11 September 1714 Project

A few weeks ago, it was taken at my gaming club a significant decision -as announced on our website, The Catalan Wargames Resource-, that will likely have us quite busy for some months. Following the initiative of the Barcelonian gamer Jordi Roca, who created some time ago a three-dimensional version of Circus Maximus -a well-known chariot racing boardgame- to be set up at public gaming events, conventions, tournaments and so, in order to attract the attention of novice aficionados and let it be played by them, we have also decided to build a somehow similar display with that very same aim in our minds: to let it be played by convention visitors and this way to help spread interest on our hobby.

Our participative game is to be based on Siege 11 September 1714, a board-based wargame dealing with the dramatic final assault to Barcelona -that eventually put to an end the War of Spanish Succession in the Peninsula. Such a wargame has the advantage of being ruled by quite light, easy-to-learn mechanics, so that it becomes suitable for gamers with little knowledge of more elaborate wargames, but simultaneosly is flexible enough to allow subtle tactics and strategies that make it attractive for experienced wargamers too.

We've by now started studying the best way to transport the game into a three-dimension version -a display that should include the north-eastern section of the city walls, as well as a considerable portion of the city itself. There are lots of issues to be studied and solved: scenographic materials, miniatures and layout scale, eventual changes to the original ruleset if needed, storing and transportation solutions, and so. If consciously worked and built, it might be an impressive display, for we have estimated that it will cover a 2,40 x 1,20 m tabletop, full of Vauban-style and earlier fortifications and civil buildings!

In the original boardgame, troops are represented by counters representing one company each. Every 5 counters represent a battalion, and some French regiments may have up to 3 battalions in battle. We've chosen to preserve such scaling by converting counters into FoW-sized miniature stands, holding each one up to 3 miniature soldiers and leaving room enough for the unit name and strength added to the rear. So that we'll have to paint some 330 infantrymen, over 100 grenadiers, about 14 cavalrymen, 4 guns and 3 generals -just for the Two Crowns' side! Besides, there will be a lesser number of Catalan defenders, among regular infantrymen, militiae, mountain fusiliers, gunners and noble cavalry! After some calculation, we've agreed to use 1/72nd scale (=20mm) plastic miniatures, which are clearly cheaper than the 15mm metal ones, and are not so inclined to serious damage when accidented by an inexperienced gamer. For French infantry, we'll be likely using the Zvezda excellent Northern Wars' Russian Infantry and Artillery; for their cavalry, Zvezda's Swedish Dragoons; while for Catalans and Spaniards we'll take advantage of the BUM's recently released War of Spanish Succession range. Our stock of miniatures can be completed with some Strelets' Artillery and, for Barcelonian armed civilians, some elements of Hät's Napoleonic Spanish Guerrillas and Orion's Pirates.

Here's where Desperta ferro! Edicions enters into action again: In connection with this significant initiative of my gaming buddies, I've been working out a new publication, which will consist of a complete painting guide on the Two Crown's forces involved in the 11 September 1714 battle, covering all those French and Spanish regiments straightly involved in the assault. Following the guidelines of my first booklet -Catalonia Stands Alone, it will also deal with Colonel and Ordnance flags, as well as starting OOBs & deployment for both armies and a Bibliographic section. I'm still uncertain whether it might be included there an abstracts of the original game ruleset, targets and event cards too. As far as I know, the game ruleset has been published only in Catalan language version, and there might be some legal issues preventing me to translate and publish it by my own -even as a free download. So that it still remains just as a possibility to be consulted. As you may understand, this new booklet will be published first in Catalan language, for it has been intended as a practical painting guide for my gaming mates; however, I'd be happy to publish an English language version alongside with the former one, or a little later at most.

Royal Catalan Guards flags (2)

As told in my last post here, there was an important misinterpretation on a key paragraph of F. Castellví's Memoirs -that one concerning the detailed description of Royal Catalan Guards flags in 1705-1713.

The precise Castellví's Memories paragraph transcription is as follows: El segundo [regimiento] fue el que mandó formar el emperador ocupada Barcelona en noviembre de 1705 para su guardia y le nombró "Regimiento de Reales Guardias Catalanas". Tenía en sus banderas las armas reales de España y al centro del escudo las de Austria y lema que decía: "Donec Perficiam" con la imagen de la Puríssima Concepción a la otra parte.

This can be translated into English as The second [Regiment] was created under Emperor orders after the occupation of Barcelona in November 1705, and was named "Royal Catalan Guards". Their flags showed the Royal Coat of Arms of Spain [on one side] with the arms of Austria at its center (?), along with the motto "Donec Perficiam" ("Until Prevailing"?). At the other side, it showed an image of Virgin Mary [see images below].

Again, F. Castellví only describes the flags' main figures, without any mention to their background colour, eventual Burgundian crosses, double-headed eagles or flaming borders, although none of them can be plainly discarded -for some might likely have been a default device -so that the author considered unnecessary to emphasize such details, for these were the usual ones. There is no reference to eventual differences between Colonel and Battalion flags either, so that we are tempted to suppose them to have been identical. In the end, this re-interpreted text allows a quite familiar design to arise, radically different from the first one we had drawn some days ago:

I must admit to have experienced a relief after this revealing, for my first recreation of this Regiment's flags had resulted in a design that was highly contradictory with the hypothesis formulated in our Catalonia Stands Alone booklet. Moreover, beyond confirming them, this new re-interpretation strongly suggests that Royal Catalan Guards flags design was likely in the basis of the standard Infantry Colonel Flag defined in the 1706 Ordnances of Charles' III Habsburg.

Caught in error

I've just been alerted to be there a misinterpretation on the www.11setembre1714.org transcription of F. Castellví's text describing the Royal Catalan Guards flags. I've been told it was a somewhat confusing paragraph, that led to a couple of key errors in translation. As a consequence, my own interpretation on this Regiment flag is to change drastically -as drastically as the paragraph itself. As soon as I have a little spare time, I'll be posting an adequately corrected description, as well as its corresponding graphic interpretation.

Royal Catalan Guards, 1705-1713

To carry with Charles Habsburg' royal bodyguard duties, it was designed at first to create two regiments, infantry and cavalry, under the name of Royal Catalan Guards. Following this decision, by November 1705 it was raised a full infantry regiment formed by 10 fusiliers and 1 grenadiers companies, all of whose officers were rural Catalan noblemen, collectively known as Vigatans for being most of them natural to Vic town.

However, war needings soon forced the unit to extend activity far beyond their original bodyguard mission, so that in fact they operated as an elite infantry regiment, so becoming involved in most of the most significative fightings all through the war: 1706 defence of Barcelona and campaign of Aragon, 1707 first occupation of Madrid, 1708 defence of Catalonian borders, 1709 relief of Balaguer, 1710 battles of Almenar, Saragossa and Brihuega-Villaviciosa, as well as second occupation of Madrid. The regiment was formally evacuated from Catalonia on July 1713 along with the rest of Allied forces, although in fact most officers and troops chose to stay and defend their homeland. The Diputació General, or Catalan Goverment, then formed with them the 1713-1714 Nostra Senyora del Roser Regiment (cf. our booklet Catalonia Stands Alone).

According to the contemporary Catalan Military and Historian Francesc de Castellví, Royal Catalan Guards were dressed in yellow uniforms, for this was the House of Habsburg device colour. Moreover, it has been revealed that in 1706 they were provided by the Kingdom of England with 500 yellow coats with blue facings. However, the young Historian X. Rubio seems to suggest in his book Almenar 1710 that, by this time, facings were red. According to this, we might assume Royal Catalan Guards uniform as follows:

• Coat: yellow
• Facings: blue (later red?)
• Waistcoat: blue?
• Trousers: yellow?
• Stockings: yellow?
• Buttons: golden?
• Hat border: white?
• Cockade: yellow?

As already revealed at our booklet Catalonia Stands Alone for a later stage of war, no Austro-Catalan regiment flags description known contains any reference to double-headed eagles or Burgundian crosses, and such is the case of Royal Catalan Guards too. The description transcribed by www.11setembre1714.org states their flags showed at the anverse, the arms of the various Hispanic Kingdoms, with the Arms of Austria at its centre; in our oppinion, this central device would likely be the personal coat of arms of Charles Habsburg (not any double-headed eagle as Kühn and other sources use to state, for eagle was by then exclusive to Leopold as Emperor of Germany). Otherwise, we find it likely that the flag carried a red Burgundian cross as a background, in spite of not being mentioned there, for this had been the most genuine Spanish military device since Charles I times. At the obverse, the flag showed a Virgin Mary image over the motto "Donec Perficiam" ("Until Prevailing"?). You can see next our interpretation of such description:

Ahumada Regiment, 1704-1713

Although it was in the Crown of Aragon where Archduke Charles found a strongest support to his claims for the thrones of Spain, the first Spanish military unit under his service was built by a Castilian high rank aristocrat, commanded by Castilian noblemen and filled mainly by Castilian conscripts. This unit was formally established with 560 men in June 1703, on exile in Lisbon, on the initiative of Juan Tomás Enríquez de Cabrera, Duke of Río Seco, Count of Melgar, comissioned Admiral of Castile. Therefore, the unit was initially named after him, Tercio del Almirante de Castilla. The new Tercio was granted its flags in 1704 and was renamed as Regimiento de Ahumada on next year, after the death of Enríquez de Cabrera.

Under its new commander, Ahumada Regiment fought all through the war in Valencia, Aragon, the 1710 campaign to Madrid, and Catalonia, until its evacuation from the Peninsula in 1713. Since then, Ahumada Regiment entered Imperial service, being a little afterwards rebuilt along with other evacuated units, resulting in the Imperial Infantry Regiment n. 44, Ahumada. It was disbanded in 1724 and joined to the I. I. R. n. 50, Alcaudete.

It is still uncertain its 1704-1713 uniform but, according Kühn & Hall, by 1716 it was as follows:

• Coat: pearl grey
• Facings: red
• Waistcoat: red
• Trousers: pearl grey
• Stockings: pearl grey (maybe red)
• Buttons: silvered or white
• Hat border: white
• Cartridge box: black

Image above left is a speculative extrapolation back from these data, in order to show how might this Regiment uniform be during the 1704-1713 period.

As for Ahumada Colonel flag, nothing is actually known but it can be infered that it would likely show a red Burgundy cross on a plain white field, as prescribed since 1685 during Charles II reign (see image at right). About Battalion flags, these are described -according to www.11setembre1714.org- as follows: Obverse: the Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of Castile over the Latin motto "Pro Lege, Patria et Rege" (For Law, Homeland, and King). Reverse: Santiago, or Saint James of Compostela, again over a Latin motto "Sanctus Jacobus Hispaniae Patronus". Beneath, Enriquez de Cabrera's own coat of arms. Likely these were changed in 1705 by those of the new Colonel, Count of Ahumada. No more details are known, but we can suppose them to have shown these figures and mottos on a Burgundy cross, too. Unlike Colonel's, Battalion flags might have had a background other than white -likely yellow, white and/or red, for these three were the Enríquez de Cabrera's Coat of Arms main colours. It can't be discarded to have had a flames pattern combining some or all of them, too. Images below are a speculative reconstruction based on the given description.

Talamanca 1714: Archaeology of a battle

Our wargaming fellow, young Historian Xavier Rubio has let us know to be a new book on the War of Spanish Succession about to be released shortly. Its title will be Talamanca 1714: arqueologia d'una batalla (as stated in this post title) and will be devoted to the very last ranged battle of this conflict in the Peninsula theatre, which happened just a couple of weeks before the capitulation of Barcelona city to the Two Crowns' forces under Marshall Berwick. Paradoxically enough, this battle ended with a clear Catalan victory. This new book has been written by Prof. F. Xavier Hernàndez & Xavier Rubio himself, and is to be published by Llibres de Matricula, a local publisher from Calafell town as the number 2 of their Catalan military issues collection Camp de Mart. This publisher's collection first book was related to an ill-known battle of War of Spanish Succession too: Almenar 1710: victòria anglesa a Catalunya (=an English victory in Catalonia). Just as its predecessor, this new book will be lavishly illustrated by Francesc Riart, with hi-tech cartography generated by the authors themselves, and a detailed approach to the archaeological research on the battlefield made by the Universitary teams lead by the authors. Here you are a couple of cartography samples: 1 and 2.

Xavier Rubio has took advantage to anticipate us another cool news in the short/medium term, consisting of another book else, this one devoted to the English intervention in Catalonia during WSS including units listings, primary sources for every battle described, or an achademic discussion on the so-called by Catalan Historiography "English betrayal".

WSS Catalan Army, in production at last!

Just as noticed, on September 8th it was held the worldwide presentation of the 1000 series of Barcelona Universal Models (BUM), a new collection of 1:72nd scale plastic miniatures related to the War of the Spanish Succession, with the 1713-1714 Catalan Army in a starring role into it. Complete series will consist in not less than 10 different boxes, respectively devoted to Austro-Catalan Infantry, Cavalry & Artillery as well as their Two Crowns' counterparts, and a couple of scenery boxes for urban-fighting diorama building. Unexpectedly, we were also presented two additional, "surprise" sub-ranges to follow shortly: Two Crowns' Infantry for Almansa 1707, and Anglo-Allied Cavalry for Almenar 1710.

Although invited by BUM's Management as a representative of The Catalan Wargames Resource, I didn't go in there with the aim of writing any chronicle on the event, so that I didn't take any care on carrying my photo camera, so I've had to wait until other chronicles were finished before publishing my own report. Plain and simple, it was a remarkable and emotive event, for our long-lived dreams of watching a Catalan Armies miniatures series finally launched had been accomplished at last!

In the event, we had the pleasure to listen at the speeches of Prof. Agustí Alcoberro, Director of the Museu d'Història de Catalunya -where the event was held- and Prof. F. Xavier Hernàndez of Barcelona University, author of such remarkable books as the Història Militar de Catalunya collection, Els Exèrcits de Catalunya 1713-1714 and the English language book History of Catalonia; there were also present the young Historian Xavier Rubio -a good friend of us and author of Almenar 1710, victòria anglesa a Catalunya- and the Manager of BUM, Mr. F. German Domingo. Their speeches were lively illustrated by a couple of members of the Miquelets de Catalunya Reenactment Society, who came conveniently dressed as an officer and a soldier of the 1705-1714 Diputació General Infantry Regiment.

BUM Management have recently posted on their website a wide video-photographic report on the event, so that, instead of trying to produce my own, imperfect chronicle, I should better recommend you to take a look at it!