Where does the saying ' The Catalans stones removed bread"?

Eugènia de Pagès
Professor of History

In 1985 , a philologist , Enrica Casanelles , found a valuable and powerful document and became the focus of his graduate thesis : the book of Acts of the Old City of Pardines small town of high Ripollès , which describes very detailed fiscal asphyxiation which were subject peoples in this region after the occupation of Bourbon.

The repression carried out in Catalonia by the Bourbon authorities after the war of succession , is relatively unknown , although it was an unprecedented brutality . Perhaps this explains why last obscures historical obvious.

This drowning was not an isolated event but should be seen as an approach to a very real scenario of widespread repression that occurred in Catalonia in the early eighteenth century and, although soon loosened actually continued throughout throughout the century.

Let's review some of the most relevant data not pretend to exhaust the subject:


A military administration completely , totally dependent on the captain general of Catalonia , replaced its institutions royal power emanating from the beginning: the Courts , the General Council , the Council of One Hundred , the Royal Court , chief magistrates , the figure of viceroy and all organs of royal power emanating from the Principality. These institutions , although they were associated with an estate society , and therefore , based on inequality legal residents of the Kingdom, is based on laws agreed that responded to the essential quality of constitutionalism and were the antithesis of arbitrary rule.

In the years after the war, they carried out 4,000 executions illustrious Catalan public . The most iconic and still is part of the popular imagination , is the general Moragues . In general they do not recognize military honors and shirt and barefoot penitent , was dragged alive by Barcelona street by a horse up to the scaffold where he was executed , beheaded and quartered . The head of General Moragues as a warning and derision , was put in an iron cage , which was posted on the website of the Sea . The chief did not retire until after twelve years ( 1727 ) . It is clear that this method of repression was common in the field of Bourbon in 1787 as the leader of the revolution Cuzco native who sought to achieve independence from the Viceroyalty of Peru , once imprisoned, was forced to witness the execution from his family and tried to dismember him , tying each individual limbs to horses so fruitless , and finally decided to carve it and then chop it. His head was exhibited in Cuzco and throws his limbs in other parts of Peru. And throughout Latin America became a hero .


The castles of the supporters of Archduke Charles were all burnt and their property confiscated . However, not only the ruling classes were suffering the effects of the Bourbon repression but the entire population. The King of Spain, Philip V , imposed " the tithe of force " in all the towns in the Principality , which were executed one in ten men chosen at random . Also, did not respect any of the capitulations which had pledged under oath . There were also mass executions , such as San Quentin from Medion , which hung from the gallows over 800 civilians.

Dozens and dozens of towns throughout Catalonia and Valencia , Xativa from Prats de Alcoy and Llucanes in Lleida, were completely burned in retaliation for felipista exercised as Arbúcies Caldes de Montbui Espinelves , Puebla Claramunt , Manresa Moiá , Oristà Peramola Sellent , Sant Feliu de Sasserra , St. Hippolytus of Voltregà , Sitges, Teia Terrace, Torello , Viladrau Vilanova Vilassar Quart de Poblet and Xativa . The case of Xativa is hard to believe. After being turned into ashes and their inhabitants deported La Mancha, the setabenses , became popularly known as socarrats . The name of the city was changed to San Felipe or Nueva Colonia San Felipe . For this reason, the box retains Philip 's coming down to the Museum of the Almodí Xativa .

Other measures relentless public order and social control imposed in Catalonia were: he control the residence of citizens , censorship of books, the inflexible application of the curfew , the involvement of unions and ecclesiastical retaliation .

But now, our main objective is primarily to explain economic repression that was carried out with a tax that actually became a punishment for the whole population . After the Bourbon victory in Catalonia won a fiercer tax that ruined the country and led to the desertification of the countryside and the abandonment of many villages . For example we , therefore, an extraordinary document of the Council Pardines , which provides an incredible first-hand information .

The mayor of the town of Perpignan name called consul in document explains how the total impotence of the inhabitants Alt Ripollès had to get rid of your belongings to face confiscatory taxes set by the forces of occupation :

The quinzenades they were suffocating taxes that had to pay every fortnight . To pay the first quinzenada Pardines neighbors were forced to sell the animals , which was their only source of income. After they were forced to remove their savings , dowries , jewelery , ... hidden under stones , for this reason the Spanish magistrates making it fun reading " Catalans take money under rocks " which led to " them Catalan Las Piedras sacan corduroys . " Then had to undersell 's houses , even the goods of the church , famous as a silver cross , which was the pride of the town. It was also the object of plundering the sanctuary of Nuria. In order to collect the following quinzenada forced a logging of community forests and mountains and within a few months of Ripollès were very bare . Oh, and those who did not pay were called twice . After a short time the villagers had to pawn and went into the hands of usurers . Finally , Pardines had pawned the mountain community of Portola , the joy of the people. But it was not enough for Philip According to the mayor, the tension was rising between local authorities and the occupying forces . These realized that it was more practical and economical to deploy permanently the territory that go there every fortnight . Their presence caused all sorts of abuses and tensions . This tension erupted when one day the head of the garrison slapped the first consul , reminding him who was the winner and who the loser and the latter played him pay " - brand big step ."

The minute book of the council Pardines started in 1665 runs out in 1939 , the Franco occupation. Nothing surprising.

Extent of repression was led people to a climate of demoralization and uncertainty unbearable. When the decree was enacted in New Ground , January 16 , 1716 was already done the dirty work of repression and goals achieved. Denationalization of Catalonia , the economic devastation and political domination and institutional , was a fact.


Or so think twice .