Talleres Loring (Loring Workshops) was a Spanish aeronautical company founded by engineer and entrepreneur Jorge Loring after moving to Madrid .
152-641: A predecessor company, Loring Pujol y Cia , had been founded in Barcelona by Jorge Loring together with Claudio Baradat Guillé in 1918. The new company established its factory in Cuatro Vientos , Carabanchel , in SW Madrid in 1923 and began production in 1924 . It soon received orders to manufacture military aircraft, beginning with Fokker C.IV planes. Later Talleres Loring would build some of Juan de la Cierva 's autogyro prototypes, such as
304-569: A Maghribian and, ultimately, Subsaharan pool of slaves. The Bank or Taula de canvi de Barcelona , often viewed as the oldest public bank in Europe, was established by the city magistrates in 1401. It originated from necessities of the state, as did the Bank of Venice (1402) and the Bank of Genoa (1407). In the beginning of the Early Modern period, Barcelona lost political primacy, but
456-571: A high-speed rail line with a link to France and the rest of Europe. The name Barcelona comes from the ancient Iberian Baŕkeno , attested in an ancient coin inscription found on the right side of the coin in Iberian script as [REDACTED] , in Ancient Greek sources as Βαρκινών , Barkinṓn ; and in Latin as Barcino , Barcilonum and Barcenona . Other sources suggest that
608-624: A jihadist attack. Amaq News Agency attributed indirect responsibility for the attack to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). During the 2010s, Barcelona became the focus city for the ongoing Catalan independence movement , its consequent standoff between the regional and national government and later protests . In July 2023, Barcelona was announced as the UNESCO-UIA World Capital of Architecture for
760-487: A common administration: Barcelona , Girona , Lleida and Tarragona . On several occasions during the first third of the 20th century, Catalonia gained and lost varying degrees of autonomy, recovering the administrative unity in 1914, when the four Catalan provinces were authorized to create a commonwealth (Catalan: Mancomunitat ) and, after the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic in 1931,
912-554: A complex institutional and political system based on the concept of pact between the estates of the realm and the monarch. The laws (called constitutions) had to be approved in the General Court of Catalonia, one of the first parliamentary bodies of Europe that banned the royal power to create legislation unilaterally, sharing it with the estates represented in the Court (since 1283). The first Catalan constitutions , derived from
1064-568: A day) in December to 310 (average 10 hours of sunshine a day) in July. According to Barcelona's City Council, the city's population as of 1 January 2016 was 1,608,746 people, on a land area of 101.4 km (39 sq mi). It is the main component of an administrative area of Greater Barcelona , with a population of 3,218,071 in an area of 636 km (246 sq mi) (density 5,060 inhabitants/km ). The population of
1216-442: A grid of streets to unite the old city and surrounding villages. There would also be wide streets to allow people to breathe clean air, gardens in the centre of each street block, integration of rich and poor giving both groups access to the same services, and smooth-flowing traffic. Urban quality, egalitarianism, hygiene, sunlight, and efficiency were all major keys for Cerdà's vision. Not everything he imagined would be realized within
1368-613: A large degree of autonomy. At the end of the 12th century in Catalonia, there were 12 vegueries. By the end of the reign of Peter the Great (1285) there were 17, and by the time of James the Just, there were 21. After the French annexion of the vegueries of Perpignan and Vilafranca de Conflent in 1659, Catalonia retained a division of 15 vegueries, nine sotsvegueries and the special district of
1520-425: A largely industrial city. As part of the preparation for the games, industrial buildings along the sea-front were demolished and 3 km (2 mi) of beach were created. New construction increased the road capacity of the city by 17%, the sewage handling capacity by 27% and the amount of new green areas and beaches by 78%. Between 1990 and 2004, the number of hotel rooms in the city doubled. Perhaps more importantly,
1672-518: A mile north of the new border. Catalan institutions were suppressed in this part of the territory and, in 1700, public use of Catalan language was prohibited. In recent times, this ceded area has come to be known by nationalist political parties in Catalonia as Northern Catalonia (Roussillon in French), part of the Catalan-spoken territories known as Catalan Countries . Currently, this region
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#17327901809461824-490: A nearby mountain. Barcelona averages 78 rainy days per year (≥ 1 mm), and annual average relative humidity is 72%, ranging from 69% in July to 75% in October. Rainfall totals are highest in late summer and autumn (September–November) and lowest in early and mid-summer (June–August), with a secondary winter minimum (February–March). Sunshine duration is 2,524 hours per year, from 138 (average 4.5 hours of sunshine
1976-633: A new stage of Catalan-Aragonese expansion, this time over the Kingdom of Naples , over which he eventually gained rule in 1443. However, he aggravated the social crisis in the Principality of Catalonia, both in the countryside and in the cities. Political conflict in Barcelona arose due to the disputes over the control of the Consell de Cent between two political factions, Biga and Busca looking for
2128-476: A new wave of immigration (particularly from Latin America and from Morocco ) has gathered pace. In 1987, an ETA car bombing at Hipercor killed 21 people. On 17 August 2017, a van was driven into pedestrians on La Rambla , killing 14 and injuring at least 100, one of whom later died. Other attacks took place elsewhere in Catalonia. The Prime Minister of Spain, Mariano Rajoy , called the attack in Barcelona
2280-542: A result of the War of the Spanish Succession defeat at the beginning of the 18th century. Between the 16th and 18th centuries, the role of the political community in local affairs and the general government of the country was increased, while the royal powers remained relatively restricted, which was attested after the two last Courts (1701–1702 and 1705–1706). The prolonged absence of the monarchs, who resided most of
2432-519: A solution to the economic crisis. Meanwhile, the remença (serfs') peasants subjected to the feudal abuses known as evil customs began to organize themselves as a syndicate against seignorial pressures, seeking protection from the monarch. Alfonso's brother, John II ("the Unreliable"), was a deeply hated regent and ruler, both in the Basque kingdom of Navarre and in Catalonia. The opposition of
2584-568: A typical Mediterranean climate. However, both June and August are wetter than February, which is unusual for the Mediterranean climate. This subtype, labelled as "Portuguese" by the French geographer George Viers after the climate classification of Emmanuel de Martonne and found in the NW Mediterranean area (e.g. Marseille ), can be seen as transitional to the humid subtropical climate ( Cfa ) found in inland areas. Barcelona
2736-465: Is 26 °C (79 °F). Generally, the summer or "holiday" season lasts about six months, from May to October. Two months – April and November – are transitional; sometimes the temperature exceeds 20 °C (68 °F), with an average temperature of 18–19 °C (64–66 °F) during the day and 11–13 °C (52–55 °F) at night. December, January and February are the coldest months, with average temperatures around 15 °C (59 °F) during
2888-432: Is a city on the northeastern coast of 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 city limits, its urban area extends to numerous neighbouring municipalities within the province of Barcelona and is home to around 5.3 million people, making it the fifth most populous urban area of
3040-640: Is a major cultural, economic, and financial centre in southwestern Europe , as well as the main biotech hub in Spain. As a leading world city, Barcelona's influence in global socio-economic affairs qualifies it for global city status (Beta +). Barcelona is a transport hub , with the Port of Barcelona being one of Europe's principal seaports and busiest European passenger port, an international airport, Barcelona–El Prat Airport , which handles over 50 million passengers per year, an extensive motorway network , and
3192-595: Is administratively part of French Département of Pyrénées-Orientales . In the last decades of the 17th century during the reign of Spain's last Habsburg king, Charles II , despite intermittent conflict between Spain and France and new internal conflicts like the Revolt of the Barretines (1687–1689), the population increased to approximately 500.000 inhabitants and the Catalan economy improved. This economic growth
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#17327901809463344-673: Is an older reference, in a more informal context, in Bernat Desclot 's chronicles, dating from the second half of the 13th century. As the Count of Barcelona and the Courts added more counties under his jurisdiction, such as the County of Urgell , the name of Catalonia, which comprised several counties of different names including the County of Barcelona , was used for the whole. The terms Catalonia and Catalans were commonly used to refer to
3496-543: Is considered the symbolic and historic successor of this institution. In order to recapt the "tax of the General", the Courts of 1359 established a permanent representation of deputies, called Deputation of the General (in Catalan: Diputació del General ) and later usually known as Generalitat , which gained considerable political power over the next centuries. The Principality saw a prosperous period during
3648-521: Is considered to be in the second half of the 12th century when the Catalan counties form a unified and cohesive political entity, –although jurisdictionally divided– called "Catalonia". This happens because the counts of Barcelona became the one hand, the majority of sovereigns Catalan Counties and the other hand kings of Aragon, which helped them prevail in the rest of autonomous Catalan counts ( Pallars , Urgell and Empúries ) if they were not in their feudal vassals, while also incorporated its extensive domain
3800-401: Is densely populated, thus heavily influenced by the urban heat island effect . Areas outside of the urbanized districts can have as much as 2 °C of difference in temperatures throughout the year. Its average annual temperature is 21.2 °C (70.2 °F) during the day and 15.1 °C (59.2 °F) at night. The average annual temperature of the sea is about 20 °C (68 °F). In
3952-498: Is extremely uneven. Half of the municipality or 50.2 km , all of it located on the municipal edge is made up of the ten least densely populated neighbourhoods containing less than 10% of the city's population, the uninhabited Zona Franca industrial area and Montjuïc forest park. Leaving the remaining 90% or slightly below 1.5 million inhabitants living on the remaining 52 km (20 sq mi) at an average density close to 28,500 inhabitants per square kilometre. Of
4104-467: Is found at and around the neighbourhood of la Sagrada Família where four of the city's most densely populated neighbourhoods are located side by side, all with a population density above 50,000 inhabitants per square kilometre. In 1900, almost a third (28.9 percent) of the population were children (aged younger than 14 years). In 2017, this age group constituted only 12.7% of the population. In 2017, people aged between 15 and 24 years made up 9 percent of
4256-561: Is home to two of the most prestigious universities in Spain: the University of Barcelona and Pompeu Fabra University . The headquarters of the Union for the Mediterranean are located in Barcelona. The city is known for hosting the 1992 Summer Olympics as well as world-class conferences and expositions . In addition, many international sport tournaments have been played here. Barcelona
4408-635: Is understood almost universally. Catalan is also very commonly spoken in the city: it is understood by 95% of the population, while 72.3% can speak it, 79% can read it, and 53% can write it. Knowledge of Catalan has increased significantly in recent decades thanks to a language immersion educational system. After Catalan and Spanish, the most spoken languages in Barcelona are those from North Africa, such as Amazigh and Arabic , followed by Bengali , Urdu , Panjabi , Mandarin Chinese , Romanian , English, Russian and Quechua , according to data collected by
4560-405: Is where the use of the term "principality" comes in, since at least since the 12th century, the word was synonymous with the term "kingdom" which alluded generically to political entities which categorize historiographically the expression "Medieval States". Yet it was not until the 14th century – specifically, since 1350 – that, thanks to work of Peter III of Aragon ,
4712-633: The Gesta Comitum Barchinonensium were compiled and written, being considered together as the three milestones of Catalan political identity. His son, King Peter II of Aragon , faced the defense of the Occitan territories, acquired from the times of Ramon Berenguer I onwards, from the Albigensian Crusade . The Battle of Muret (12 September 1213) and the unexpected defeat of King Peter and his vassals and allies,
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4864-404: The 1992 Summer Olympics . The process of urban regeneration has been rapid, and accompanied by a greatly increased international reputation of the city as a tourist destination. The increased cost of housing has led to a slight decline (−16.6%) in the population over the last two decades of the 20th century as many families move out into the suburbs. This decline has been reversed since 2001, as
5016-598: The Archduke Charles of Austria (as Charles III of Spain) landed in Barcelona. Previously, the same year, the Principality of Catalonia and the Kingdom of England signed the Pact of Genoa , receiving the first one protection to its institutions and liberties, entering in the pro-Habsburg Grand Alliance . The Treaty of Utrecht (1713) put end to the war, and the allied armies withdrew from Catalonia which, nonetheless, remained fighting with its own army by decision of
5168-633: The Byzantine Empire to fight the Turks, defeating them in several battles. After the assassination of Roger de Flor by orders of the emperor's son Michael Palaiologos (1305), the Company took revenge by sacking Byzantine territory, and they conquered the duchies of Athens and Neopatras in the name of the King of Aragon. Catalan rule over Greek lands lasted until 1390. This territorial expansion
5320-708: The Cierva C.7 and Cierva C.12 . Talleres Loring also would produce its own aircraft, mostly designed by engineer Eduardo Barrón , such as the Loring R-1 , the Loring R-2 and the Loring R-3 airplanes. Overwhelmed by the large financial cost of its projects, in 1931 Jorge Loring rejoined the government service. Three years later, in 1934 , the Talleres Loring company filed for bankruptcy . Jorge Loring
5472-569: The Count-Duke of Olivares , minister of Philip IV , tried to establish the military contribution of the states of the monarchy, the Unión de Armas ( Union of Arms ), but the resistance of Catalonia to the project was strong. This events, alongside other factors such as the economic crisis, the continuous presence of royal soldiers and the peasants' revolts led to the Reapers' War (1640–1652), in
5624-563: The Crown of Aragon , which conquered many overseas possessions and ruled the western Mediterranean Sea with outlying territories in Naples and Sicily and as far as Athens in the 13th century. Barcelona was the leading slave trade centre of the Crown of Aragon up until the 15th century, when it was eclipsed by Valencia . It initially fed from eastern and Balkan slave stock later drawing from
5776-564: The Duchy of Milan , for example. Following the Nueva Planta decrees of 1716 at the end of the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714) and the subsequent dismantling of the Catalan institutional system, the territory being annexed to Castile became a province of the new and more unified Kingdom of Bourbon Spain, but "principality" continued to be the definition of the territory, as witnessed in
5928-765: The European Union after Paris , the Ruhr area, Madrid and Milan . It is one of the largest metropolises on the Mediterranean Sea , located on the coast between the mouths of the rivers Llobregat and Besòs , bounded to the west by the Serra de Collserola mountain range. According to tradition, Barcelona was founded by either the Phoenicians or the Carthaginians , who had trading posts along
6080-552: The Junta de Braços until the capitulation of Barcelona after a long siege on 11 September 1714. The victorious army of Philip V occupied the capital of Catalonia and (as happened to the kingdoms of Aragon and Valencia, also loyals to Charles) the king enacted the Nueva Planta decrees in 1716. The decrees abolished the main Catalan institutions and public laws (except the civil and mercantile laws ), establishing absolutism as
6232-594: The Languedoc and recognized the Capetian king of France Louis IX as heir of the Carolingian dynasty . In return, the King of France formally renounced his claims of feudal lordship over all the Catalan counties. This treaty confirmed, from French point of view, the independence of the Catalan counties established and exercised during the previous three centuries, but also meant the irremediable separation between
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6384-663: The Middle Ages stemming from a number of these small counties throughout the northernmost part of Catalonia. The counts of Barcelona were Frankish vassals nominated by the Carolingian emperor, then the king of the Franks, to whom they were feudatories (801–988). In 878, Wilfred the Hairy , count of Urgell and Cerdanya, was appointed count of Barcelona, Girona and Osona. Since then, these last three counties were always ruled by
6536-534: The Philippines . There is a Japanese community clustered in Bonanova , Les Tres Torres , Pedralbes , and other northern neighbourhoods, and a Japanese international school serves that community. In 2007 most of the inhabitants stated they are Roman Catholic (208 churches). In a 2011 survey conducted by InfoCatólica, 49.5% of Barcelona residents of all ages identified themselves as Catholic . This
6688-599: The Romanesque art in Catalonia (monasteries of Santa Maria de Ripoll and Montserrat , collegiate church of Cardona, cathedral of Girona ...) as well as to the maintenance of rich libraries nourished by Classical, Visigothic and Arab works. The scholar and mathematician Gerbert d'Aurillac (future pope under the name of Sylvester II ) studied in Vic and Ripoll and knowledge of mathematics and astronomy were introduced from Arabic. In 988 Count Borrell II did not recognise
6840-639: The Second Spanish Republic later in the Spanish Civil War , until its capture by the fascists in 1939. After the Spanish transition to democracy in the 1970s, Barcelona once again became the capital of an autonomous Catalonia. Barcelona has a rich cultural heritage and is today an important cultural centre and a major tourist destination. Particularly renowned are the architectural works of Antoni Gaudí and Lluís Domènech i Montaner , which have been designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites . The city
6992-659: The Spanish Civil War , the city, and Catalonia in general, were resolutely Republican. Many enterprises and public services were collectivized by the CNT and UGT unions. As the power of the Republican government and the Generalitat diminished, much of the city was under the effective control of anarchist groups. The anarchists lost control of the city to their own allies, the Communists and official government troops, after
7144-530: The Spanish Empire , which engaged in frequent warfare in Europe striving for world domination. In 1516 Charles I of Spain became the first king to rule the Crowns of Castile and Aragon simultaneously by his own right. Following the death of his paternal ( House of Habsburg ) grandfather, Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor , he was also elected Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor , in 1519. The reign of Charles V
7296-406: The Umayyads in the early 8th century, it was conquered after a siege in 801 by Charlemagne 's son Louis , who made Barcelona the seat of the Carolingian " Hispanic March " ( Marca Hispanica ), a buffer zone ruled by the Count of Barcelona . The Counts of Barcelona became increasingly independent and expanded their territory to include much of modern Catalonia , although in 985, Barcelona
7448-436: The Val d'Aran . These administrative divisions remained until 1716 when they were replaced by the Castilian corregimientos . The Usage Princeps namque , dating from the 11th century, regulated the defense of the prince and the Principality, and became the basis of the organization of self-defense and paramilitary units throughout Catalan history, materialized in mutual-protection agreements known as Sagramental , while
7600-400: The Western Roman Empire 's collapse near the end of the 5th century. Moorish Al-Andalus gained control in the early 8th century, after conquering the Visigothic kingdom in 711–718. After the defeat of Abd al-Rahman ibn Abd Allah al-Ghafiqi 's troops at Tours in 732, the Franks gradually gained control of the former Visigoth territories north of the Pyrenees, which had been captured by
7752-432: The 13th century and the first half of the 14th. The population increased; Catalan language and culture expanded into the islands of the Western Mediterranean. The reign of Peter III of Aragon ("the Great") included the conquest of Sicily and the successful defense against a French crusade ; his son and successor Alfonso III ("the Generous") conquered Menorca; and Peter's second son James II conquered Sardinia; Catalonia
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#17327901809467904-420: The 14th century saw crucial changes for Catalonia, marked by a succession of natural catastrophes, demographic crises, stagnation and decline in the Catalan economy, and the rise of social tensions. The year 1333 was known as Lo mal any primer (Catalan: "The first bad year") due to poor wheat harvest. The domains of the Aragonese Crown were affected severely by the Black Death pandemic and by later outbreaks of
8056-440: The 1980s and 1990s as more people sought a higher quality of life in outlying cities in the Barcelona Metropolitan Area. After bottoming out in 2000 with 1,496,266 residents, the city's population began to rise again as younger people started to return, causing a great increase in housing prices. Spanish is the most spoken language in Barcelona (according to the linguistic census held by the Government of Catalonia in 2013) and it
8208-477: The 1990s, and similar to other migrants, many Latin Americans have settled in northern parts of the city. There exists a relatively large Pakistani community in Barcelona with up to twenty thousand nationals. The community consists of significantly more men than women. Many of the Pakistanis are living in Ciutat Vella . First Pakistani migrants came in the 1970s, with increasing numbers in the 1990s. Other significant migrant groups come from Asia as from China and
8360-439: The 2024–2026 term. This means it will be the hub for discussion around global challenges including culture, heritage, urban planning and architecture. In addition to being the capital through 2026, it will also host the UIA World Congress of Architects for that year. The honour is befitting of Barcelona, as its history is peppered with architectural achievement and various iconic styles and influences. From its ancient Roman roots, to
8512-514: The 73 neighbourhoods in the city, 45 had a population density above 20,000 inhabitants per square kilometre with a combined population of 1,313,424 inhabitants living on 38.6 km at an average density of 33,987 inhabitants per square kilometre. The 30 most densely populated neighbourhoods accounted for 57.5% of the city population occupying only 22.7% of the municipality, or in other words, 936,406 people living at an average density of 40,322 inhabitants per square kilometre. The city's highest density
8664-451: The Basque kingdom . This resulted in the reinforcement of the concept of Spain, which was already present in the mind of these kings, made up by the former Crown of Aragon, Castile, and a Navarre annexed to Castile (1515). In 1492, the last remaining portion of Al-Andalus around Granada was conquered and the Spanish conquest of the Americas began. Political power began to shift away from Aragon toward Castile and, subsequently, from Castile to
8816-435: The Catalan Church from the bishopric of Narbonne . In 1137 Count Ramon Berenguer IV of Barcelona married Queen Petronilla of Aragon , establishing the dynastic union of the County of Barcelona and its dominions with the Kingdom of Aragon , which was to create the Crown of Aragon . The reign of Ramon Berenguer IV saw the Catalan conquest of Lleida and Tortosa. Their son, Alfons , was the first king of Aragon who, in turn
8968-443: The Catalan Courts. After decades of conflict, the remença peasants were liberated from most of feudal abuses by the Sentencia Arbitral de Guadalupe (1486), in exchange for a payment. The marriage of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon (1469) unified two of the three major Christian kingdoms in the Iberian peninsula, while the Kingdom of Navarre was incorporated later following Ferdinand II's 1512 invasion of
9120-403: The Catalans, shortly before the dynastic union between the Crown of Castile and the Crown of Aragon in 1492. Barcelona became the centre of Catalan separatism , briefly becoming part of France during the 17th century Reapers' War and again in 1812 until 1814 under Napoleon . It was the capital of Revolutionary Catalonia during the Spanish Revolution of 1936 , and the seat of government of
9272-404: The Catalonia under Spanish administration (now as a province) continued the process of proto-industrialization , relatively helped at the end of the century from the beginning of open commerce to America and protectionist policies enacted by the Spanish government (although the policy of Spanish government during those times changed many times between free trade and protectionism), consolidating
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#17327901809469424-403: The Catalonian coast. In particular, some historians attribute the foundation of the city directly to the historical Carthaginian general, Hamilcar Barca , father of Hannibal , who supposedly named the city Barcino after his family in the 3rd century BC, but this theory has been questioned. Archeological evidence in the form of coins from the 3rd century BC have been found on the hills at
9576-462: The Catalonian coast. In the Middle Ages Barcelona became the capital of the County of Barcelona . After joining with the Kingdom of Aragon to form the confederation of the Crown of Aragon , Barcelona, which continued to be the capital of the Principality of Catalonia , became the most important city in the Crown of Aragon and the main economic and administrative centre of the Crown, only to be overtaken by Valencia , wrested from Moorish control by
9728-432: The Crown, including Valencia , the Balearic Islands , Sardinia , Sicily , Naples , and Athens , constituting a thalassocracy across the Mediterranean. The crisis of the 14th century , the end of the rule of House of Barcelona (1410) and a civil war (1462–1472) weakened the role of the Principality in Crown and international affairs. The marriage of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile in 1469 laid
9880-401: The Eixample district, but the iconic octagonal superblocks with chamfered corners for better visibility are his direct brainchild and remain immensely helpful even 170 years later. The district and its ideals were not appreciated at the time. The city council awarded the design of the extension plan to another architect. The Spanish government was the one to step in and impose Cerdà's plan, laying
10032-490: The Frankish king Hugh Capet and his new dynasty, effectively taking Barcelona out of Frankish rule. From that point on, the counts of Barcelona often referred to themselves as princeps (prince), in order to show their preeminence over the other Catalan counts. During the 9th and 10th centuries, the counties increasingly became a society of aloers , peasant proprietors of small, family-based farms, who lived by subsistence agriculture and owed no formal feudal allegiance. At
10184-458: The Generalitat was restored as an institution of self-government, but as in most regions of Spain, Catalan autonomy and culture were crushed to an unprecedented degree after the defeat of the Second Spanish Republic in the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) which brought Francisco Franco to power. Public use of the Catalan language was again banned after a brief period of general recuperation. The Franco era ended with Franco's death in 1975; in
10336-528: The Gothic and Modernisme movements, Barcelona has thrived through the way it ties together architecture and culture. Barcelona is located on the northeast coast of the Iberian Peninsula , facing the Mediterranean Sea , on a plain approximately 5 km (3 mi) wide limited by the mountain range of Collserola , the Llobregat river to the southwest and the Besòs river to the north. This plain covers an area of 170 km (66 sq mi), of which 101 km (39.0 sq mi) are occupied by
10488-428: The Islamic territories of Tortosa and Lleida . The political entity resulting from this process since the 13th century, was repeatedly mentioned the term "kingdom" as a medieval state, i.e. public domain political regime monarchist government. However, it consolidated this denomination officially, because, for various historical reasons, the rulers of the Kingdom of Aragon never used the title "King of Catalonia". This
10640-447: The King John II. The Civil War saw one of the first generalised use of firearms in a military conflict of Western Europe. In the Catalan Courts of 1493, King Ferdinand II confirmed the usage of Princeps namque . After the establishment of the monarchy of Spain in the 16th century, Catalans were found in Habsburg military, however, the Usage Princeps namque and the lack of a large Catalan manpower limited their presence in comparison to
10792-459: The Mediterranean coast of the Iberian Peninsula , it was colonized by Ancient Greeks , who chose to settle in Roses . Both Greeks and Carthaginians interacted with the main Iberian population. After the Carthaginian defeat, it became, along with the rest of Hispania , a part of the Roman Empire , Tarraco being one of the main Roman posts in the Iberian Peninsula and the capital of the province of Tarraconensis . The Visigoths ruled after
10944-697: The Muslims or had become allied with them, in what is today Catalonia. In 795, Charlemagne created what came to be known by historiography and some Frankish chronicles as the Marca Hispanica , a buffer zone beyond the province of Septimania , made up of locally administered separate counties which served as a defensive barrier between the Umayyad of Al-Andalus and the Frankish Kingdom . A distinctive Catalan culture started to develop in
11096-529: The Nueva Planta decrees created by the Royal Audience of the Principality of Catalonia in 1716. This situation remained until the Kingdom of Spain was transformed permanently, despite several Carlist Wars , into a liberal state in 1833, when Javier de Burgos eliminated the province of the Principality of Catalonia, dividing the territory into the existing four provinces. Thus, the term disappeared from
11248-452: The Principality and limited the power of the kings. The General Court of Catalonia (or Catalan Courts), with roots dating from the 11th century, is one of the first parliamentary bodies of Europe that, since 1283, obtained the power to create legislation with the monarch. The Courts were composed of the three Estates organized in to "arms" (braços), were presided over by the monarch as count of Barcelona. The current Parliament of Catalonia
11400-400: The Principality of Catalonia and the other realms of the Crown of Aragon has been defined by historiography as "pactism". It designate the explicit or tacit pact between king and kingdom (in its organic and estamental representation), which decisively limited the royal power. The vegueria was a territorial organization of Catalonia headed by a veguer (Latin: vigerius ). The origins of
11552-436: The Principality of Catalonia became an official and popular name. This political entity was part of some composite monarchies or dynastic conglomerates, such as the Crown of Aragon, the Spanish monarchy and the Kingdom of France (1641–1652), being on an equal footing with other political communities of the time, or external in relation to great empires, as were the kingdoms of Castile, Aragon, Valencia, England , Scotland or
11704-476: The Republican government. Massive, but peaceful, demonstrations on 11 September 1977 assembled over a million people in the streets of Barcelona to call for the restoration of Catalan autonomy. It was granted less than a month later. The development of Barcelona was promoted by two events in 1986: Spanish accession to the European Community , and particularly Barcelona's designation as host city of
11856-527: The Roman walls have been incorporated into the cathedral. The cathedral, Catedral Basílica Metropolitana de Barcelona, is also sometimes called La Seu , which simply means cathedral (and see, among other things) in Catalan. It is said to have been founded in 343. The city was conquered by the Visigoths in the early 5th century, becoming for a few years the capital of all Hispania . After being conquered by
12008-480: The Romans, it was a colony with the surname of Faventia , or, in full, Colonia Faventia Julia Augusta Pia Barcino or Colonia Julia Augusta Faventia Paterna Barcino . Pomponius Mela mentions it among the small towns of the district, probably as it was eclipsed by its neighbour Tarraco (modern Tarragona ), but it may be gathered from later writers that it gradually grew in wealth and consequence, favoured as it
12160-477: The University of Barcelona. Barcelona is one of the most densely populated cities in Europe. For the year 2008 the city council calculated the population to 1,621,090 living in the 102.2 km sized municipality, giving the city an average population density of 15,926 inhabitants per square kilometre with Eixample being the most populated district. In the case of Barcelona though, the land distribution
12312-634: The Usages of Barcelona, are of the ones from the Catalan Courts ( Corts ) of Barcelona from 1283. The last ones were promulgated by the Courts of 1705–1706, presided by the disputed Habsburg King Charles III . The compilations of the Constitutions and other rights of Catalonia followed the Roman tradition of the Codex. This constitutions developed a compilation of rights for the inhabitants of
12464-493: The administrative and political reality of the country. In 1931, Republican movements favoured its abandonment because it is historically related to the monarchy. Neither the Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia , Spanish Constitution nor French Constitution , mention this denomination, but, despite most of them being republican, it is moderately popular among Catalan nationalists and independentists . The political system of
12616-779: The city is Barna . Barça is only applied to the local football club FC Barcelona , not to the city. Another common abbreviation is 'BCN', which is also the IATA airport code of the Barcelona-El Prat Airport . The city is referred to as the Ciutat Comtal in Catalan and Ciudad Condal in Spanish (i.e., "Comital City" or "City of Counts"), owing to its past as the seat of the Count of Barcelona . The origin of
12768-477: The city itself. It is 120 km (75 mi) south of the Pyrenees and the Catalan border with France. Tibidabo , 512 m (1,680 ft) high, offers striking views over the city and is topped by the 288.4 m (946.2 ft) Torre de Collserola , a telecommunications tower that is visible from most of the city. Barcelona is peppered with small hills, most of them urbanized, that gave their name to
12920-599: The city may have been named after the Carthaginian general Hamilcar Barca , who was supposed to have founded the city in the 3rd century BC, but there is no evidence its name in antiquity, Barcino , was connected with the Barcid family of Hamilcar. During the Middle Ages , the city was variously known as Barchinona , Barçalona , Barchelonaa , and Barchenona . An abbreviated form sometimes used by locals for
13072-411: The coldest month, January, the temperature typically ranges from 12 to 18 °C (54 to 64 °F) during the day, 6 to 12 °C (43 to 54 °F) at night and the average sea temperature is 13 °C (55 °F). In the warmest month, August, the typical temperature ranges from 27 to 31 °C (81 to 88 °F) during the day, about 23 °C (73 °F) at night and the average sea temperature
13224-399: The collection of laws that ruled the county since the early 11th century. Usage #64 calls principatus the group of counties of Barcelona, Girona, and Ausona, all of them under the authority of the count of Barcelona. The first reference to the term Principat de Cathalunya is found in the dispute between Peter IV of Aragon and III of Barcelona and the Kingdom of Mallorca in 1343, and it
13376-516: The context of the Franco-Spanish War , in which Catalonia, governed by a Junta de Braços (revolutionary assembly or States-General) led by the president of the Generalitat, Pau Claris , broke with the Spanish king and briefly established itself as an independent republic under French protection in 1641, and later entered in a personal union with the Kingdom of France, appointing French king Louis XIII as count of Barcelona, but, after
13528-647: The counts of Toulouse, Comminges and Foix, against the French–Crusader armies, resulted in the fading of the strong human, cultural and economic ties existing between the ancient territories of Catalonia and the Languedoc. In the Treaty of Corbeil , 1258, James I of Aragon , descendant of Sunifred and Bello of Carcassonne and therefore heir of the House of Barcelona , relinquished his family rights and dominions in
13680-525: The dawn of the War of the Spanish Succession , the Bourbon Duke of Anjou claimed the throne of Spain as Philip V , and the Principality initially supported his claim. However, repressive mesures of the viceroy Francisco de Velasco and authoritarian decisions of the king (some of them contrary to Catalan legislation), as well the economic policy and distrust to the French absolutism provoked that Catalonia to change sides in 1705, when Habsburg candidate,
13832-484: The day and 9 °C (48 °F) at night. Large fluctuations in temperature are rare, particularly in the summer months. Because of the proximity to the warm sea plus the urban heat island , frosts are very rare in the city of Barcelona. Snow is also very infrequent in the city of Barcelona, but light snowfalls can occur yearly in the nearby Collserola mountains, such as in the Fabra Observatory located in
13984-404: The earliest settlement at the site of present-day Barcelona is unclear. The ruins of an early settlement have been found, including different tombs and dwellings dating to earlier than 5000 BC. In Greek mythology, the founding of Barcelona had been attributed to the mythological Hercules . According to tradition, Barcelona was founded by Punic ( Phoenician ) settlers, who had trading posts along
14136-420: The economy managed to achieve a balance between production capacity and imports. In the context of the wider early recovery of Catalonia from the 17th-century crisis in the second half of the century, increasing maritime activity since 1675 doubled traffic in the port of Barcelona compared to figures from the beginning of the 17th century. In the late 17th and early 18th century, Barcelona repeatedly endured
14288-472: The effects of war, including the 1691 bombing, the sieges of 1697, 1704, 1705, 1706, and the 1713 blockade and ensuing 1714 siege and assault. In the 18th century, the population grew from 30,000 to about 100,000 inhabitants, as the city became one of the key mercantile centres in the Western Mediterranean, with inland influence up to Zaragoza , and to the south up to Alicante . A fortress
14440-485: The end of the century, most of the aloers had been converted into vassals. During the regency of countess Ermesinde of Carcassonne (1017–1057), which received the government of Barcelona after the death of her husband the count Ramon Borrell , the disintegration of central power was evident. The response of the Catholic Church to the feudal violence was the establishment of the sagreres around churches and
14592-518: The feudal aristocracy. It commonly heard pleas of the Crown, civil, and criminal cases. The veguer did, however, retain some military functions as well: he was the commander of the militia and the superintendent of royal castles. His job was law and order and the maintenance of the king's peace: in many respects an office analogous to that of the sheriff in England. Some of the larger vegueries included one or more sotsvegueries (subvigueries), which had
14744-473: The first military successes, Catalans were finally defeated and reincorporated into the Crown of Spain in 1652. In 1659, after the Treaty of the Pyrenees signed by Philip IV of Spain , the comarques (counties) of Roussillon , Conflent , Vallespir and part of la Cerdanya , now known as French Cerdagne , were ceded to France. The town of Llívia remained part of Spain, however, an isolated enclave
14896-628: The foot of Montjuïc with the name Bárkeno written in an ancient script in the Iberian language . Thus, we can conclude that the Laietani , an ancient Iberian (pre-Roman) people of the Iberian peninsula, who inhabited the area occupied by the city of Barcelona around 3–2 BC , called the area Bàrkeno, which means "The Place of the Plains" (Barrke = plains/terrace). In about 15 BC, the Romans redrew
15048-484: The fortress is a museum and Montjuïc is home to several sporting and cultural venues, as well as Barcelona's biggest park and gardens . The city borders on the municipalities of Santa Coloma de Gramenet and Sant Adrià de Besòs to the north; the Mediterranean Sea to the east; El Prat de Llobregat and L'Hospitalet de Llobregat to the south; and Sant Feliu de Llobregat , Sant Just Desvern , Esplugues de Llobregat , Sant Cugat del Vallès , and Montcada i Reixac to
15200-516: The foundations of the monarchy of Spain . In 1492 the Spanish colonization of the Americas began, and political power began to shift away towards Castile . Tensions between Catalan institutions and the monarchy, alongside the peasants' revolts, provoked the Reapers' War (1640–1659), who saw the brief establishment of a Catalan Republic . By the Treaty of the Pyrenees (1659) the Roussillon
15352-555: The groundwork for many more tensions between the Spanish and Catalan administrations. Regardless, some of the upper class citizens of Barcelona were excited by the new plan and began a race to build "the biggest, tallest, most attractive house" in the district. Their interest and money fueled the rich diversity that we now see in the district's architecture. In the end, Cerdà's ideas would have a lasting impact on Barcelona's development, earning it international recognition for its highly efficient approach to urban planning and design. During
15504-770: The hegemony along the sea, while the army invested much of its resources in the conquest of Sardinia and in the War of the Sicilian Vespers . After the last one, most of the Almogavers (light infantry) became mercenaries of the Great Catalan Company created by Roger de Flor in 1303. Due to the outbreak of the Catalan Civil War (1462–1472), the Council of the Principality of Catalonia organised different military forces to fight against
15656-574: The historical region of Roussillon in Southern France . The first reference to Catalonia and the Catalans appears in the Liber maiolichinus de gestis Pisanorum illustribus , a Pisan chronicle (written between 1117 and 1125) of the conquest of Majorca by a joint force of Northern Italians, Catalans , and Occitans . At the time, Catalonia did not yet exist as a political entity, though
15808-492: The institutions of Catalonia to the policies of John II resulted in their support to the son of John, Charles, Prince of Viana over his denied dynastic rights. In response of the detention of Charles by his father, the Generalitat established a political body, the Council of the Principality , with whom, under menace of a conflict, John was forced to negotiate. The Capitulation of Vilafranca (1461) forced to release Charles from prison and appoint him lieutenant of Catalonia, while
15960-517: The instrument with which the Captain General of Catalonia , the supreme authority of the province (replacing the viceroy), appointed by the king, would govern. The division in vegueries was replaced with Castilian corregimientos . So late as in the 18th and 19th centuries, despite the military occupation, the imposition of high new taxes and the political economy of the House of Bourbon,
16112-539: The king would need permission of the Generalitat to enter the Principality. The content of the Capitulation represented a culmination and consolidation of pactism and the constitutional system of Catalonia. However, the disagreement of King John, the death of Charles shortly after, and the Remença Uprising in 1462 led to the ten-year Catalan Civil War (1462–1472) that left the country exhausted. In 1472,
16264-506: The last separate ruler of Catalonia, King René of Anjou ("the Good"), lost the war against King John. John's son, Ferdinand II ("the Catholic"), recovered the northern Catalan counties (1493), occupied during the conflict, and profoundly reformed Catalan institutions. The Constitució de l'Observança (1481) was approved, establishing the submission of royal power to the laws approved in
16416-421: The main Catalan, Aragonese, Valencian and Majorcan political institutions and rights and merged them into the Crown of Castile as provinces, ending their status as separate political entities. However, the territories, including the Principality of Catalonia, remained as administrative units until the establishment of the Spanish provincial division of 1833, which divided Catalonia into four provinces. Like much of
16568-493: The militia corps was known as Sometent . The feudal system allowed to lordships, institutions and corporations to raise its own armies, as well as to be convened by the king due to feudal agreements, alongside to the vassals and subjects of the other realms, however, there was no standing army . Catalan soldiers played an important role in the expansion of the Crown to Valencia, Majorca and the Mediterranean. The Catalan navy and its Catalan Galleys contributed to expand and secure
16720-508: The modern sense. However, a variety of royal and other symbols were used in order to identify the Principality and its institutions. Catalonia constitutes the original nucleus where Catalan is spoken. The Catalan language shares common traits with the Romance languages of Iberia and Gallo-Romance languages of southern France, it is regarded by a minority of linguists as being an Ibero-Romance language (the group that includes Spanish), and by
16872-561: The movement of Peace and Truce of God . The first assembly of Peace and Truce was presided by Abbot Oliba in Toulouges , Roussillon in 1027. The grandson of Ermesinde, count Ramon Berenguer I , began the codification of Catalan law in the written Usages of Barcelona which was to become the first full compilation of feudal law in Western Europe. Legal codification was part of the count's efforts to forward and somehow control
17024-473: The neighbourhoods built upon them, such as Carmel (267 m or 876 ft), Putxet (es) (181 m or 594 ft) and Rovira (261 m or 856 ft). The escarpment of Montjuïc (173 m or 568 ft), situated to the southeast, overlooks the harbour and is topped by Montjuïc Castle , a fortress built in the 17–18th centuries to control the city as a replacement for the Ciutadella. Today,
17176-483: The new economic growth model that was taking place in Catalonia since the end of the 17th century, becoming a center of Spain's industrialization; to this day, it remains one of the more industrialized parts of Spain, along with Madrid and the Basque Country . In 1833, by decree of minister Javier de Burgos , all of Spain was organized into provinces, included Catalonia, which was divided in four provinces without
17328-496: The new political system, and imposed the administrative use of Spanish language, progressively displacing Catalan. Apart from the abolition of the Catalan institutions, the Nueva Planta decrees ensured the imposition of the new absolutist system by reforming the Royal Audience of Catalonia, making it the highest governmental body of the Principality, absorbing many of the functions of the abolished institutions and becoming
17480-516: The next centuries. Under Alfons I the Troubador (reigned 1164–1196), Catalonia was regarded as a legal entity for the first time. Still, the term Principality of Catalonia was not used legally until the 14th century, when it was applied to the territories ruled by the Courts of Catalonia . Its institutional system evolved over the centuries, establishing political bodies analogous to the ones of
17632-439: The north and by the Mediterranean Sea to the east. The term Principality of Catalonia was official until the 1830s, when the Spanish government implemented the centralized provincial division, but remained in popular and informal contexts. Today, the term Principat (Principality) is used primarily to refer to the autonomous community of Catalonia in Spain, as distinct from the other Catalan Countries , and usually including
17784-601: The other kingdoms of the Crown (such as the Courts, the Generalitat or the Consell de Cent ) and legislation ( constitutions , derived from the Usages of Barcelona ) which largely limited the royal power and secured the political model of pactism . Catalonia contributed to further develop the Crown trade and military, most significantly their navy. The Catalan language flourished and expanded as more territories were added to
17936-563: The other polities of the Empire. Some cities like Barcelona gained recognition of self-defense and established urban militias, known as the Coronela . While the military conflicts with France arose, many Catalan militias took part in the fight alongside the regular army, as at the siege of Salses , in 1639. As a state under royal sovereignty, Catalonia, like the other political entities of the period, did not have its own flag or coat of arms in
18088-413: The outside perception of the city was changed making, by 2012, Barcelona the 12th most popular city destination in the world and the 5th amongst European cities. The death of Franco in 1975 brought on a period of democratization throughout Spain. Pressure for change was particularly strong in Barcelona, which considered that it had been punished during nearly forty years of Francoism for its support of
18240-484: The people of Catalonia and the Languedoc. As a coastal territory within the Crown of Aragon and with the increasing importance of the port of Barcelona, Catalonia became the main centre of the Crown's maritime power, promoting and helping to expand its influence and power by conquest and trade into Valencia, the Balearic Islands, Sardinia and Sicily. At the same time, the Principality of Catalonia developed
18392-593: The plague. Between 1347 and 1497 Catalonia lost 37 percent of its population. In 1410, King Martin I , the last reigning monarch of the House of Barcelona, died without surviving descendants. Under the Compromise of Caspe (1412), Ferdinand from the Castilian House of Trastámara received the Crown of Aragon as Ferdinand I of Aragon . Ferdinand's successor, Alfonso V ("the Magnanimous"), promoted
18544-463: The population; those aged between 25 and 44 years made up 30.6 percent of the population; while those aged between 45 and 64 years formed 56.9% of all Barcelonans. In 1900, people aged 65 and older made up just 6.5 percent of the population. In 2017, this age group made up 21.5 percent of the population. In 2016, about 59% of the inhabitants of the city were born in Catalonia and 18.5% coming from
18696-561: The process of feudalization. Under count Ramon Berenguer III , the County of Barcelona experienced a new phase of territorial expansion. This included a joint Catalan and Pisan Crusade against the Taifa of Majorca (1114) and the conquest of Tarragona (1116), restoring in the last one the archiepiscopal see of the city (1119), disbanded after the Muslim conquest. That meant the independence of
18848-507: The rest of the country. In addition to that, 22.5% of the population was born outside of Spain, a proportion which has more than doubled since 2001 and more than quintupled since 1996 when it was 8.6% and 3.9% respectively. The most important region of origin of migrants is Europe, with many coming from Italy (26,676) or France (13,506). Moreover, many migrants come from Latin American nations such as Bolivia , Ecuador or Colombia . Since
19000-506: The rise and any outbreaks of disease would devastate the population. To solve the issue, a civil engineer named Ildefons Cerdà proposed a plan for a new district known as the Eixample . The citizens of Barcelona had begun to demolish the medieval wall surrounding and constricting the city. Cerdà thought it best to transform the land outside the walls into an area characterized by a scientific approach to urbanization. His proposal consisted of
19152-535: The same person, becoming the political core of the future Principality of Catalonia. Upon his death in 897 Wilfred made their titles hereditaries and thus founded the dynasty of the House of Barcelona , which ruled Catalonia until the death of Martin I, its last ruling member, in 1410. Many abbeys were founded between the ninth century and the twelfth century while in the cities the episcopal seats were restored, forming important artistic and intellectual centers. These religious centers contribute to an important diffusion of
19304-486: The start of the 11th century the Catalan Counties suffer an important process of feudalisation, as the miles formed links of vassalage over this previously independent peasantry. The middle years of the century were characterized by virulent class warfare. Seigniorial violence was unleashed against the peasants, utilizing new military tactics, based on contracting well armed mercenary soldiers mounted on horses. By
19456-469: The street fighting of the Barcelona May Days . The fall of the city on 26 January 1939, caused a mass exodus of civilians who fled to the French border. The resistance of Barcelona to Franco 's coup d'état was to have lasting effects after the defeat of the Republican government. The autonomous institutions of Catalonia were abolished, and the use of the Catalan language in public life
19608-552: The subsequent Spanish transition to democracy , Catalonia recovered political and cultural autonomy . It became one of the autonomous communities of Spain . In comparison, Northern Catalonia in France has no autonomy. The counts of Barcelona were commonly considered the princeps or primus inter pares ("the first among equals") by the other counts of the Spanish March , both because of their military and economic power, and
19760-564: The supremacy of Barcelona over other cities. Thus, the Count of Barcelona, Ramon Berenguer I , is called "Prince of Barcelona, Count of Girona and Marchis of Ausona" ( princeps Barchinonensis, comes Gerundensis, marchio Ausonensis ) in the Act of Consecration of the Cathedral of Barcelona (1058). There are also several references to the Prince in different sections of the Usages of Barcelona ,
19912-633: The territory in Northeastern Spain and western Mediterranean France, as well as its inhabitants, and not just the County of Barcelona, at least since the beginnings of the 12th century, as shown in the earliest recordings of these names in the Liber Maiolichinus (around 1117–1125). The name "Principality of Catalonia" is abundant in historical documentation that refers to Catalonia between the mid-14th century and early 19th century. According to research carried out in recent decades,
20064-459: The time in Castile, led to the consolidation of the figure of the viceroy as the representative of the king in the Principality. However, over the next century, Catalonia was on the losing side of a series of wars that led steadily to more centralization of power in Spain. Tensions between the constitutional Catalan institutions and the gradually more centralized monarchy began to arise. In 1626
20216-499: The town as a castrum (Roman military camp) centred on the " Mons Taber ", a little hill near the Generalitat (Catalan Government) and city hall buildings. The Roman Forum, at the crossing of the Cardo Maximus and Decumanus Maximus , was approximately placed where current Plaça de Sant Jaume is. Thus, the political centre of the city, Catalonia , and its domains has remained in the same place for over 2,000 years. Under
20368-401: The urban area was 4,840,000. It is the central nucleus of the Barcelona metropolitan area , which relies on a population of 5,474,482. In 1900, Barcelona had a population of 533,000, which grew steadily but slowly until 1950, when it started absorbing a high number of people from other less-industrialized parts of Spain. Barcelona's population peaked in 1979 at 1,906,998, and fell throughout
20520-518: The use of this term seems to acknowledge Catalonia as a cultural or geographical entity. The counties that eventually made up the Principality of Catalonia were gradually unified under the rule of the count of Barcelona . In 1137, the County of Barcelona and the Kingdom of Aragon were unified under a single dynasty, creating what modern historians call the Crown of Aragon ; however, Aragon and Catalonia retained their own political structure and legal traditions, developing separate political communities along
20672-538: The vegueria go back to the era of the Carolingian Empire, when vicars (Latin: vicarii , singular vicarius ) were installed beneath the counts in the Marca Hispanica. The office of a vicar was a vicariate (Latin: vicariatus ) and his territory was a vicaria . All these Latin terms of Carolingian administration evolved in the Catalan language. The veguer was appointed by the king and
20824-476: The west. The municipality includes two small sparsely-inhabited exclaves to the north-west. According to the Köppen climate classification , Barcelona has a hot summer Mediterranean climate ( Csa ), with mild winters and warm to hot summers, while the rainiest seasons are autumn and spring. The rainfall pattern is characterized by a short (3 months) dry season in summer, as well as less winter rainfall than in
20976-437: Was sacked by the army of Almanzor . The sack was so traumatic that most of Barcelona's population was either killed or enslaved. In 1137, Aragon and the County of Barcelona merged in dynastic union by the marriage of Ramon Berenguer IV and Petronilla of Aragon , their titles finally borne by only one person when their son Alfonso II of Aragon ascended to the throne in 1162. His territories were later to be known as
21128-417: Was a medieval and early modern state in the northeastern Iberian Peninsula . During most of its history it was in dynastic union with the Kingdom of Aragon , constituting together the Crown of Aragon . Between the 13th and the 18th centuries, it was bordered by the Kingdom of Aragon to the west, the Kingdom of Valencia to the south, the Kingdom of France and the feudal lordship of Andorra to
21280-469: Was a relative harmonious period, during which Catalonia generally accepted the new structure of Spain, despite its own marginalization. For an extended period, Catalonia, as part of the late Crown of Aragon , successfully retained its own institutional system and legislation against the trend observed in southern and central Europe throughout the early modern age, which eroded the importance of representative institutions, until they were finally suppressed as
21432-677: Was accompanied by a great development of the Catalan trade, centered in Barcelona, creating an extensive trade network across the Mediterranean which competed with those of the maritime republics of Genoa and Venice . In this line, institutions were created that would give legal protection to merchants, such as the Consulate of the Sea and the Book of the Consulate of the Sea , one of the first compilations of maritime law . The second quarter of
21584-473: Was accountable to him. He was the military commander of his vegueria (and thus keeper of the publicly owned castles), the chief justice of the same district, and the man in charge of the public finances (the fisc ) of the region entrusted to him. As time wore on, the functions of the veguer became more and more judicial in nature. He held a cort (court) del veguer or de la vegueria with its own seal. The cort had authority in all matter save those relating to
21736-673: Was bailed out by his brother and founded Aeronáutica Industrial S.A. (AISA), which also manufactured aircraft for military use, and where he was found dead on 22 September 1936, at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War . The Loring RB surveillance aircraft , a monoplane prototype said to have been built right at the beginning in 1923, and the T-2 are developments about which there are almost no data. Barcelona Barcelona ( / ˌ b ɑːr s ə ˈ l oʊ n ə / BAR -sə- LOH -nə ; Catalan: [bəɾsəˈlonə] ; Spanish: [baɾθeˈlona] )
21888-666: Was boosted by the export of wine to England and the Dutch Republic , as due to the trade war of French minister Jean-Baptiste Colbert against the Dutch and later to the participation of these countries in the Nine Years' War against France were not able to trade with the French. This new situation caused many Catalans to look to England and, especially, the Netherlands as political and economic models for Catalonia. At
22040-434: Was built at Montjuïc that overlooked the harbour. Much of Barcelona was negatively affected by the Napoleonic wars , but the start of industrialization saw the fortunes of the province improve. In the mid-1850s, Barcelona was struggling with population density as it became an industrial, port city and European capital. The city's density was at 856 people per hectare, more than double that of Paris. Mortality rates were on
22192-405: Was ceded to France. During the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714), the Crown of Aragon supported the Archduke Charles of Habsburg . After the surrender of Barcelona in 1714 , King Philip V of Bourbon , inspired by the French model, imposed absolutism and a unifying administration across Spain, and enacted the Nueva Planta decrees for every realm of the Crown of Aragon, which suppressed
22344-500: Was suppressed. Barcelona remained the second largest city in Spain, at the heart of a region which was relatively industrialized and prosperous, despite the devastation of the civil war. The result was a large-scale immigration from poorer regions of Spain (particularly Andalusia , Murcia and Galicia ), which in turn led to rapid urbanization. In 1992, Barcelona hosted the Summer Olympics . The after-effects of this are credited with driving major changes in what had, up until then, been
22496-427: Was the center of the empire, expanding and organizing it, establishing institutional systems similar to its own. Barcelona, then the most frequent royal residence, was consolidated as the administrative center of the domains with the establishment of the Royal Archives in 1318. The Catalan Company , mercenaries led by Roger de Flor and formed by Almogavar veterans of the War of the Sicilian Vespers, were hired by
22648-412: Was the count of Barcelona, titles all the kings of the Crown of Aragon inherited from then on. During the reign of Alfons, in 1173, Catalonia was legally delimited for the first time, while the first compilation of the Usages of Barcelona was made in the process to turn them into the law of Catalonia ( Consuetudinem Cathalonie ). Apart from the Usages, between 1170 and 1195 the Liber feudorum maior and
22800-644: Was the first time that more than half of respondents did not identify themselves as Catholic Christians. The numbers reflect a broader trend in Spain whereby the numbers of self-identified Catholics have declined. In 2019, a survey by Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas showed that 53.2% of residents in Barcelona identified themselves as Catholic (9.9% practising Catholics, 43.3% non-practising Catholics). Principality of Catalonia The Principality of Catalonia ( Catalan : Principat de Catalunya ; Occitan : Principat de Catalonha ; Spanish : Principado de Cataluña ; Latin : Principatus Cathaloniæ )
22952-421: Was used again in the convocation of the Catalan Courts in Perpignan in 1350, presided by Peter IV. It was intended to indicate that the territory under the laws produced by those Courts was not a kingdom, but the enlargement of the territory under the authority of the Count of Barcelona, who was also the King of Aragon, as seen in the Actas de las cortes generales de la Corona de Aragón 1362–1363 . However, there
23104-460: Was with a beautiful situation and an excellent harbour. It enjoyed immunity from imperial burdens. The city minted its own coins; some from the era of Galba survive. Important Roman vestiges are displayed in Plaça del Rei underground, as a part of the Barcelona City History Museum (MUHBA); the typically Roman grid plan is still visible today in the layout of the historical centre, the Barri Gòtic (Gothic Quarter). Some remaining fragments of
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