Battle of Valencia (cultural) facts for kids

The Battle of Valencia was a time of big disagreements in Valencian society during Spain's move to democracy. It was a clash between two main ideas about Valencian identity. One was called Fusterianism, which was a more modern way of thinking about Valencian culture, named after the writer Joan Fuster i Ortells. The other was blaverism, which was a more traditional view and was against ideas that connected Valencia too closely with Catalonia. These disagreements were about important symbols like the region's flag and its official name.

What Was the Battle of Valencia About?

The ideas linked to Valencian identity have changed since Spain became a democracy again. Some ideas that were once part of this debate are now widely accepted, like the flag. Others have become less important. Meanwhile, some topics, like the Valencian language, have become even more central to the discussion.

The Flag Debate: Which Flag for Valencia?

The argument over which flag should represent the Valencian Community is actually where the name "Valencianism" comes from. It's based on the Valencian word "blava", which means "blue".

The dispute began when Joan Fuster suggested in his book Nosaltres els valencians that Valencians and Catalans had always shared the same flag, called the Senyera. This flag has four red stripes on a yellow background. Some Valencian groups had used different flags before, and Fuster thought they "didn't know what they were doing."

The simple Senyera flag, sometimes called the quatribarrada, became popular with some Valencian groups. You could see it at a big march for self-rule on October 9, 1977.

Choosing a Flag for the New Region

An early plan for the region's rules, called the Statute of Morella, suggested that the flag for the new Valencian Community should be the Senyera with the royal coat of arms in the middle. These were the arms of Peter III of Aragon, a king who helped make the Kingdom of Valencia more independent within the Crown of Aragon.

This flag was chosen for the regional government council, the Consell del País Valencià, on April 24, 1979. However, a political party called UCD saw this as a challenge. The decision was made just after elections that would have given them more power on the council, but before the new council could officially start.

Some Valencian groups used this tense situation to their advantage. On October 9, 1979, demonstrators even burned flags belonging to the Valencia Town Hall. This was one of many strong disagreements that year.

The Senyera Coronada Becomes the Official Flag

A socialist representative left the regional council on December 22, 1979, and the decision about the flag was changed on January 14, 1980. The Valencian groups continued to insist that the new region's flag should look clearly different from other flags, especially Catalonia's simple Senyera.

Another plan, the Statute of Benicàssim, suggested a new flag design. But a representative from the UCD party managed to get an amendment passed. This amendment made the flag of the Valencian Community the same as the flag of the city of Valencia. This flag includes a blue stripe with a crown, known as the Senyera Coronada.

Since the first rules for self-rule were adopted, the flag issue has become much less controversial. The Senyera Coronada is now widely accepted across the Valencian Community. However, some smaller groups on the left side of politics still sometimes call it the "blavera" flag. The simple Senyera quatribarrada can still be seen sometimes, especially in areas further from the capital city.

Naming Valencia: País Valencià or Regne de València?

The question of what to name the Valencian Community was first seen as less important than the debates over the flag or how much power the regional government, the Generalitat Valenciana, would have. However, it almost caused the entire plan for self-rule to be rejected by the Spanish Parliament in 1982.

At the beginning of Spain's move to democracy, the name País Valencià (which means "Valencian Country") seemed to be widely agreed upon. The regional government council, the Consell del País Valencià, was set up using this name. Both the UCD party and other political groups even signed a document on October 8, 1978, using this name to ask for self-rule.

The Debate Over the Name

The blaverist view, which was a minority view even among conservative groups at first, argued that the term País Valencià suggested a connection to the Països Catalans. This term refers to a group of lands that share a similar culture and language with Catalonia. The blaverists strongly disliked this idea.

As political tensions grew between 1979 and 1980, they started to demand more loudly that the region be called Regne de València ("Kingdom of Valencia") instead.

See also

• In Spanish: Batalla de Valencia para niños