useless-catalanfacts:One of the rules that the Spanish king created when Castile (Spain) invaded Cat

useless-catalanfacts:One of the rules that the Spanish king created when Castile (Spain) invaded Catalonia in the year 1714 was this: Catalans were limited to one knife per family, which was to be used only to cut bread and had to be chained to the table.If you visit old Catalan houses nowadays, you may sometimes still see the chain that tied the knife.Other changes in Catalonia imposed by the Spanish military occupation included the following: All the Catalan institutions were abolished and they imposed the Spanish absolute monarchy with Spanish governors chosen by the kingImposition of the Spanish language as the only official one, banning the use of Catalan in public documentsJail or execution of people who had had an important role in the defense of Catalonia during the war. There were also some extreme cases, such as general Josep Moragues. He was dragged alive through the streets of Barcelona, killed and his body mutilated. His head was exposed for 12 years on top of the entrance gate to Barcelona as a warning to anyone who thought to rebelJailing of thousands of Catalan peopleAll the possessions of people who were known to have fought in defense of Catalonia’s independence (including the ones who had died in the war) were confiscatedCatalans were forced to house the Spanish army in their homes, and every town had to dedicate a percentage of their fields to grow food for the horses of the Spanish armyCatalonia had to pay very high taxes to Spain, and those who refused to pay it had the army sent to their home to force them to payEveryone who had worked for the Catalan administration or governments was fired, and those judges, lawyers, scribes, nobles and members of the church who had been against the Spanish invasion were forced to go on exileDestruction of many castles all around CataloniaDestruction of historical documents like the Annals of Catalonia by Feliu de la Penyaand all the documents printed during the warAbolition of Catalan money and prohibition of Catalonia to ever make its own money again, and the coins already in circulation would be worth one third of their original costProhibition for Catalan people to have weapons. Prohibition of the Catalans who had had the right to have a sword (it was an honour to be awarded the right to carry sword) from using it.Replacing the Catalan symbols (like the senyera and Saint George) for portraits of the Spanish king Felipe V, the Bourbonic coat of arms and other symbols of the Spanish monarchyDestroying one third of Barcelona, the houses of hundreds of families who had nowhere to go, to build the biggest citadel in Europe in order to control BarcelonaEvery day at 2 pm the Cathedral of Barcelona had to ring the bells for a prayer to the Spanish King, to reminds the citizens of the occupation. The bell called Honorata was destroyed for the crime of having rang to call citizens to defend the city against the invasion[The photo is from Casa Gassia, an old house turned into museum in Esterri d’Àneu (High Pyrenees, Catalonia). Photo by Jordi Borràs for La Mira.] -- source link

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