Catalan School. 18th century.

Catalan School. 18th century.
"Siege in Barcelona".
Oil on canvas. 110 x 171 cm.
On the right side is a cartouche with the inscription: "El virrei Velasco es rendex als ali-ats comandats per Lord Peterborough Barcelona 1705" (The viceroy Velasco surrenders to the allies commanded by Lord Peterborough, Barcelona 1705).
As we can read in its inscription, the painting depicts the Siege of Barcelona (1705), one of the most important episodes of the Spanish War of Succession; also being the third siege of the five that took place in Barcelona between 1697 and 1714. More specifically, it depicts the moment of surrender of Francisco de Velasco, the Viceroy of Catalonia’s troops to the Hapsburg allies, led by the Earl of Peterborough, commander in chief of the British army during this particular part of the war.
This historical event is highly relevant not only because of the change in the political paradigm that it entailed, as it was triggered by Philip V’s loss of the Crown of Aragon, but also the diversity of opinions which exist regarding the precise causes of Philip V’s defeat. In this regard, it must be taken into account that Velasco’s troops, despite lacking in some means to defend themselves, did have certain advantages over Peterborough’s, having superior cavalry throughout the entire siege, and more infantry and artillery during the Battle of Montjuic, among other factors. (Vozmediano, 2014).
It is common to point to an internal conspiracy in Catalonia in favour of the Austrian pretender, Archduke Charles, as one of the principal motives for the capitulation of Barcelona. In fact, it is undeniable that there was certain disaffection for Velasco’s viceroyalty, which had been bestowed recently and rather controversially due to its authoritarian origin. It is also true that there was a social base among the upper echelons of Catalan society which envisioned the possible implantation of a more suitable environment for freely developing their economic activities in a kingdom formed by the Archduke Charles. These activities had for some decades been more linked to Lisbon, London and Amsterdam than France, which was their main rival in the textiles market (García Fuertes, 2004). In this context, the Pact of Genoa (Crow et al., 1705) was signed between the English and the Catalans, in which loyalty was promised to Charles III in exchange for "securing the privileges and laws of the Principality".
In any case, as the researcher Arroyo Vozmediano explains in his study, (2014, p. 92) "one cannot talk of generalised or even majority support among the Catalans for the insurrection in favour of the pretender" and, in fact, the two "Vigatans" representatives of the Catalan faction in the aforementioned treaty lacked the necessary political and judicial authority, a fact which cannot but be surprising given the reach and transcendence which the pact had (García Fuertes, 2004). Vozmediano still points to Velasco himself as the fundamental cause of the defeat depicted on this canvas, blaming his passivity towards his enemies and, additionally, a lack of judgment which gave reign to his prejudices and mistrust towards the people he governed.
Whatever the case, the surrender of 1705 and the consequent change in dynasty certainly did not mean the end of the conflict, which still claimed nine long years of sieges, treaties, bombardments, decrees, sackings, assemblies and civil victims…, concluding with the final tragic assault on the city on the 11th September 1714.

Bibliographic references:
- Arroyo Vozmediano, J. L. (2014). Francisco de Velasco y los catalanes. Sitio y capitulación de Barcelona, 1705. Hispania, 74 (246), 69-94. https://doi.org/10.3989/hispania.2014.003
- Crow, M. - Peguera y Americh, A. and Perera, D. (1705). Pacto de Génova. Version published on Wikisource (10th January 2007). https://bit.ly/3GY4hNC
- García Fuertes, G. (2004). De la conspiración austracista a la integración a la Nueva Planta: la familia Durán, máximo exponente de la burguesía mercantil en el siglo XVIII. Espacio Tiempo Y Forma. Serie IV, Historia Moderna, (17). https://doi.org/10.5944/etfiv.17.2004.3445
- Segura García, G. (9th September 2016). El Sitio de Barcelona. El fin de la Guerra de Sucesión. National Geographic. Historia. Recuperated 23 January 2022 in https://bit.ly/3qRlQt8