If you don’t know what to do in Alpens, and you want to discover this town, from COOLTUR Cultural Tourism we propose the Tourist tour of the Battle of Alpens!
Alpens is a small village with a markedly rural character, located in the natural region of the Lluçanès plateau, in the county of Osona.
In fact, Alpens looks like a village frozen in time! Its streets are narrow, and most of its buildings are made of stone, which makes it a picture-postcard village! Moreover, among its streets you can find a lot of wrought iron elements, elements that make Alpens the Catalan capital of wrought iron.
Apart from the urban fabric, Alpens also has a large municipal area of great natural beauty. Within its boundaries you can enjoy nature in its purest state, letting the greenery of its forests flood you with peace and quiet. In addition, you can also find a large number of small Romanesque churches and legendary geological formations, which make this small village on the Lluçanès plateau even more idyllic.
Tourist tour of the Battle of Alpens
Between 1872 and 1876, the third Carlist War took place in the Spanish kingdom. This war once again pitted the Carlist and Elizabethan (liberal) sides against each other. During this third Carlist War, there was a great battle between the two sides at Alpens.
On 9 July 1873, while the Carlist prince Alphonse Charles of Bourbon, together with his wife and other Carlist leaders, such as Savalls, were marching from Prats de Lluçanès towards Sant Quirze de Besora. As they were passing through Perafita, this contingent learned that the liberal brigader Cabrinetty, along with his men, would be passing through Alpens on their march towards Puigcerdà.
On hearing this news, and after much debate, the Carlist contingent decided to ambush the liberal army in Alpens. When the Carlist army arrived in Alpens, it took up positions around the village in order to ambush the liberal army.
When the liberal troops entered Alpens, the Carlist army closed all the exit points from the village. A fierce battle ensued, which lasted throughout the night. The final result of the battle was a great victory for the Carlist army.
From COOLTUR Cultural Tourism we want to help you to discover the outcome of this bloody battle, which is why we propose the tourist tour of the Battle of Alpens!
Why did the Carlist Wars begin?
At the beginning of the 19th century, the king of the Spanish Crown was Ferdinand VII. This king had only one daughter, Isabel II. The problem was that when a monarch died, his successor had to be a man. Succession to the crown was regulated by the Salic Law.
Ferdinand VII had a fatal illness and, theoretically, as he had no son, his successor should have been his brother, Charles Mary Isidore. But against all odds, in 1830, Ferdinand VII decided to abolish the Salic Law by means of the Pragmatic Sanction. This meant that when the monarch died, his daughter would inherit the Spanish throne, not his brother.
This decision by Ferdinand VII was strongly opposed by his brother, Charles Mary Isidore, who aspired to become king.
When Ferdinand VII died in 1833, his daughter, Isabel II, inherited the Spanish throne. At the time, Isabel II was two years old. As she could not reign as long as Isabel II was a child, her mother, Maria Cristina de Bourbon, became queen regent.
In this sense, when Ferdinand VII died in 1833, the Carlist Wars broke out in the Spanish kingdom.
Were the Carlist Wars only wars of succession to the Spanish crown?
The answer is no. It is often generalised that the Carlist Wars were wars for the succession to the Spanish crown. But the truth is that these wars had a much more complex background.
The Industrial Revolution and the French Revolution introduced a series of ideas which, little by little, spread throughout the world. These ideas confronted the political system that had functioned until then, the Ancien Régime. This confrontation visualised two sides, one defending tradition while the other envisaged changes in the political system.
Thus, the Carlist Wars, apart from being wars of succession, were also wars between the defenders of tradition (Carlists) and the defenders of reforming the system (liberals).
How many Carlist Wars were there?
During the 19th century there were, in Catalonia, a total of 3 Carlist Wars. These wars were:
- 1833-1840 First Carlist War. This war began with the death of King Ferdinand VII.
- 1846-1849 Second Carlist War, also known as the Matiners’ War. This war began after an attempt to unify the two sides failed.
- 1872-1876 Third Carlist War
All these wars were won by the Liberal side.
Who were the Carlists?
The Carlists were the side that defended tradition. Their motto was: God, Fatherland, and King. This side fought to defend the traditional values that had prevailed up to that time, such as, for example, the defence of the Salic Law. In fact, the Carlists believed that the liberal doctrine was a harmful modernity.
This faction was made up, above all, of the noble class, different sectors of the Catholic Church and a large part of the agrarian landowners.
During the three Carlist Wars, the Carlists had three different pretenders:
- During the first war, the pretender of this side was Charles Mary Isidore, known as Charles V. This pretender was the brother of Ferdinand VII, king of the Spanish crown. Charles V would have succeeded Ferdinand VII had he not abolished the Salic Law.
- During the Second World War, an attempt was made to marry Isabel II to Charles V’s son, Charles Louis of Bourbon and Bragança, known as Charles VI. This wedding failed and the Second Carlist War began. In this case, the Carlist pretender was Charles VI.
- The Carlist pretender in the Third Carlist War was Charles Mary of Sorrows of Bourbon and Austria, popularly known as Charles VII. He was the son of Charles VI.
Who were the Isabelins?
The Isabelins, also known as the Liberal faction, was the faction that defended Isabel II during the Carlist Wars.
Isabel II did not have the support of the nobility, the church or the agrarian landowners, and had to seek support from the more liberal sectors. In this case, it was above all the industrial bourgeoisie and the working class who defended Isabel II.
Both the industrial bourgeoisie and the working class saw an opportunity, with this support, to introduce political changes in order to have a more liberal government. In addition, they also managed to break the divine right as a preservation of rights. This meant that new rights could be achieved which, until then, had been impossible for them to achieve.
Technical details of the tourist tour of the Battle of Alpens
The Tourist Tour of the Battle of Alpens is a urban tour through the centre of Alpens. This tour has an approximate distance of 1 kilometre. In addition, the tour has a cumulative difference in altitude of about 50 metres.
This is a tour that lasts approximately 1 hour. The fact that it is an urban tour means that it is recommended for anyone.
Map of the tourist tour of the Battle of Alpens
Below you can see the map of the tourist tour of the Battle of Alpens:
Points of the tourist tour of the Battle of Alpens
Below you will be able to discover the different points that make up this tour:
Ramal
This is the entrance to Alpens from Sant Quirze de Besora. We understand that the Carlist troops arrived here on 9 July 1873. Once they reached Alpens, the Carlist troops spread out through the municipality of Alpens, preparing an ambush for the Liberal troops led by Brigadier Cabrinetty.
Church of Santa Maria
Another of the points where the Carlist army established its troops was in the church of Santa Maria of Alpens.
It is believed that some of the best Carlist marksmen were positioned in the church bell tower, as this was one of the strategic points for gaining military advantage. From the bell tower, the military had a 360º view of the whole village and could control the movement of the liberal troops.
Carrera Lluçanesa
It is believed that several Carlist soldiers were also stationed here. These soldiers closed off any escape route for the liberal troops.
Baix Street, 3
The liberal army entered Alpens from the south of the town. Let us assume, then, that they entered through this point.
Once the liberal army entered Alpens, the Carlists closed off all escape routes. Once this was done, the attacks of the Carlist army against the Liberal troops began.
The liberal army tried to respond to the attack. It must be said, therefore, that while some liberal soldiers began to fight, other soldiers tried to hide among the houses of the village, taking some protection from the attacks.
Cabrinetty Fountain
The battle was pushing the liberal troops into a corner. With the superiority of the Carlist army, the morale of the Liberal troops was getting lower and lower. Seeing this, Brigadier Cabrinetty tried to encourage his men to fight.
It seems that Brigadier Cabrinetty’s shouts had an effect, and the Liberal army was able to gain ground on the Carlist troops.
At this point, a shot to the neck killed Brigadier Cabrinetty. There are many theories as to who the perpetrator of this trait was. Some claim that it was the Carlist soldiers who were stationed in the bell tower of the church of Santa Maria. Others say that the author was a member of the liberal army.
With the death of Brigadier Cabrinetty, many members of the liberal army were traumatised. However, the battle lasted until the early hours of 10 July 1873.
As a result of this battle, the Carlist general Savalls was awarded the title of Marquis of Alpens.
(Cover image: Church of Santa Maria of Alpens Photo: COOLTUR Cultural Tourism)
How to get to Alpens
Alpens is a municipality located in the natural region of Lluçanès, in the county of Osona. The only road that passes through this municipality is the BP-4654.
The best way to get to this municipality is by private car, as there is no good public transport connection at the moment.
For parking, we recommend the car park at the entrance to the municipality.