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Tronchón

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Tronchón

A municipality facing war

A municipality facing war

Tronchón was too close to the heart of the Carlist Maestrazgo to be able to avoid the hurricane of problems that came with the outbreak of war. Without being a fortress like Aliaga, nor playing the role of administrative center like Mirambel, nor a military role like Cantavieja, its life was equally marked by the evolution of the conflict. Small municipalities like this one had to face enormous economic demands that came from outside and that, many times, exceeded their own management capacity.

© José Luis Cano

Liberal bastion

Carlist games

Two sides, two demands

Passive resistance

Very early on, in November 1833, the town council of Tronchón received orders to have men stationed to give information to the government authorities about the insurrection that had taken place in Morella.

This image of a certain normality, however, is fictitious. At the same time, the city council had to manage the presence of Carlist parties and the demand for rations.

Until 1835, the commitments with the government were fulfilled, i.e., information on games, quintos, rations, organization of militias,…

Although Tronchón is located in Carlist territory, its attitude to the petitions was always dilatory.

For a long time his behavior was favorable to the government and he strove to obey its orders. Many of those he received were issued by the general commander of Lower Aragon, the active Agustín Nogueras. In compliance with the law, the town council issued orders for the imprisonment of those who fled to the faction, collected taxes on behalf of the Elizabethan authorities or contributed to the fortification of Cantavieja by the liberals.

On December 23, 1833 the Carlist leader Carnicer had already entered the town. From then on, the presence of numerous ringleaders can be seen in its streets: Antonio Ferrer, Pascual Campos, Tomás García, José Bosque, Bernardo Parras, Agustín Aguilar, Joaquín Exenique, Francisco Gasque, Francisco Segarra, Antonio Morlane, Pere Palau, Joaquín Albiol and Ramón Royo. Ramón Cabrera himself had first entered the town on August 1, 1834.

But the violence exercised by the Serrador on the notary forced the mayor to state “the impossibility I have to be able to comply exactly with the orders that are addressed to us by our wise and legitimate [gobierno] without exposing us to be victims of the hordes”. The obligations of the municipality grow each year. In 1836 they had to meet the request of 249,073 reales to the liberal army and 65,756 to the Carlist army. The point of equilibrium in the territory between governmental and rebel forces occurred in 1836. From that moment on, when the Carlists established themselves in Cantavieja, the situation would turn to the side of the insurrectionists. Cabrera’s orders that are published in the church square are radical: penalty of life to all authorities who report the presence of Carlist troops.

It is their particular way of mitigating the asphyxiating economic pressure that constantly requires rations and money, wheat, barley, wine, jars and cattle, quantities of straw and firewood, the services of folders and baggage handlers, the payment of widows’ pensions, horses, carriages and workers for fortification works in Cantavieja or beds and yarn for the hospitals. The city council will consider dealing with such an avalanche of claims by disposing of municipal assets. Their resistance to the payments ended several times with important economic fines and some of the members of the town council imprisoned in the jails of Cantavieja. Faced with his dilatory attitude, the governor of Cantavieja even threatened the mayor, telling him: “I will put you under arms without any consideration for the disobedience I warn you of”.

Brigadier Nogueras was the most active liberal leader in the persecution of the Carlist rebels in the first phase of the war.
Brigadier Nogueras was the most active liberal leader in the persecution of the Carlist rebels in the first phase of the war.
The Carlist parties entered the villages with the intention of obtaining food and money to keep them active.
The Carlist parties entered the villages with the intention of obtaining food and money to keep them active.
José Miralles, alias "El Serrador", was one of the most active Carlist guerrillas in Maestrazgo.
José Miralles, alias "El Serrador", was one of the most active Carlist guerrillas in Maestrazgo.
Life and economic survival had to go on as war entered the daily life of the people.
Life and economic survival had to go on as war entered the daily life of the people.

Liberal bastion

Very early on, in November 1833, the town council of Tronchón received orders to have men stationed to give information to the government authorities about the insurrection that had taken place in Morella.

For a long time his behavior was favorable to the government and he strove to obey its orders. Many of those he received were issued by the general commander of Lower Aragon, the active Agustín Nogueras. In compliance with the law, the town council issued orders for the imprisonment of those who fled to the faction, collected taxes on behalf of the Elizabethan authorities or contributed to the fortification of Cantavieja by the liberals.

Brigadier Nogueras was the most active liberal leader in the persecution of the Carlist rebels in the first phase of the war.
Brigadier Nogueras was the most active liberal leader in the persecution of the Carlist rebels in the first phase of the war.

Carlist games

This image of a certain normality, however, is fictitious. At the same time, the city council had to manage the presence of Carlist parties and the demand for rations.

On December 23, 1833 the Carlist leader Carnicer had already entered the town. From then on, the presence of numerous ringleaders can be seen in its streets: Antonio Ferrer, Pascual Campos, Tomás García, José Bosque, Bernardo Parras, Agustín Aguilar, Joaquín Exenique, Francisco Gasque, Francisco Segarra, Antonio Morlane, Pere Palau, Joaquín Albiol and Ramón Royo. Ramón Cabrera himself had first entered the town on August 1, 1834.

The Carlist parties entered the villages with the intention of obtaining food and money to keep them active.
The Carlist parties entered the villages with the intention of obtaining food and money to keep them active.

Two sides, two demands

Until 1835, the commitments with the government were fulfilled, i.e., information on games, quintos, rations, organization of militias,…

But the violence exercised by the Serrador on the notary forced the mayor to state “the impossibility I have to be able to comply exactly with the orders that are addressed to us by our wise and legitimate [gobierno] without exposing us to be victims of the hordes”. The obligations of the municipality grow each year. In 1836 they had to meet the request of 249,073 reales to the liberal army and 65,756 to the Carlist army. The point of equilibrium in the territory between governmental and rebel forces occurred in 1836. From that moment on, when the Carlists established themselves in Cantavieja, the situation would turn to the side of the insurrectionists. Cabrera’s orders that are published in the church square are radical: penalty of life to all authorities who report the presence of Carlist troops.

José Miralles, alias "El Serrador", was one of the most active Carlist guerrillas in Maestrazgo.
José Miralles, alias "El Serrador", was one of the most active Carlist guerrillas in Maestrazgo.

Passive resistance

Although Tronchón is located in Carlist territory, its attitude to the petitions was always dilatory.

It is their particular way of mitigating the asphyxiating economic pressure that constantly requires rations and money, wheat, barley, wine, jars and cattle, quantities of straw and firewood, the services of folders and baggage handlers, the payment of widows’ pensions, horses, carriages and workers for fortification works in Cantavieja or beds and yarn for the hospitals. The city council will consider dealing with such an avalanche of claims by disposing of municipal assets. Their resistance to the payments ended several times with important economic fines and some of the members of the town council imprisoned in the jails of Cantavieja. Faced with his dilatory attitude, the governor of Cantavieja even threatened the mayor, telling him: “I will put you under arms without any consideration for the disobedience I warn you of”.

Life and economic survival had to go on as war entered the daily life of the people.
Life and economic survival had to go on as war entered the daily life of the people.
TURISMO MAESTRAZGO logotipo

Comarca del Maestrazgo • C/ Las Tres Baylias • 44140 Cantavieja (Teruel)
Phone: 964 185 242 • [email protected]

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