The Battle of Montjuïc took place on 26 January 1641 during the
Reapers' War
The Reapers' War (, ; , ), also known as the Catalan Revolt or Catalan Revolution, was a conflict that affected the Principality of Catalonia between 1640 and 1659, in the context of the Franco-Spanish War (1635–1659), Franco-Spanish War of 1 ...
. A
Spanish force under
Pedro Fajardo launched an attack on the
Catalan army led by
Francesc de Tamarit, with French cavalry support. The Spanish force had recently
massacred hundreds of rebels who had tried to surrender at Cambrils.
The Catalan rebels had taken up position on the heights of
Montjuïc
Montjuïc () is a hill in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
Montjuïc or Montjuich, meaning "Jewish Mountain" in medieval Latin and Catalan, is a broad, shallow hill in Barcelona with a rich history. It was the birthplace of the city, and its st ...
which dominated the city of
Barcelona
Barcelona ( ; ; ) 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 c ...
. The Spanish launched several concerted attempts to capture Montjuïc Castle, but were continually repulsed. Finally a large force of Catalan rebels counter-attacked from the direction of Barcelona. Large numbers of Spanish troops were killed and the remainder had to withdraw to
Tarragona
Tarragona (, ; ) is a coastal city and municipality in Catalonia (Spain). It is the capital and largest town of Tarragonès county, the Camp de Tarragona region and the province of Tarragona. Geographically, it is located on the Costa Daurada ar ...
along the coast.
Amongst those killed at the battle was
John O'Neill, the exiled
Earl of Tyrone, who was serving with an Irish regiment in the Spanish army.
Bibliography
*
* Serra, Eva. ''La guerra dels segadors.'' Ed. Bruguera (Barcelona, 1966)
Military history of Barcelona
Battles of the Franco-Spanish War (1635–1659)
Battles of the Reapers' War
1641 in Spain
Conflicts in 1641
Battles of the Thirty Years' War involving France
Battles of the Thirty Years' War involving Spain
Montjuïc
Attacks on castles in Spain
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