The War of the Spanish Succession: A Chronology
SPAIN
EUROPE
1700
— Charles II of Spain, known
as El Hechizado, or “The
Bewitched,” dies.
1701
— Philip V is named king.
— The Grand Alliance between Austria, Denmark, England, and Holland is formed.
1702
— The Grand Alliance declares war on Spain and France.
1703
— Portugal and the House of Savoy join the Grand Alliance.
1704
— The Austrian pretender to
the Spanish throne, Charles III,
disembarks in Portugal.
— Portuguese Campaign: The
Anglo-Portuguese army attacks
Spain from Portugal but is repelled
by the Franco-Spanish army under
the duke of Berwick.
— Admiral Rooke takes Gibraltar
in the name of Charles III of Austria
but with the flag of England hoisted.
— France loses forty thousand men in the Battle of Blenheim.
1705
— Treaty of Genoa, by which a
group of Catalan leaders make
a pact with England to support
them in a pro-Charles war effort.
— Charles III enters Barcelona and
establishes it as the provisional
capital of his kingdom.
1706
— Philip V lays siege to Barcelona,
but the arrival of an Anglo-Dutch
fleet forces his withdrawal.
— The Allies occupy Madrid, but
Charles III’s unpopularity leads
to the evacuation of the city.
— French defeat at the
Battle of Ramillies.
1707
— The Army of the Two Crowns
defeats the Allies at the Battle of
Almansa.
— The Bourbons occupy Lleida.
1708
— The Bourbons besiege
and take Tortosa.
1710
— Battles of Almenar and Zaragoza.
— The Allies enter Madrid for the second time, before being forced to evacuate by a Bourbon counteroffensive.
— Battles of Brihuega and Villaviciosa.
— Girona taken by the French army.
1711
— Emperor Joseph I of Austria dies. Charles, his younger brother, is
named as his successor and leaves
Barcelona for Vienna.
1713
— Signing of the Treaty of
Evacuation. The Allied armies
commit to withdrawing all
troops on the peninsula.
— June: The Catalan executive
declares resistance.
— July: Siege of Barcelona begins.
— Treaty of Utrecht: General peace between Europe’s powers is sealed. Philip V renounces any claim to the French throne, and Charles III to that of Spain. England reneges on the Treaty of Genoa, by which it had undertaken to uphold the Catalan constitutions in the case
of a military defeat.
1714
— September 11: Final assault on, and
fall of, Barcelona. Abolition of the
Catalan constitutions and liberties.
1719
— War between France and Spain.
Marshal Berwick’s French army,
with five thousand Catalans among
its number, takes several strongholds
in the Navarran region of Spain.
— Catalan guerrillas continue to fight
the Bourbon forces.
1725
— Treaty is signed between the Spanish and Austrian empires.
The Characters in VICTUS
ALEMANY, FRANCESC: Catalan nobleman who in 1713 argued against defending Barcelona. He did, however, agree to fight, accepting the result of the vote. Died in combat.
AMELIS: Fictional character.
ANFÁN: Fictional character.
BALLESTER, ESTEVE: Miquelet officer. According to the chronicles of the time, he was captured by the Bourbons during a skirmish at Beceite and subsequently rescued by his men in an epic counterattack. Although Ballester is a minor figure in historical terms, in Victus, Zuviría dedicates a large number of pages to him, perhaps because he came to consider him a representative of Catalan peasantry taking up arms.
BARDONENCHE, ANTOINE DE: French captain descended from a noble family. Took part in the siege of Barcelona as a member of the French army. According to Castellví’s Crónicas, he was involved in a rather frivolous and strange episode (which Zuviría does not include): In the early stages of the siege, he entered the city as a “guest,” of his own initiative, drawn by the beauties of its architecture. Despite their initial astonishment, the Barcelonans obliged him, and Zuviría was given the task of walking him around the city. He was soon returned, safe and sound, to the Bourbon lines, where the duke of Pópuli reprimanded him for his extravagance, but with no further consequences. Most likely, Waltraud Spöring decided to suppress the pages in question, like so many others, before sending the book to be printed.
BASSONS, MARIÀ: Barcelonan professor of law. He enlisted in the city’s militia and took part in its defense as captain to his own students. Died in combat in the battle of Santa Clara (Saint Clara) in August 1714.
BASTIDA, JORDI: Catalan soldier who defended Benasque in 1709. He was in Barcelona during the siege and met a valiant death defending the Santa Clara bastion in August.
BATLLE, BALDIRI: Catalan nobleman. He voted against the decision to defend the city from the Bourbon troops. He accepted the results of the vote, which went against his position. He died defending the city.
BEAST, THE: See Louis XIV.
BERENGUER, ANTONI: Catalan military deputy. Led the disastrous expedition that sought to raise recruits to attack the Bourbon rear immediately afterward. His incompetence led to his arrest upon his return, and to facing justice, albeit with no severe consequences.