Barcelona (bəɾsəˈlonə)

Barcelona is the capital of the Principality of Catalonia and, due to its crucial role in the founding of the Mediterranean Crown, it's also the de facto capital of the Crown.   As one of the biggest cities of the Mediterranean, it's one of the centers of trade and politics of the entire sea and an important communications hub overall. The city is also home to the headquarters of two major multinational technological companies, Arcona and Mekrane Corp, which makes it one of the most technologically advanced cities in the world.  

Society

Transportation

Barcelona has both a solid internal transportation system and also serves as the travel hub for the rest of the country.  

Internal transportation

Mass transit systems in Barcelona are operated by four private companies:  
  1. Catalan Tram CompanyCompanyia Catalana de Tramvies: this company operates only within the metropolitan area of Barcelona and manages three lines: M Montjuïc, C Ciutat Vella, and E Eixample. All of them meet at Estació Central.
  2. Tram Society of Gràcia and CortsSocietat del Tramvia de Gràcia i les Corts: the Society operates two perpendicular lines: G Gràcia, which connects Barcelona with the municipality of Gràcia, and O Corts, which begins in the municipality of Les Corts and runs mostly in parallel to the sea across the metropolitan area.
  3. National Tram CompanyCompanyia Nacional de Tramvies: the National Company operates all around the Principality. Within Barcelona, it operates two lines: D Defensor and I Diagonal.
  4. Aircapsules of BarcelonaAerocàpsules de Barcelona: usually referred to as A "Aeri", these floating arcane capsules connect the port of Barcelona with the international aerodrome.
  The following map (in Catalan) displays all of these transport systems (click to expand):

 

External connections

Barcelona is a transport hub for all means of transport—land, sea, and air:
  • Mediterranean Iron Roads CompanyCompanyia Mediterrània dels Camins de ferro: this is an international company that operates long-distance lines using standard railway gauge in the Mediterranean Crown. It connects Barcelona Station with other countries in the Crown, and within Catalonia, its lines mostly follow the coast.
  • Railways of the PrincipalityFerrocarils del Principat: the government of the Principality created this service to connect all major cities within Catalonia. In order to allow for a faster and cheaper development, it uses the narrower metric gauge, which earned it the nickname "Carrilet" ("little rail"). There are two stations in Barcelona: Magòria and Estació del Nord.
  • Aerodrome: the aerodrome of Barcelona is mostly used for international zeppelin connections, mainly for passenger transport. Most zeppelins have arcanurgical systems that make them the fastest long-distance transportation system.
  • Port of Barcelona: this is one of the largest ports of the entire Mediterranean, and has direct international connections both within and outside the Mediterranean. Due to its importance, the Consulate of the Sea, responsible for international maritime law, is headquartered here.
 

The Underground

Below the bustling streets of the city, the Underground CityCiutat Subterrània lays shrouded in shadows, both literally and metaphorically. Barcelona is home to various organized crime groups, which have thrived thanks to their policy to avoid violent crime on the surface. These crime families use the Underground City as safe houses and communication networks, far from the eyes of the authorities. Not much is known of the Underground—once you go down there, they make sure to discourage anyone from talking too much.  

Governance

Districs

Barcelona is, in reality, a much smaller city than most people think. The metropolitan area of Barcelona is actually comprised of multiple independent municipalities without any obvious physical separation. The city is surrounded by the following municipalities:  
  • Les Corts
  • Gràcia
  • Horta
  • Sant Andreu de Palomar
  • Sant Gervasi de Cassoles
  • Sant Martí de Provençals
  • Santa Maria de Sants (Sants for short)
  • Sarrià
  However, the city halls of all these municipalities are in constant coordination through the Community of MunicipalitiesMancomunitat de Municipis.  

The Council of a Hundred

The legislative body of the city is the Council of a HundredConsell de Cent, a semi-democratic institution created in the 13th century by King James IJaume I. The Council is made up of a hundred jurorsjurats, divided into two groups:  
  • 30 honorable jurorsjurats honorables: members of the local nobility and representatives of the Church, appointed by the Count of BarcelonaComte de Barcelona (usually through the Royal LieutenantLloctinent Reial).
  • 70 elected jurorsjurats electes: citizens of the city who are not nobles nor part of the Church, elected every five years.
  This division has no effect in the powers they hold—the vote of every juror, regardless of their origin, has the same value. This is traditionally a cause for division in the Council, as the honorable jurors feel like they should have more power (as they tend to have more influence outside of the Council), while the elected jurors defend their majority because they represent the majority of Barcelonans.  

The Councillors

The Council is led by eight councillorsconsellers, one of which is called Head Councillorconseller en cap and the rest take on ordinal qualifiers (Second Councillorconseller segon, Third Councillorconseller tercer, etc.)   The councillors moderate the meetings of the Council, propose new laws, and ensure that the laws approved by the Council are carried out. They have shared control over the Mossos d'Esquadra stationed in the city and advises the government on military matters if the city is attacked. Additionally, the Head Councillorconseller en cap is also a military rank that lets them share control of the military stationed in the city with the Crown. This is a special right granted to the city due to historical reasons.  

Relationship with the government

Historically, the power of the Council of a Hundred extended well beyond the city and in some aspects operated like a full state within the Principality. Its power has been reduced greatly in the past century, but the city still holds some privileges other cities don't, such as command of the police force and international borders (both shared with the government). Additionally, the city, but not the government, has partial control over the military within city borders.  

History

The origins of Barcelona can be traced back to the Neolithic, but the year 1228 is considered by many to be the beginning of the city as it is today. The Usages of BarcelonaUsatges de Barcelona, the fundamental laws of the city that replaced the old Roman codes, were published that year (and later extended to the rest of Catalonia).   Thanks to its strategic location, it quickly became one of the commercial and industrial powerhouses of the continent, spearheading major developments in Europe such as international maritime law (with the Consulate of the SeaConsulat de Mar in 1260) and the first university of arcanurgy in 1263.   Barcelona was the de facto executive government of the entire Principality until 1365, when the Delegation of the GeneralDiputació del General was established as a tax-collecting agency and, eventually, the executive council of the Principality. At first, this caused tension among the Council as they saw their power decrease, but they eventually settled in a relationship of mutual apprehensive respect.  

The Seizing of the General

During the War of Spanish Succession (1700-1714), the government of the Principality was in chaos. The Delegation of the GeneralDiputació del General had chosen to side with France against the wishes of the Courts, which had become virtually powerless. Amidst the chaos, many territories of the former Crown of Aragon looked back to Barcelona for guidance. So in 1704, in an event known as the Seizing of the GeneralPresa del General, the The Council of a HundredEl Consell de Cent summoned the Sometent and staged a coup to take over the Delegation of the GeneralDiputació del General.   Initially, the Council offered to the Courts the opportunity to take back their lost power. However, the Courts were still in chaos, so using an authority they gave themselves, they dissolved them and declared Rafael Casanova, the Head Councillorconseller en cap at the time, as the new Count of Barcelona and King of Aragon. The countries of the old Crown of Aragon united under this new ensign and managed to present a fierce resistance to the French invasion.   After the Treaty of AranTractat d'Aran in September 11st, 1714, King Rafael I summoned the General Courts in Barcelona with representatives of all of countries that Spain had kept. The Courts confirmed his appointment as monarch and the remaining territories of the Kingdom of Spain became the Mediterranean Crown. After these Courts were celebrated, the The Council of a HundredEl Consell de Cent finally relinquished its control over the entire Principality and went back to being simply the city council.
Catalan version
This setting will apply to all articles with a translation. You need to be logged in to see it.
 
Current coat of arms of Barcelona, featuring the senyera (symbol of the crown), Saint George's cross, the crown of a count, and the traditional bat.
 

contents

Alternative Name(s)
City of CountsCiutat Comtal
Head and HearthCap i Casal
Type
Capital
Population
404,381
Inhabitant Demonym
Barceloní/Barcelonina
Included Locations
Ruling/Owning Rank
Characters in Location

Comments

Author's Notes

This article is about a city that exists in the real world, so it was a bit of a struggle to figure out how to approach this (without just rephrasing the Wikipedia article). I'm pretty happy of how it's turning out though!   Here are some quick notes in case you're curious about how much of this is based on reality.  

Real history notes
The history before the War of Succession is historically accurate (with some liberties), but is provided for context. The section about the War of Succession is slightly based in reality (in the later stages of the war, the Council of a Hundred was the only remaining Catalan institution), but everything else is fictional.   The Council of a Hundred did exist, as the first Catalan institution of self-governance other than the monarchy, but it was abolished in 1714 after losing the war of succession. Unlike the "Delegation of the General", which still exists (as "Generalitat de Catalunya"), the Council of a Hundred was never reestablished. A street in modern Barcelona bears its name in memory.   The "Sometent" also existed and, although it was abolished in 1714, it kept being reinstated whenever it was convenient or needed until 1978, when it was finally abolished by the Spanish Senate. It currently doesn't exist in Catalonia, but in 2022 was legally recognized as an institution by Andorra (a country with strong cultural ties to Catalonia).   And yes, the bat on top of the crown in the coat of arms is historically accurate for 1885 (the crown itself isn't). Apparently it used to be a dragon but people began confusing it for a bat at some point. Isn't this super cool??


Please Login in order to comment!
Jul 9, 2023 13:18 by Dr Emily Vair-Turnbull

I love that the bat is historically accurate.   Really interesting article. I enjoyed the notes on really history too.

Emy x
Explore Etrea
Jul 9, 2023 13:51

Thanks for reading! And I'm glad you enjoyed the historical notes. I might start doing this more often—it's also useful for my future reference to know what's real and what isn't.

[they/them] Creator of Black Light, a science-fantasy universe.
Jul 10, 2023 20:22 by Catoblepon

It's so weird and fun to read about one's capital in an alternative universe XD

Jul 10, 2023 20:31

Even weirder to write about it xD

[they/them] Creator of Black Light, a science-fantasy universe.
Jul 12, 2023 02:14 by Marjorie Ariel

Like the historical notes! Was the conflict between the honorable jurors and the elected jurors part of your research, or did you add it because it's just so real?

Jul 12, 2023 08:24

The difference between honorable and elected jurors didn't exist in the real Council, this is just a change I made to adapt it to the new, more (but not completely) democratic times. It just seems like a very real conflict, and the fact that you were wondering if this has historical basis confirms it! :D

[they/them] Creator of Black Light, a science-fantasy universe.
Aug 26, 2023 03:13

The bat is one of my favorite things here but I also love how you are giving your own take on history. I have another world that does something similar and sometimes it is a struggle to not just sound like Wikipedia but you've done a great job!

Co-creator of the fantasy worlds Isekai & Seireitei
Co-creator of the TTRPG System Storybook
Aug 26, 2023 13:19

Thanks for reading! Really appreciate the nice feedback :)

[they/them] Creator of Black Light, a science-fantasy universe.
Powered by World Anvil