CATALONIA

One of the most politically charged regions in today's Europe is Catalonia, officially an autonomous region of Spain. However, this post won't delve into the current political scenario but rather highlight important historical milestones that led Catalonia to a point of conflict with the Spanish government. This post aims to scratch the surface of the starting point of discontent between the two parties and help those who don't have much idea on the subject understand.

In the 4th century BC, when the Carthaginian Empire was spreading on the southern coast of Iberia, minor Greek settlements were the first to occur on the Catalonian coast. The colony of Emporion (Empúries) was the first one on the list, which started from a small island in the Bay of Roses but gradually moved towards the mainland. The current city of Roses was found a bit later after Emporion's establishment, by the name of Rhode. Both these settlements were important Greek settlements on the Catalonian coast that minted coins and maintained a healthy trade and commerce facility. This was followed by Iberian migration of groups such as Indigetes, Laietans, Ilergetes, Ausetanis, Lacetanis, Ceretanis, Bergestanis, etc. These pre-Roman tribes were soon to be absorbed into the Empire by the 2nd century BC when it spread only in mainland Italy, the islands of Corsica, Sardinia and Sicily, northern Albania, and the eastern coast of Iberia. The conquest of Catalonia by the Romans was a result of the various Punic Wars fought between the Carthaginian and Roman Empires between 264 to 146 BC; while the former controlled coasts of Iberia and Northern Africa. These forces fought against the Iberian tribes ultimately leading to Roman victory over the Iberians in 202 BC.

The forever capital of Catalonia, the city of Barcelona, was first established as a Roman settlement in 15 BC by the name Colonia Julia Augusta Faventia Paterna Barcino, considered the most immediate antecedent of the current Barcelona. Apart from the various names it got, the one unique alteration that the Muslims gave it in the 8th century AD was Barjelunah, a part of various Arabic spellings Iberian settlements got.

The period of the Crisis of the Third Century (235 to 284 AD) was when the Roman Empire faced tremendous military and political instability in Europe that resulted in several territorial changes such as the annexation of Palmyrene and Gallic territories, thus adding Levant, Turkey, Egypt in the east, and France, England, and Low Countries in the west to the Roman Empire. This period, apart from affecting Catalan settlements such as Barcino (Barcelona), Tarraco (Tarragona), Gerunda (Gerona), brought Christianity to Catalonia as well. But the fallout of the Romans in the 5th century AD was subsequently followed by the rise of the Visigoths who arrived as the allies of Romans, later to take over the Iberian Peninsula until the arrival of the Muslims in the 8th century.

Between 711 to 1492, Iberia (known as Al Andalus in Arabic) was under the rise and fall of several Islamic empires. Starting from the Umayyads, followed by Emirate and Caliphate of Cordoba till the 10th century, and then the periods of smaller taifas, Almoravid, Almohad and Nasrid (Caliphate of Grenada) dynasties, almost 8 centuries of Islamic rule in Iberia were toppled by the Christian Reconquista, to bring back Iberia from Islamic to Christian rule. None of them covered regions of Catalonia. In fact, it was the Frankish conquests (especially under the Carolingian Empire) during the medieval period where Catalonia was created as a buffer zone (part of the Marcae Hispaniae or Hispanic March) between the various Islamic dynasties and the Kingdom of France. But Catalonia was at this time not a singular unified unit but a conglomeration of small Catalan-speaking counties that existed between 878 AD to 1487. The various counties are listed below:

1. Ribagorça
2. Pallars Jussa
3. Pallars Sobira
4. Urgell
5. Cerdanya
6. Osona
7. Barcelona
8. Girona
9. Empúries
10. Besalu
11. Vallespir
12. Conflent (today in France)
13. Capcir (today in France)
14. Donasac (Donazac, today in France)
15. Fenolleda (Fenouillèdes, today in France)
16. Peratertusès (today in France)
17. Rossello (today in France)

While Muslim dynasties, with the exception of the Umayyad and Cordoba Caliphates, did not expand into Catalan counties, diplomacy and treaties between Barcelona and the taifa of Zaragoza played a crucial role in maintaining order between Catalonia and the Muslims. Catalan nobles preserved peace with the Muslims by negotiating treaties that involved the latter paying taxes to avoid attacks on Muslim territories. However, in the second half of the 11th century, the taifas began to lose power, and Muslims were absorbed into the larger Kingdom of Aragon (1035 to 1707). Muslims migrated and sought refuge in the valley of the Segre River, forming the western boundary of present-day Catalonia.

During the reign of Ramon Berenguer IV (1131 to 1162), the Count of Barcelona, the Crown of Aragon was established, stretching from the kingdoms of Aragon, Valencia, Majorca, Provence, and the Principality of Catalonia to the Lordship of Montpellier and the County of Gevaudan in the west. It covered the kingdoms of Sardinia, Sicily, and Naples in the central regions and the Duchies of Neopatras and Athens in the east. In today's terms, the Crown of Aragon encompassed parts of Spain, France, Andorra, Italy, Malta, and Greece. During this period, the Catalan counties united to form the Principality of Catalonia, which endured until the 18th-19th centuries. In 1258, Catalonia was officially recognized as part of the Aragon Crown by France in the Treaty of Corbeil, renouncing feudal overlordship claims. The General Court of Catalonia was established in 1283, and in 1359, the local executive body Generalidat, later named Diputació del General del Principal de Cataluña, was formed. The explicit mention of the 'Principality of Catalonia' (Principatus Cathalonie) occurred in 1362, primarily as a destination for the possessions of the Count of Barcelona.

In the 17th century, between 1640 and 1652, the Generalidat declared a free Catalan Republic (República Catalan Lliure) under the French King Louis XIII, who proclaimed himself as the Count of Barcelona. This declaration followed the Reaper's War or Guerra del Segadors, also known as the Catalan Revolt, against economic and cultural blockades imposed by the Spanish Crown under Philip IV. The subsequent power struggle involved various non-Catalan forces, including monarchs of France, Spain, and Austria, leading to changes in Catalonia's destiny. After the Reaper's War, Catalonia obtained recognition of its rights from the Habsburg Kings of Spain, but certain Catalan-speaking territories north of the Pyrenees were ceded to France, including Roussillon, Conflent, Vallespir, Capcir, and the northern half of Cerdanya.

The contest for supremacy over Catalonia between Spain and France persisted over the centuries. In 1714, Philip V of Spain imposed Spanish administration across Catalonia after they sided against him during the War of Spanish Succession (1701-1714), marking the formal rejection of Catalan autonomy. Since then, Catalans have resisted Spanish monarchy, facing ongoing challenges. The Napoleonic Wars, spanning from Canada to the Caribbean, Africa, India, Australia, and Malaya, had repercussions on Catalonia as the French Empire annexed the region between 1808 and 1813.

The city of Barcelona holds significance not only for Catalonia but also has historical connections beyond the European realm. Another major settlement named Barcelona was established in Venezuela in 1671. In the 19th century, the Province of Barcelona in Venezuela bordered the Caribbean Sea to the north, with the provinces of Caracas, Guayana, and Cumana to its west, south, and east, respectively. In Brazil, a small settlement named Barcelona exists in the state of Rio Grande de Norte in the Northeast region, not far from Venezuela. An interesting Barcelona also exists in the Philippines on Mindanao Island, originally known by its native name, Danlog.

The narrative provides an overview of Catalonia's history, geopolitical changes, and connections to other regions, offering a comprehensive understanding of its evolution over the centuries.