Francesc Macià i Llussà
Encyclopedia
Francesc Macià i Llussà (frənˈsɛsk məsiˈa; 1859–1933) was the 122nd President of Catalonia
formerly a Catalan
officer in the Spanish Army
.
He condemned the assault of some Spanish officers on the journal La Veu de Catalunya in 1905, and was forced to abandon the army.
He was the representative for Barcelona
from 1914 to 1923.
In 1922 he founded the independentist party
Estat Català
.
In 1926 he attempted an insurrection against the Spanish dictatorship of Miguel Primo de Rivera
. This uprising, the aim of which was to achieve the independence of Catalonia, was based in Prats de Molló
(Roussillon
). Although it was aborted by the French Gendarmerie, it gained a lot of popularity for his cause in Catalonia.
In 1931, after the elections that caused the exile of Alfonso XIII of Spain
and gave the local majority to his party Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya
(ERC), Macià proclaimed the Free Catalan Republic in Barcelona, but was forced afterwards to settle for partial autonomy within the new Spanish Republic
. Macià was the President of Generalitat from 1932 until his death in 1933. He is buried at the Montjuïc Cemetery in Barcelona's Montjuïc
hill.
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
formerly a Catalan
Catalan people
The Catalans or Catalonians are the people from, or with origins in, Catalonia that form a historical nationality in Spain. The inhabitants of the adjacent portion of southern France are sometimes included in this definition...
officer in the Spanish Army
Spanish Army
The Spanish Army is the terrestrial army of the Spanish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is one of the oldest active armies - dating back to the 15th century.-Introduction:...
.
Life
He achieved the rank of lieutenant-colonel during his military career.He condemned the assault of some Spanish officers on the journal La Veu de Catalunya in 1905, and was forced to abandon the army.
He was the representative for Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
from 1914 to 1923.
In 1922 he founded the independentist party
Catalan independentism
Catalan independentism is a political movement, derived from Catalan nationalism, which supports the independence of Catalonia or the so-called Catalan countries from Spain and France...
Estat Català
Estat Català
Estat Català is a historical pro-independence political party in Catalonia, Spain.Despite its role in the 20th and 21st centuries both in Catalan and Spanish politics, ever since Spain returned to democracy in the 1970s, the party has not managed to get any of its candidates elected, having...
.
In 1926 he attempted an insurrection against the Spanish dictatorship of Miguel Primo de Rivera
Miguel Primo de Rivera
Miguel Primo de Rivera y Orbaneja, 2nd Marquis of Estella, 22nd Count of Sobremonte, Knight of Calatrava was a Spanish dictator, aristocrat, and a military official who was appointed Prime Minister by the King and who for seven years was a dictator, ending the turno system of alternating...
. This uprising, the aim of which was to achieve the independence of Catalonia, was based in Prats de Molló
Prats-de-Mollo-la-Preste
Prats-de-Mollo-la-Preste is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France, near the border with Spain and the Autonomous Community of Catalonia. The name Prats-de-Mollo comes from Catalan "meadows of Molló". Molló is a town just across the border and the Col d'Ares...
(Roussillon
Roussillon
Roussillon is one of the historical counties of the former Principality of Catalonia, corresponding roughly to the present-day southern French département of Pyrénées-Orientales...
). Although it was aborted by the French Gendarmerie, it gained a lot of popularity for his cause in Catalonia.
In 1931, after the elections that caused the exile of Alfonso XIII of Spain
Alfonso XIII of Spain
Alfonso XIII was King of Spain from 1886 until 1931. His mother, Maria Christina of Austria, was appointed regent during his minority...
and gave the local majority to his party Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya
Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya
The Republican Left of Catalonia is a left wing Catalan independentist political party in Spain. It is also the main sponsor of the independence movement from France and Spain in the territories known among Catalan nationalists as Països Catalans...
(ERC), Macià proclaimed the Free Catalan Republic in Barcelona, but was forced afterwards to settle for partial autonomy within the new Spanish Republic
Second Spanish Republic
The Second Spanish Republic was the government of Spain between April 14 1931, and its destruction by a military rebellion, led by General Francisco Franco....
. Macià was the President of Generalitat from 1932 until his death in 1933. He is buried at the Montjuïc Cemetery in Barcelona's Montjuïc
Montjuïc
Montjuïc is a hill located in Barcelona, Catalonia.-Etymology:Montjuïc is translated as 'Jew Hill' in medieval Catalan, or is perhaps related to the Latin phrase Mons Jovicus . The name is found in several locations in the Catalan Countries: the Catalan cities of Girona and Barcelona both have a...
hill.