History of Catalonia

As we read the newspaper articles which involved some Catalan history, I thought I’d look at this for my entry, up to the reign of Ferran and Isabella.

Eastern European Celts arrived in what is recognised as the present day Catalan Territory and mixed with the natives, setting up numerous independent free tribes in the region, around 1000 BC. The Ancient Greeks arrived in the area in approximately 800 BC and set up commercial subsidiaries near the sea, it is thought that the period following this was quite successful economically as in the 5th Century BC 300 ships sank within the radius of Cap de Creus.

Next it was the Romans who arrived in 218BC and ruled until the 3rd Century AD whose success is seen in their expanding outposts, such as Barcino (now Barcelona) and Tarraco (now Tarragona). Following the demise of the Roman Empire in the 5th Century AD Catalonia was subject to many foreign invaders trying to seize power. First it was the ‘barbarians’ from Germania who took over, with the Visigoths coming from the north and made Catalonia part of the Kingdom of Toledo. After this it was the Moors who reached Catalonia in 716, with many people fleeing to the Pyrenees or the Franconians’ Empire, though after a battle in 778 Barcelona became the centre of the Franconians’ property in Spain.

However in the 9th and 10th Centuries the Franconians power faded and the Counts of Barcelona seized their opportunity by taking over the city and making alliances with the Kingdom of Aragon. It was Ramón Berenger I who gave the region its foundation for political life by unionising the ‘Cortes’ and proclaiming ‘Usatges’, which controlled the laws of the Catalonia and the rights of the people, drastically reducing the power of the king. It was Ramón Berenger IV who married Petronella of Aragaon and from the 12th to the 15th Centuries the two regions formed a common kingdom, this period saw the 1st written Catalan texts and the establishment of a municipal government in Barcelona. There was also a period of economic prosperity in the region, agricultural production and the population increased, with markets and banking flourishing, as well as Barcelona becoming a major trading port within Europe.

In 1348, as did most of Europe, Catalonia suffered greatly at the hands of the Plague, with 50% of the population dying, the crisis led to a climax during the civil war between the central government and Juan II of Aragaon. In 1469 Catalonia became part of the new Catholic Kingdom of Ferdianand (Ferran) II and Isabella of Castilia.

Hope at least someone found this remotely interesting and not just me blabbering on :).
Lee x

(http://www.cbrava.com/cathist.uk.htm)