ENCYCLOPAEDIA of Rebellions

Type a location (e.g. Barcelona), or a year (e.g. 1638) or a category of event (e.g. uprising) to filter the corresponding results.

Catalan revolt 1640

Synopsis
In early January 1640, in the context of the Franco-Spanish War (1635-1659), the royal armies of the Spanish Monarchy recaptured the fortress of Salses from the French. After the victory, the Count Duke of Olivares ordered the tercios to be distributed and billeted in the north and east of Catalonia, where they were to spend the winter. Their maintenance fell largely to the population, who had to provide them with shelter and basic sustenance. Such a demand was imposed on an impoverished society punished by constant shortages. In addition, soldiers were poorly paid, which encouraged looting and abuse among the population. All of this crystallised into a profound social unrest and an anti-military climate that ended up triggering a rural insurrection in Santa Coloma de Farners against the lodgings in May of that year. In a few weeks, this Catalan insurrection, which become known as the “Revolt of the Reapers”, eventually spread to cities such as Girona, Barcelona, Vic, Mataró and Tortosa – see the separate entries for these 6 uprisings. The local authorities managed to regain control of the cities, but the population continued to mobilise until September and there were outbreaks of violence until the end of 1640.
Additional info

Starting date: . Ending: . Duration: 8 months. Name in sources: Revuelta de los segadores. Location: Catalonia Country (current): Spain. Monarchy: Spanish. Main participants: Artisans, Peasants. Number of participants: >500. Main reasons & motivations: Anti-seigneurial, Fiscal, Political. Leadership: Sebastià Estralau, el Negre de Sant Andreu, and others. Relevance: high.

Further reading
ELLIOTT, John H. (1963). The Revolt of the Catalans. A study in the Decline of Spain (1598-1640). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. SIMON i TARRÉS, Antoni (2019). 1640. Barcelona: Rafael Dalmau editor. TORRES SANS, Xavier (2006). La Guerra dels Segadors. Vic: Eumo.
Cite this entry

Gracia-Arnau, Ivan (2022). "Catalan revolt 1640", in J. V. Serrão and M. S. Cunha (coord), Rebellions in the Early Modern Iberian World. http://atlas.cidehusdigital.uevora.pt/revolt/catalan-revolt-1640/ (accessed on 02 Novembro 2022).

Related Revolts