Albert Sanchez Pinol - Victus - The Fall of Barcelona

LA MOTTE:French lieutenant colonel injured in the battle for Santa Clara. La Motte was the officer who finally succeeded in persuading Berwick to suspend the attack, even if this was a humiliation for the Army of the Two Crowns.

LITTLE PHILIP:See Philip V.

LOUIS XIV:King of France, nicknamed the Sun King. As the king of France, he launched an imperialist policy that would lead to the Spanish War of Succession. Despite the creation of Versailles and the magnificence of his court, by the end of his kingdom, the country had fallen into ruin. In 1714 the fall of Barcelona was celebrated with a Te Deum in Paris.

MARLBOROUGH:English soldier and aristocrat who, during the War of Succession, managed to defeat the French troops at Blenheim, Schellenberg, and Malplaquet, successively. However, he was accused of embezzling public funds and prolonging the war unnecessarily for his own personal gain, and in 1711 was stripped of his positions. Marlborough was a relative of Berwick, with whom he maintained a private correspondence despite the fact that they were fighting on opposing sides throughout the war.

MASSUE DE RUVIGNY, HENRY:See Galway.

MATEU, JOSEP:Barcelonan miner who was a member of the brigade that managed to find the Bourbon mine stretching beneath the walls of Barcelona just before it was set to explode.

MINAS, MARQUIS DAS:Portuguese general who led his country’s troops that took part in the Battle of Almansa. Das Minas was a veteran commander, aged over sixty. Although the role played by the Portuguese battalions at Almansa was subsequently heavily criticized by their English allies, there is no evidence to support their accusations.

MOLINA, FRANCESC:Barcelonan of Italian origin who led Barcelona’s mining brigades. During the siege, he led the anti-mine work and found the principal Bourbon mine just as it was about to be blown.

MORAGUES, JOSEP:Catalan leader who fought the Bourbons outside the besieged city of Barcelona. At the end of the war, he was captured and executed. His skull was kept on display for over a decade on one of the gates into the city, as a warning against future rebellions. In the nineteenth century, the character of Moragues was retrieved by the Spanish romantic movement, who converted him into a mythic figure in the story of Catalan liberties.

NAN:Fictional character.

ORLÉANS, DUC D’:French aristocrat and soldier who took part in several episodes in the War of Spanish Succession, in Italy as well as in Spain. In 1708 he led the siege of Tortosa, a strategic location in the south of Catalonia. Following the death of Louis XIV, he succeeded him as regent, scandalizing Europe with his private orgies and parties.

ORTIZ:Pro-Austrian colonel who played a significant role in the battle of Santa Clara when his troops contributed toward surrounding the Bourbon vanguard.

PALLARÈS, DÍDAC:Barcelona citizen who was a member of the Coronela, or the city’s militia. During the siege, three of his sons, who were also members of that militia, died or were seriously injured.

PERET:Fictional character.

PHILIP V:Duc d’Anjou, grandson of Louis XIV of France, and Bourbon pretender to the Spanish throne following the death of Carlos II. After the retreat of the Allied troops, he considered Catalan resistance a seditious rebellion and decided to deal with the “rebels” with particular viciousness. From a very early age, Philip had shown symptoms of severe mental imbalance. In the final phase of his life, the symptoms of dementia became more acute, to the point where he grew his nails over ten inches long, dressed in rags, and slept in open coffins.

PORKY:Fictional character.

POLASTRON:Senior French officer killed in combat at the siege of Barcelona.

PÓPULI, RESTAINO CANTELMO STUART, DUKE OF:Italian nobleman serving Philip V. Pópuli felt personal ill will toward the Barcelonans because, he claimed, they had mistreated his wife during the disturbances of 1705. In 1713 Philip placed under his command the Franco-Spanish troops who were to begin the occupation of Catalonia. Faced with unexpected resistance from Barcelona, Pópuli laid siege to it. His inability to take the city led to his replacement by Berwick nine months later.

POU, JOSEP:Doctor from Vic who made an offer to the Bourbon troops of the city’s surrender, without the Catalan government’s knowledge.

ROGER, LLUÍS:Catalan nobleman who voted against Barcelona taking up arms against Philip V. He accepted the result of the final vote, which went in the opposite direction, and took part in the city’s defense. Died in combat.

SAAVEDRA Y PORTUGAL, GREGORIO DE:Pro-Austrian who appears at the most critical moments in the story of the siege, such as the battle of Santa Clara. During the final days of the siege, Zuviría was carrying out anti-mine work. This might explain why he does not mention that it was Saavedra tasked with answering the final Bourbon ultimatum to surrender. When the marquis of Tserclaes approached the walls to learn the city’s reply, Saavedra said: “The commons have met and have decided as follows: not to listen to any proposals from the enemy. Has Your Excellence anything to say?” “No.” “Well then, withdraw, because the fight will go on.”

SALA, BENET:Bishop of Barcelona who, in the 1713 debates, intervened behind the scenes for the pro-surrender position but without success. Despite his efforts, at the end of the war, he would face reprisals from the Bourbon regime.

SANT JOAN, NICOLAU DE:Catalan politician who, during the 1713 debates, led the group in favor of surrendering the city.

SANTA CRUZ (FATHER AND SON):Soldiers who held the command of the engineering corps of the besieged city of Barcelona. They deserted and offered their services to the Bourbon leadership, but the offer was not accepted, and father and son were evacuated to Alicante, suggesting that their posts were purely nominal.

SAUVEBOEUF:French soldier killed in combat during the attacks on Barcelona.

SHITSON:Foreign officer, name unknown, who took part with the Catalan troops in the ill-fated expedition by the military deputy. Castellví tells us only that he was an officer repudiated by his former superiors, and that in his flight, the deputy left the troops in his charge.

STANHOPE, JAMES:English aristocrat and soldier who, in 1710, was sent to Spain as commander of the English military force tasked with bringing an end to the war. His performance was heavily criticized, both politically and militarily, and in 1710 he was taken prisoner along with most of his troops. Stanhope would marry the daughter of the governor of Madras and enter a career in politics, and such an unfortunate one that his role as finance minister would coincide with the crisis that came to be known the South Sea Bubble, which ruined the English economy.

STRETCH:Fictional character.

TIMOR, JAUME:Catalan commander who, in 1714, played a significant role in the battle for Santa Clara, managing to prevent the defenders from abandoning the bastion when the situation was at its most desperate.

TOMEU:Colonel who, together with Colonel Ortiz, outflanked the vanguard of the Bourbon trench, a maneuver that completed the Franco-Spanish defeat during the battle of Santa Clara.

VALÈNCIA, ANTONI:Barcelonan nobleman. In 1713 he voted against shutting the city’s gates and resisting the Bourbon attack. He died defending the city.