The Spanish defeat at Montjuïc halted their attempt to retake Barcelona and secured the Catalan position early in the Reapers' War.
Key Facts
- Date
- 26 January 1641
- Conflict
- Reapers' War
- Spanish commander
- Pedro Fajardo
- Catalan commander
- Francesc de Tamarit
- Notable casualty
- John O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone
- Spanish withdrawal destination
- Tarragona
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
A Spanish force under Pedro Fajardo advanced on Barcelona during the Reapers' War, seeking to suppress the Catalan revolt. Spanish troops had recently massacred hundreds of rebels who attempted to surrender at Cambrils, and they now moved to capture the strategic heights of Montjuïc, which commanded the city of Barcelona.
On 26 January 1641, the Spanish launched repeated assaults against Montjuïc Castle, defended by Catalan forces under Francesc de Tamarit and supported by French cavalry. Each Spanish attack was repulsed. A large Catalan counter-attack from the direction of Barcelona then overwhelmed the Spanish formation, inflicting heavy losses.
Large numbers of Spanish troops were killed and the remainder were forced to retreat along the coast to Tarragona, abandoning their attempt to retake Barcelona. Among those killed was John O'Neill, the exiled Earl of Tyrone, who had been serving with an Irish regiment in the Spanish army. The victory strengthened the Catalan and French position in the early stages of the war.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Francesc de Tamarit.
Side B
1 belligerent
Pedro Fajardo.