El ASEDIO de BARCELONA 1714: War of Spanish Succession

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During the early part of the war, Barcelona had fallen to the forces of Archduke Charles: his fleet had anchored in the port on 22 August 1705, landing troops which surrounded the city. These troops later captured the fort of Montjuic, and used it to bombard the city into its submission on October 9 of that year.

Even though the freshly defeated Catalan court then supported the Archduke against Philip V, the Franco-Spanish forces were not strong enough to attempt a recapture of the city until 1713. By 25 July of that year, the city was surrounded by Bourbon forces, but attacks upon it were unfruitful due to the scarcity of artillery.

The Bourbons then waited for a 20,000 man reinforcement force, which arrived in April-May 1714. The assault was renewed under the command of the Duke of Berwick, and after entering the city on 30 August, the Bourbons finally triumphed on 11 September. This defeat is now commemorated as the National Day of Catalonia, also known as La Diada Nacional de Catalunya.