In Valencia, news of the execution of Louis XVI in Paris led to the formation of militias in preparation for the contingency of war with France. On February 27, clashes broke out between the recruited young people and the city's shopkeepers and traders. In the following days, conflicts escalated, with assaults on French stores. On March 25, more than 300 Frenchmen were imprisoned in the citadel of Valencia. Days later, on April 4, Captain-General Vicente María de Vera de Aragón, Duke of Roca, ordered the expulsion of all French people, except ecclesiastics. Meanwhile, a total of 39 men, many of them craftsmen, would be prosecuted as responsible for the riots. Among the factors behind popular mobilization we can point out the economic crisis, but also xenophobia and the spread of rumors about the imminent landing of the French army and the alleged conspiracy of French merchants.