The French Catalan People in Revolution and War, 1789-95

Reeve, Simon F.

This book examines the effect of the French Revolution and the ensuing war with Spain on northern Catalonia, annexed by France in the seventeenth century and constrained by the imposition of a political border along the Pyrenees. Assimilation of the northern Catalan people into France had been slow; by 1789, the Catalan-speaking majority remained stubbornly linked to their ethnic counterparts south of the Pyrenees. This work examines how confrontation between national and local allegiances played out as the French Revolutionary leadership propagated the concept of the nation state and challenged deeply-held traditional religious beliefs. Using detailed analysis of contemporary local sources, it illustrates the impact of geographic and ethnic ties within a historically insular region on the wider conflict between France and Spain. Local communities reacted, often in dramatically different ways, to being the frontline of an existential national war. French Catalans were forced into taking sides, some from conviction with others acting more pragmatically. Many chose to cross the frontier to Spain to escape persecution and retribution, only to return later when events allowed. Although weakened since annexation, the persistence of Catalan identity and loyalties remained a hugely significant factor in determining the course of the Revolution in this region.