INTRODUCTION

Three hundred years ago, in the autumn of 1707, the Bourbon army that had conquered the kingdoms of Valencia and Aragon established a strong position in the western districts of Catalonia and occupied Lleida.

This was the direct consequence of the allied defeat in the battle of Almansa on 25 April. As the saying has it, Quan el mal ve d'Almansa a tots alcança (When ill comes from Almansa, it affects everybody).

The War of the Spanish Succession (1702-1715) was an international conflict that involved almost all the European states and their overseas colonies. The conflict also soon became a civil war at the heart of the Spanish Crown. The Bourbon victory led to harsh repression and many fled into exile. In Catalonia, as in other territories of the Crown of Aragon, it meant, furthermore, the abolition of the Constitutions and institutions of self-government, the end of the Catalan state.