A blow to the Black Legend: the legion of enlightened figures who drove Spain

The history of the peninsula changed forever in the heart of Barcelona. On September 11, 1714, a War of Succession ended, a War that had dragged on for more than a decade; ever since Charles II left this world without having been able to produce an heir, to be exact. It also marked the end of the Habsburg dynasty, which had held the throne since the 16th century. However, the day Barcelona fell, the last seat of the supporters of Archduke Charles, the Austrian pretender to the royal throne, also marked the beginning of what, for writer, historical disseminator, and researcher José Luis Hernández Garvi, has been one of the most glorious periods in Spanish history: the reign of the Bourbons.

The author is clear: " Philip V , its first representative, inaugurated a modern state that sought strength through unity." What we tend to overlook is that the arrival of the House of Bourbon in Spain was largely due to a foreigner: James Fitz-James . Better known as the 1st Duke of Berwick, this Anglo-French aristocrat subdued the Austrian resistance, managed to surrender Barcelona, ​​and became, according to Garvi himself, "one of the most brilliant military men" of the 18th century. That's nothing. "He is a relatively unknown figure despite the close ties he maintained with our country," he adds.

The officer, little more than a demon for the most extreme independence movement, also inaugurated the dynasty's custom of surrounding itself with European advisors, artists, and combatants. "The monarch delegated political and military responsibilities without distinguishing between Spaniards and foreigners," concludes the author of 'Nunca son extraños' (They Were Never Strangers, Modus Operandi, 2019) . "It's a shame that he has been mistreated by history. He ended the resistance in Barcelona, ​​yes, but he wasn't fighting against secessionism, as they would have us believe today, but rather on behalf of the Bourbons and in a war in which Catalonia wasn't seeking independence," he adds.

Berwick was loyal, but also effective militarily. The best example is his performance in battles such as Almansa, where he granted victory to Philip V. However, he was not the only foreigner who helped unite Spain from a military perspective. "Here, foreigners were never strangers. From the top of the pyramid to its lowest levels, they contributed positive things to the Monarchy," he states. Although these contributions number in the dozens, the writer emphasizes that the most important was turning the court into one of the most cosmopolitan of the time. This is yet another blow to the dark legend that claims that, since the Habsburgs, our country remained isolated from reformist theories. "No. Spain did not live under dark institutions like the Inquisition."

There are dozens of cases. Garvi focuses on Alejandro O'Reilly, an "honorable public servant" who trained a militia in Spanish-speaking Cuba tasked with defending the region and, among other things, recovered key regions for Spain in the New World.

And he also doesn't forget a character like Carlo Broschi, the famous castrato better known as Farinelli . "We always remember the most morbid side of him, that he had been castrated like so many others so that his voice wouldn't change, but he was also a virtuoso," he explains. This singer, the "Bruce Springsteen of the time" for the author due to his fame and ability to fill theaters, arrived in Spain with a curious mission. "They brought him as a desperate measure to end the depression and madness of Philip V. It moves me to think about the first night he spent singing arias by the monarch's bedside to bring him out of his state of apathy," he explains. It must have become a good medicine, since he spent two decades at court.

Also notable among the artists is Antonio Rafael Mengs , author of some of the most famous frescoes in the Royal Palace.

Although the expert on the Rose Legend doesn't want to fall for it either. And, therefore, he also highlights some foreigners who took advantage of their importance within the court to advance or fight for their own interests. James Wilkinson was one of them. A spy and soldier, he initially offered his services to Spain and provided the king with information about the Viceroyalty of New Spain. However, "Agent 13," as he was nicknamed, soon switched sides again and handed Louisiana over to the US. "He was driven by his own interests. He tried to create, for example, an independent state in Kentucky, of which he probably wanted to be the leader," adds Garvi.

Johann Kaspar Thürriegel, who seized on the idea of ​​repopulating the Sierra Morena with foreign settlers for his own benefit, is no slouch either. "He wanted to do business with immigrants and recruited them without meeting the required qualifications. He brought in criminals with no progress, children, sick people..." he concludes.