ALMANSA
TOURISM
THE BATTLE
OF ALMANSA
25 April
1707
Decisive
event in the
Spanish
Succesion
War
A day in the
European
history
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The Spanish Succession War
1701 - 1715.
The battle of Almansa (25 April 1707)
is one of the most decisive events
in the Spanish Succession War,
which started after the death of king
Charles II (1-11-1700) because he
had no immediate heir to the throne.
According to his last will and testament,
the Duke of Anjou, Louis XIV´s
grandson, was the succesor to the
Spanish throne and, at age 17, he
became king Philip V of Spain.
Philip V
in
1701
When the Archduke Charles of Austria
complained about being rejected his
succession rights to the Spanish throne, it
started a European war which would last
from 1701 to 1715 in which almost all or
Europe would be involved.
The Grand Alliance, supporting
the Austrian candidate, was
composed by England, Holland and
Austria. In 1703 Savoy and
Portugal would be added to this
force. The Two Crowns (Spain and
France) together with the dukedom
of Bavaria would try to keep Philip
V on the throne.
Archduke
Carlos
of
Austria.
1707
From 1701 until 1704 the great
battles took place in Europe. In
1705, after a short month of siege,
the Archduke
Charles
took
Barcelona. Since that moment,
almost the whole Crown of Aragon
(Catalonia, Valencia, Aragon and
Balearic Islands) would support the
Grand Alliance.
In 1705 the Spanish Succesion War
became not only a European
conflict, but also a civil war.
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The Battle of Almansa
25 April 1707
In the winter of 1706, Charles had
established his court in Valencia. At
the beginning of April 1707, his
military commanders, Portuguese
Marquis Das Minas and French
Huguenot Henry Massué, Earl of
Galway, decided to move forward
to Madrid with their 18.000 men
(Portuguese,
Dutch,
English,
protestant French and German).
Philip V, conscious of the imminent
final defeat, managed to gather a
final stand commanded by the
Duke of Berwick, an English
catholic noble naturalised French.
With his 25.000 men he cut the
Allies´ way between Madrid and
Valencia in the vicinity of Almansa.
His army was comprised of French,
Spanish, Italian, Belgian, and Irish
soldiers.
Two 6 km lines of men from different
nationalities would fight all-out.
5,000 of them would die that same
afternoon.
The battle started at 15:00 h with a
short duel of artillery, followed by
the advancement of the Spanish
cavalry to an area near the Cerro
Montizón and the stream called
Arroyo de los Molinos, where
violent combat took place between
Spanish and English-Dutch forces.
Guided visit to the Historic Battlefield: Cerro Montizón.
The ally counter-attack would break
the bourbon lines in the centre.
Thanks to the cavalry regiment
Órdenes Viejo, which was sent
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as an urgent help, and the correct
action of the Walloon Guard
regiment, the front would become
stabilised.
Then Berwick commanded the
brigade of French-Irish infantry
Duc du Maine to support the
Spanish cavalry in a new attack.
The ally's left was defeated and
chased off. The Portuguese rightside infantry, abandoned by their
cavalry, would be destroyed in the
surrounding of the Casa de los
Pandos.
Thirteen
battalions,
English, Portuguese and Dutch,
would manage to retire in an
orderly way and went, close to
nightfall, to some hills located
behind the Casas del Campillo.
Finally they would be captured there
on the morning of the 26th. Since
then the hill has been referred to as
the Cerro de Los Prisioneros, 10 km far
from the place where the battle started.
This victory of the Two Crowns army
allowed Philip V to recover control
of the entire Kingdom of Valencia
and part of the Kingdom of Aragon
in a bit more than a month.
The battle of Almansa would take
an unexpected turn during the course
of the war, stopping the Allied
offensive throughout Europe.
Copy of the painting “The Battle of Almansa” by
Pallota and Ligli (1709) made by Paulino Ruano
for the Town Hall of Almansa.
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The end of the war: Treaties of
Utrecht and Rastatt
In June 1707, Philip V repealed
regional laws of Valencia and Aragon
as a punishment for supporting the
Austrian candidate. In the popular
memory of Valencia, the battle of
Almansa and the abolition of regional
laws are united: this is the origin of
the myth “del mal d´Almansa”.
The war would end seven years later.
Finally on the 11th of September
1714, the Duke of Berwick would
finish the siege of Barcelona,
abandoned by the Allies in 1712.
Philip V would be recognised as the
King of Spain in the treaties of
Utrecht and Rastatt in 1713 and
1714 respectively, but he would have
to give up all hispanic territories in
Europe to Austria. England would
obtain Gibraltar and Menorca.
The War of the Spanish Succession
set up a new balance between Europe’s
forces and would determine the
future of Spanish contemporary
history
Centre of Interpretation-Museum
Battle of Almansa
Its facilities, together with the
Tourism Office, offers an interpretation
of historical facts adapted to all ages.
The museum has a copy of the
painting done by Pallotta and
Ligli in 1709 as a request from
Philip V. El Vitorero, a historic local
figure, and the Commemorative
Monuments, which have appeared
in Almansa and have influenced the
evolution of our country´s history,
are some of the elements offered in
this visit.
Here you can find several objects
directly from the historic scene as well
as historic material given by the
Spanish Army Museum in Toledo.
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During the visit, our guests have
several information points and
interactive screens. The visit ends
with a spectacular video.
By arranged appointment, the museum
organises exclusive guided tours
along the Historic Battlefield.
Annual Commemorative Events
The closest weekend to the 25th of
April we commemorate the Battle
of Almansa with some events which
include: a Historical Reenactment,
the Hoisting of the European flags
and the In Memoriam ceremony,
which takes place in La Paz Aupada,
work of the local sculptor José Luis
Sánchez.
Historical Reenactment: Batalla de Almansa
Battle and Heritage:
Why investigate and remember a
battle of the past?
The preserved historical remains,
buildings, memories, paintings,
natural places, popular memory, etc.
of a battle -with the characteristics
of the battle of Almansa- in 1707
are historical and cultural heritage
without borders, they belong to
everyone. They are the memories of
our real past, not the memories of a
film or a party. Its proper interpretation
helps us to better know ourselves as
well as to understand other cultures.
“…since wars begin in the minds
of men, it is in the minds of men
that the defences of peace must
be constructed”
Constitution of the UNESCO, 1945
“In Memoriam” en la Paz Aupada
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Opening hours:
Tuesday to Saturday: 10:00 -14:00 ;17:00 - 19:00.
Sunday: 10:00 -14:00. Monday closed.
967 31 31 80 - email: [email protected]
C./ La estrella, 2 - 02640 - ALMANSA
www.1707.es
Concejalía de Desarrollo Turístico
y Patrimonio Histórico
Texto: H. Gómez - Fotos: A. Ferrándiz, P. Sanchez y L. Bonete