jjares reviewed Catalonia: The History and Legacy of Spain?s Most Famous Autonomous Community on + 3271 more book reviews
The region of Catalonia is a triangular-shaped territory bumped up to the northeastern border with France and the Pyrenees Mountains. Barcelona is the regional capital and the people speak a language that is different from the Spanish spoken throughout the rest of Spain.
The Kingdom of Aragon and Catalonia were unified under a single dynasty, though they had their own structure and legal traditions. With the marriage of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile in 1469, the country started to move towards the Monarchy of Spain. Castile became more important than Catalonia.
But it was the rise of Francisco Franco that caused profound changes in Spain, especially Catalonia. Not until Franco's death in 1975 did Catalonia emerge from the dictator's repression. In 1979, Catalonia established its autonomy. The book brings up the conundrum of Catalonia being part of the Spanish country while seeking its own place. It may become an independent nation or just an autonomous region within the larger country of Spain. Only time will tell.
The Kingdom of Aragon and Catalonia were unified under a single dynasty, though they had their own structure and legal traditions. With the marriage of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile in 1469, the country started to move towards the Monarchy of Spain. Castile became more important than Catalonia.
But it was the rise of Francisco Franco that caused profound changes in Spain, especially Catalonia. Not until Franco's death in 1975 did Catalonia emerge from the dictator's repression. In 1979, Catalonia established its autonomy. The book brings up the conundrum of Catalonia being part of the Spanish country while seeking its own place. It may become an independent nation or just an autonomous region within the larger country of Spain. Only time will tell.
