The siege of Barcelona took place between 14 September and 19 October 1705 during the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...

when a multinational Grand Alliance army led by Lord Peterborough, supporting the Habsburg pretender to the Spanish throne, captured the city of

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

from its Spanish Bourbonic defenders, most of whom then joined the Habsburg army. An attempted landing had been repulsed the previous year at the Landing at Barcelona. Following the city's capture by Peterborough, the Bourbons launched a concerted attempt to recapture it the following year during the 1706 siege of Barcelona, which failed. The city and

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a '' nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the no ...

remained in Allied hands until reconquered by the Bourbons in 1714.

Background

Following the outbreak of the war,

had been regarded as a base of support by the

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

in their campaign to put Archduke Charles on the Spanish throne in opposition to the rival French candidate Philip V.

was recommended as a potential target by the region's former Governor

Prince George of Hesse-Darmstadt Prince George Louis of Hessen-Darmstadt (1669 – 13 September 1705) was a Field Marshal in the Austrian army. He is known for his career in Habsburg Spain, as Viceroy of Catalonia (1698–1701), head of the Austrian army in the War of the Span ...

. In 1704, he had attempted a landing outside the city but had been forced to withdraw. However he continued to believe that the

Catalans Catalans (Catalan, French and Occitan: ''catalans''; es, catalanes, Italian: ''catalani'', sc, cadelanos) are a Romance ethnic group native to Catalonia, who speak Catalan. The current official category of "Catalans" is that of the citize ...

would welcome Allied intervention due to their opposition to

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

. The Bourbon authorities had clamped down with a series of repressive measures against the inhabitants. The Allies captured Gibraltar and began looking for fresh bases that might be taken. In 1705, a fresh expedition of mainly Anglo-Dutch ships and soldiers set out from

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administrative limits w ...

. The Duke of Berwick, recently replaced in his post as French commander in Spain, was concerned about the likelihood of an attack on Barcelona and unsuccessfully recommended that 12,000 French reinforcements be moved south from France. The Governor of Barcelona believed the Allies were more likely to move against

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative ...

. Although the commanders of the expedition had orders that allowed them to choose between several different destinations including Cadiz and the major French naval base at

Toulon Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...

, it was decided to attempt Barcelona again. Queen Anne promised to uphold the traditional liberties of the Catalans.

Landing

The expedition was under the command of the English General Lord Peterborough, whose second-in-command was James Stanhope. They were accompanied by both

Prince George of Darmstadt Prince George Louis of Hessen-Darmstadt (1669 – 13 September 1705) was a Field Marshal in the Austrian army. He is known for his career in Habsburg Spain, as Viceroy of Catalonia (1698–1701), head of the Austrian army in the War of the Sp ...

and the Austrian Archduke Charles. The fleet carrying them under Sir

Cloudesley Shovell Admiral of the Fleet Sir Cloudesley Shovell (c. November 1650 – 22 or 23 October 1707) was an English naval officer. As a junior officer he saw action at the Battle of Solebay and then at the Battle of Texel during the Third Anglo-Dutch Wa ...

arrived off Barcelona on 16 August. The city's defences had recently been repaired and strengthened and measures taken to make sure there was no rising by the Catalans in support of the Allies. Peterborough had been led to expect that he could count on the support of Catalan

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

s raised by the

Count of Cifuentes Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York ...

. On 23 August the Allied troops were landed three miles east of Barcelona. They were given a warm welcome by local inhabitants. Both Charles and Peterborough issued proclamations. In response to the landing, several thousand Catalan rebels gathered outside the city flying the Austrian flag. They blockaded Barcelona to prevent any supplies coming in. Some batteries were prepared under the command of the

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considerin ...

Colonel John Richards. Charles initially forbade a bombardment of the city for fear of offending his potential subjects.

Battle for the heights

Castell de Montjuic - Fossat entrada - Barcelona (Catalonia)

After the initial landing there was not much activity for several weeks. Peterborough was concerned that he had too few soldiers given the size of the garrison, and considered abandoning the siege and redeploying to

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. However in councils of war he was opposed by Admiral Shovell representing the navy as well as many the Generals under his command who favoured an assault. A major target for the Allies was the stronghold of

Montjuïc Montjuïc () is a hill in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Etymology Montjuïc translates to "Jewish Mountain" from medieval Latin and Catalan, and remains of a medieval Jewish cemetery have been found there. Some sources suggest that Montjuïc ...

, a major hill overlooking the city. In September Peterbrorough agreed to launch an attack, and to aid secrecy made a pretence that his Army was abandoning the siege and marching away towards

Tarragona Tarragona (, ; Phoenician: ''Tarqon''; la, Tarraco) is a port city located in northeast Spain on the Costa Daurada by the Mediterranean Sea. Founded before the fifth century BC, it is the capital of the Province of Tarragona, and part of Tarr ...

to the south. A British assault force led by

William Southwell William Southwell (1669 – 23 January 1720) was an Irish politician and British Army officer. Background He was the third son of Richard Southwell of Castle Matrix, Co. Limerick, and his wife Lady Elizabeth O'Brien, daughter of Murrough O'Brien ...

was readied, to be followed up by a reserve under General Stanhope. Although Prince George held no formal command, he accompanied the assault force as a volunteer and to help show them the way. The attack met with heavier resistance than anticipated, and Prince George was struck by a musket ball in the thigh. The wound proved fatal, and the loss of the Prince led to a collapse in the morale of the assaulting party.Hugill p.184 The hill was taken in September during the Battle of Montjuïc.

References

Bibliography

* * Falkner, James. ''The War of the Spanish Succession 1701-1714''. Pen and Sword, 2015. * Hugill, J.A.C. ''No Peace Without Spain''. Kensal Press, 1991. * Williams, Basil. ''Stanhope: A Study in Eighteenth-Century War and Diplomacy''. Clarendon Press, 1932. {{DEFAULTSORT:Barcelona Battles in Catalonia Siege of Barcelona (1705) Barcelona (1705) Barcelona (1705) Barcelona (1705) Barcelona (1705) Barcelona (1705) Barcelona (1705) Battles of the War of the Spanish Succession 1705 in Europe Conflicts in 1705 18th century in Spain 18th century in Barcelona Sieges of the War of the Spanish Succession 1705 in Spain War_of_the_Spanish_Succession