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SPANISH HISTORY

How Spain’s Vigo celebrates kicking out Napoleon

Discover why every year on March 28th, the old town of Vigo, in Galicia takes a step back in time to the 19th century.

How Spain’s Vigo celebrates kicking out Napoleon
Fiesta de Reconquista in Vigo. Photo: Jordi Vich Navarro / Unsplash

On March 28th, 1809 Vigo became the first European city to gain its independence from French occupation.

Napoleon and his French army invaded Spain on May 2nd 1808 moving their way across Spain into Galicia and then down into Portugal. Ultimately, Napoleon’s men only managed to stay in Spain for almost six years, unable to conquer the uprisings from the Spanish population, as well as help from the British and Portuguese armies. 

To mark the uprising, when the people of Vigo expelled Napoleon’s French troops from the city at the beginning of the Peninsular War, a local festival is held. 

Every year on the anniversary of this day, the people of Vigo proudly celebrate this historic event, which they call the Reconquista da Vila de Vigo.

This year, the festival runs until April 2nd 2023. 

READ ALSO: The story of the Spanish village that went from being called Black to White

During the day the Old Town of Vigo transforms into a large open-air market lined with food and craft stalls. The streets are decorated and residents dress up in period costumes to represent the soldiers, peasants and fishermen who lived there during the 18th century.

Mock battles take place across the city representing various parts of the conflict. One of the highlights is the battle of Puerta de Gamboa featuring two of the most beloved local heroes –  Carolo and Cachamuiña. 

Carolo was an old sailor from Berbés, who on March 28th, attacked the Porta da Gamboa, behind enemy lines with just an axe. Even though he was courageous and fought fearlessly, he ended up dying at the hands of the French army when he was shot.  

READ ALSO: Why does Valencia have so many blooming oranges?

Cachamuiña, whose real name was Bernardo González del Valle, was a Galician soldier known for his role in the defence of Vigo. He thankfully survived the war, but later in 1848.  

As well as the historic parts of the event, the festivities continue for several days into the beginning of April with concerts, food tastings and performances.

One of the most important theatrical performances of the festival is the Reconquest itself, where over 500 people take part, representing 50 French soldiers, between 60 and 70 militias and around 400 civilians. After the fight, the Napoleonic troops flee the city by boat.

READ ALSO – REVEALED: The most and least polite cities in Spain

The Reconquest enabled the city of Vigo to gain the status of ‘city’ and shaped what it has become today. 

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SPANISH HISTORY

Why did Spain not take part in WWI or WWII?

It’s surprising that as one of Europe’s most important nations Spain did not take part in either World War One or Two. These are the main reasons which spared Spaniards from these devastating conflicts. 

Why did Spain not take part in WWI or WWII?

On July 28th 1914, exactly a month after Archduke Francis Ferdinand was assassinated on the streets of Sarajevo, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, beginning what would be the deadliest conflict in history until then: World War I.

But within a matter of days, the Madrid Gazette, which at the time served the same function as Spain’s Official State Gazette, announced Spain’s neutrality.

Spain’s monarch at the time, King Alfonso XIII, considered that the country was not prepared for a war either on a military, political or economic level. 

In the first years of the 20th century, Spain was immersed in somewhat of an existential crisis. It had recently lost Puerto Rico, the Philippines and Guam to the United States after the American-Spanish War. Cuba had become independent after what they called ‘The Necessary War’ against the Spanish and Spain was also recovering from a damaging conflict in northern Africa. 

Spanish artillery in action in September 1913 in the Gaba Forest during the Rif War. Photo: Wikipedia/Public Domain

There were social fractures as well, evidenced by the violent confrontations between the Spanish army and anarchists, freemasons, socialists and republicans during La Semana Trágica (The Tragic Week) in Barcelona and Catalonia in 1909.

Spain was a fallen giant, poverty and inflation were rife, so by 1914 Alfonso XIII and President Eduardo Dato had the sense that the country had to be kept as far away as possible from any more wars.

In fact, several historians argue that the Triple Entente (France, Great Britain, Russia) considered that “they didn’t need Spain”, in essence shrugging it off as a weakened nation that would be more of a hindrance than a help. 

Regardless of these initial views, Spain ended up being one of the most important neutral nations during WWII, and both benefited and suffered as a result of ‘the war to end all wars’, as its industrial output boomed with fewer competitors but it also suffered severe shortages caused by the global conflict.

Needless to say, Spain continued to be a veritable tinderbox from 1918 to 1936, when a combination of political turmoil, social and economic inequalities, ideological conflicts and regional confrontations led to the eruption of the Spanish Civil War.

Picture shows rubble everywhere in a street in Madrid after an air raid in 1936. Spain was largely devastated after its three-year civil war. (Photo by PLANET NEWS / AFP)

Less than three years of fighting between the Republicans and the Nationalists devastated the country and led to approximately 600,000 deaths.

By the time World War II was declared a few months later on September 1st 1939 after Nazi Germany invaded Poland, Spain was again in no position economically, militarily or socially to take part in yet another war.

READ ALSO: 11 must-watch films about the Spanish Civil War

The new Franco government did sell and exchange supplies with the Axis countries and a Spanish division of volunteers and conscripts did join the Axis troops on the Eastern Front, but Spain did not officially participate in WWII. 

Despite the fact that Spain’s new fascist dictator was an admirer of Adolf Hitler, El Generalísimo kept his devastated country neutral, shifting sides slightly on various occasions to suit his government’s interests.

When the pair met in Hendaye on the Spanish-French border in October 1940, negotiations were reportedly a flop. Hitler considered Franco’s requirements for Spain helping the Axis powers beat the Allies “exorbitant”, including the return of Gibraltar as well as French Morocco, Guinea, Cameroon and part of Algeria handed over from France to Spain.

READ ALSO: Why Spain is still in the wrong time zone because of Hitler

Spain’s yo-yoing went from “strict neutrality” to “non-belligerence” but perhaps Franco had little choice. Given his country’s reliance on oil imports from the United States and the partial embargoes that the US and the UK did impose on Spain, the Spanish dictator had to keep the Allies at ease about his links to Nazi Germany and fascist Italy.

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