest nature of this figure is obvious. First of all, this is a clear image of folk satire - everyone can be in the image of a kaganer - from a peasant to a monarch, which clearly shows that all people are equal before God. Catalan peasants also believe that the kaganers symbolize the fertility of the land, as they bring "fertilizer" into it. The traditional kaganer is always the usual Catalan peasant in a red beret. However, it is known that it appeared before the XVIII century, at least for a century, at the very height of the Inquisition. And again, the priests intimidated the peasants with tales of hellish torment, while the Catalans listened to them, came to their homes and made clay from the kaganers, often quite similar to holy fathers!
Well, then, especially from the 40s of the last century, the Catalans adapted the kaganers to again depict many other characters in this position: monks, devils, saints, Santa Claus, including various celebrities - local politicians and even ... members of the royal family. Why are there royal family! Pope John Paul II, Queen Elizabeth of Great Britain, Salvador Dali, Ronald Reagan, Osama bin Laden and many others were portrayed as kaganers.
In 2005, the Barcelona City Council banned their inclusion in the number of images on the Christmas holidays, but this provoked a real scandal - accusations of suppressing the national culture of the Catalans and the offensive on the part of Madrid to the original Catalan traditions sounded. The city council was even forced to come up with a more or less decent explanation, they say, in Barcelona it was forbidden in public places to cope with their natural needs, therefore the images of the kaganer seem to become an example of bad behavior in society. But ... it did not convince anyone! Today in Barcelona there are a lot of shops where all the shelves are filled with kaganers, and they themselves for every taste and for any price - from tiny euros for 2,5, to very large euros for 50! There are kaganery depicting US President Barack Obama, Sponge Bob, Einstein, all the stars of the Barcelona football team, etc.
Finally, it got to the point that in December 2010, a huge kaganer was placed at the main entrance to the Maremagnum shopping center in Barcelona and included in the Guinness Book of Records, as it turned out to be the biggest “serone” in stories.
Today, more than ever, Catalonia wants to secede from Spain. And everything began, by the way, with the prohibition of the national language ... Such are the paradoxes of history and culture.
* Jules Verne in the novel “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea” makes “the treasures of the Vigo bay” (the golden load of Spanish ships) the main source of wealth that Captain Nemo spends to support the fight for justice in the world and all sorts of other good deeds.
Barcelona Storm 11 September 1714
“Catalonia is not Spain,” it is written here on almost every fence. Catalan flags hang on almost every balcony, and the Spanish flag can only be seen above the mayor's office, and then paired with the Catalan! Well, it all started back in the distant 1700 year, when the elderly king of Spain, Charles II, died, leaving no heir. However, dying, he managed to appoint Prince Philip of Anjou as his successor. Well, his grandfather, the "sun king" Louis XIV, who dreamed of uniting Spain and France, declared him and his heir, so the power (and the land!) He had to get just tremendous.
"Sun King" Louis XIV
The Archduke Karl of Habsburg, the youngest son of Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I of Habsburg, undertook to challenge his rights to the throne. He was supported by England and Holland, who did not want to strengthen their main continental enemy. The small states of Europe intervened in the feud, wishing to "pinch off the big pie." That's how this war started and continued from 1701 to 1714 year. The Anglo-Dutch troops were commanded by the famous commander Duke of Marlborough, and the allied forces of Austria were the equally famous Prince Eugene of Savoy. Moreover, it would hardly be such a big exaggeration to call this war “the first world war”, because its battles were fought not only in Europe, but also in the overseas American colonies and on the seas and oceans. And the war itself was rather strange. Famous commanders drove their armies across Europe, here and there, without causing any harm to civilians. It was then that the English sunk the Spanish “silver fleet” in Vigo Bay (the event described by Jules Verne in the famous novel “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea” *), but in the end it was they who got the most from this war! They got as the French colonies in America (though not all yet), and Gibraltar, and England became the most powerful colonial power in Europe.
Battle of Denen 1712 year. That's so beautiful then fought!
Battle at Vigo bay 1702. How much gold and silver has sunk there - nobody knows exactly.
Philip of Anjou also made the throne! But he had to give up the French throne, so that no unification of Spain and France had happened! On September 11, after a fierce assault, Barcelona fell, and its inhabitants supported the Archduke Charles. And the era began, which can be briefly said so: "Woe to the vanquished!"
By the first decree of the king, all local Catalan authorities were abolished. Then the Catalan language came under attack - it was first forbidden to conduct any clerical work, then it was imposed administrative punishment for using Catalan speech in public places, including imprisonment. The fact that he was taught in school or printed books on it, there was nothing to dream. And this situation with some periodic indulgences persisted for almost three centuries, until the death of the dictator Franco in 1975.
But the most severely punished Barcelona itself. King Philip ordered the inhabitants of the richest urban area of La Ribera to dismantle their houses and build a fortress from these stones - the Citadel. In the fortress is located the Spanish royal garrison, whose task was to suppress the uprisings of recalcitrant Barcelonians. Another garrison was in a fortress on Mount Montjuic, and so during the insurrections the city could be covered with royal cannon fire from both sides at once. Citizens are forbidden to have at home any weapon, including cold. There was a rule: one house - one table knife, and it should be chained to the table with the help of a chain - even this mockery of the people! Spanish soldiers came to the houses of Barcelona at any time, and if someone found more than one knife, but two or a single knife was loosely chained, his master could be executed right on the spot of “crime”.
Philip of Anjou did everything that the Spaniards and the Catalans hated each other for ever and ever!
The prohibition on the destruction of the old city wall and on the construction of houses outside of it was a very difficult test for the inhabitants of Barcelona. Philip decided that a small town was easier to control, and did not allow it to develop. Only in the middle of the XIX century, the city was allowed to demolish its medieval wall, and the townspeople did it in just a few days - so great was their hatred. The citadel fortress was also destroyed then, and in its place today is the central city park.
At the same time, Philip offended the Catalans with the fact that he issued decrees that put an end to the political autonomy of the kingdoms of Aragon, which supported the Archduke Charles. But Navarre and the Basque provinces, which supported his person, did not lose their autonomy and retained their power institutions, laws, and culture.
As a result, the Catalans had nothing to do, how quietly and fiercely to hate the central government, although this was sometimes expressed rather strangely. So, in Barcelona, they began to celebrate the day of the capture of the city with great fanfare, that is, 11 of September. That is, this holiday was established by the royal power for a very long time, but ... turned into a nationwide. “Yes, we lost once,” say the people of Barcelona. - But we can win! That which bends does not break, and can straighten! ”So the bright and colorful folk festival 11 of September in Barcelona should not deceive anyone. In fact, this is a celebration of resistance, which was thus disguised as an officially authorized event.
Another and very funny symbol, if not of freedom, then of national identity, for sure, was a kaganer, or “serun”, a figurine of a man in a national Catalan costume performing a defecation act! Catalans put a figurine of a kaganer to the traditional Christmas crib, and the local Catholic church, however, looks at it quite tolerantly. For Christmas, they should be carefully hidden somewhere in the house or right in the den with the image of the Holy Family, and guests and children try to find them. It is believed that the one who finds and will keep the kaganer in sight throughout the year (at home or at his workplace) will definitely get lucky in life.
At the same time, the protest nature of this figure is obvious. First of all, this is a clear image of folk satire - everyone can be in the image of a kaganer - from a peasant to a monarch, which clearly shows that all people are equal before God. Catalan peasants also believe that the kaganers symbolize the fertility of the land, as they bring "fertilizer" into it. The traditional kaganer is always the usual Catalan peasant in a red beret. However, it is known that it appeared before the XVIII century, at least for a century, at the very height of the Inquisition. And again, the priests intimidated the peasants with tales of hellish torment, while the Catalans listened to them, came to their homes and made clay from the kaganers, often quite similar to holy fathers!
Well, then, especially from the 40s of the last century, the Catalans adapted the kaganers to again depict many other characters in this position: monks, devils, saints, Santa Claus, including various celebrities - local politicians and even ... members of the royal family. Why are there royal family! Pope John Paul II, Queen Elizabeth of Great Britain, Salvador Dali, Ronald Reagan, Osama bin Laden and many others were portrayed as kaganers.
In 2005, the Barcelona City Council banned their inclusion in the number of images on the Christmas holidays, but this provoked a real scandal - accusations of suppressing the national culture of the Catalans and the offensive on the part of Madrid to the original Catalan traditions sounded. The city council was even forced to come up with a more or less decent explanation, they say, in Barcelona it was forbidden in public places to cope with their natural needs, therefore the images of the kaganer seem to become an example of bad behavior in society. But ... it did not convince anyone! Today in Barcelona there are a lot of shops where all the shelves are filled with kaganers, and they themselves for every taste and for any price - from tiny euros for 2,5, to very large euros for 50! There are kaganery depicting US President Barack Obama, Sponge Bob, Einstein, all the stars of the Barcelona football team, etc.
Finally, it got to the point that in December 2010, a huge kaganer was placed at the main entrance to the Maremagnum shopping center in Barcelona and included in the Guinness Book of Records, as it turned out to be the biggest “serone” in stories.
Today, more than ever, Catalonia wants to secede from Spain. And everything began, by the way, with the prohibition of the national language ... Such are the paradoxes of history and culture.
* Jules Verne in the novel “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea” makes “the treasures of the Vigo bay” (the golden load of Spanish ships) the main source of wealth that Captain Nemo spends to support the fight for justice in the world and all sorts of other good deeds.
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