Second Brotherhood facts for kids

The Second Brotherhood (called Segona Germania in Catalan) was a peasant uprising in 1693. It happened in the central parts of the Kingdom of Valencia. At that time, Valencia was part of Habsburg Spain.

The people who protested called themselves agermanats. This name came from the "brotherhoods" or guilds of Valencia. These groups had rebelled in 1519 during the Revolt of the Brotherhoods. However, the Second Brotherhood was quite different from the first one. It was not a revolt by middle-class guild members. Instead, it was a peasant revolt. The peasants were upset about very high rents they had to pay for their farmland and crops.

This uprising also ended much more peacefully than the 1519 revolt. Both the rebels' actions and the government's response were less violent.

Why the Peasants Rebelled

The first revolt in 1519 was partly caused by people not trusting the Moriscos. Moriscos were Muslims who had been forced to convert to Christianity. However, in the early 1600s, King Phillip III expelled all Moriscos. This removed one reason for a revolt. But it also badly damaged Valencia's economy for many years.

By the late 1600s, the area was finally starting to get better economically. Yet, this return to wealth also caused problems. Peasants felt they were not benefiting from their lords' growing riches. This led to several smaller revolts. Some of these happened in Horta in 1663, Valldigna in 1672, and Camp de Morvedre in 1689.

Protests Over High Rents

In early 1693, the Duke of Gandía and other noblemen went to Madrid. They complained that their tenants were not paying their rents. They also mentioned Fèlix Vilanova. He had encouraged a revolt in Camp de Morvedre in 1689. Fèlix seemed to be stirring up peasants in the Marina Comarque. He told them there were old documents that said they didn't have to pay these rents.

After a fight between protesters and police in Pedreguer, the viceroy suggested a meeting. A group of lawyers in Valencia would hear the legal arguments. The protesters claimed old rights given by James I and other kings. But these claims were not accepted because there was no proof. So, the protesters then demanded that all rents be stopped completely. This demand was made by Francesc Garcia. He was a wealthy farmer and a main leader of the protest. Feliu Rubio and Bartomeu Pelegrí also helped lead the movement.

By May, the peasants refused to pay their rents. In Carlet, the tenants of the Earl of Carlet would not pay. The viceroy's soldiers had to step in again to make the protesters obey. The unhappiness kept spreading.

The March and the Battle

In Vilallonga, in the area of Gandia, four farmers were arrested. They had refused to share their crops with their lord. This was the final push that started the uprising. The next day, three thousand men marched on the city of Gandia. The four arrested farmers were freed without any violence.

This easy release probably surprised the rebels. It encouraged them to keep marching towards Valencia. They wanted to ask the viceroy for justice. To make their point, they quickly formed an army. Josep Navarro, a wealthy farmer from Muro d'Alcoi, organized them into groups.

However, the viceroy had been warned. He told the Governor of Xàtiva to meet him in Gandia. The governor brought an army of 400 men on horseback, 400 on foot, and two cannons. They met at Albaida. They planned to fight the rebels there. The rebel force included groups from Xàtiva, Algemesí, and Carcaixent.

The fight happened on July 15 in Setla de Nunyes, near Muro d'Alcoi. The viceroy's forces had 1,397 armed men with cannons. The peasants had about 1,500 people, but they were mostly unarmed. The battle lasted two hours. Only about fifteen people died, all of them were the peasant rebels.

What Happened After

In the weeks after the battle, soldiers on horseback brought back order. Josep Navarro, who led the peasant army, faced severe punishment on February 29, 1694. Twenty-five other participants were sent to work on ships as punishment. Francesc Garcia, another important rebel leader, was never caught. The main leaders of the revolt were well-off farmers. The large group of angry people who followed them were from poorer families.

The Second Brotherhood uprising actually made the government stronger. It showed that the central government was gaining more power. The noblemen saw again that they needed the king's help and protection. They realized it would be unwise to stand up for local rights against the king. Arguments over rent amounts continued, but usually in courts. The Kingdom of Valencia would only exist as a separate area for less than twenty more years. All of Spain was formally united after the War of the Spanish Succession. Valencia and Aragon had supported the side that lost the war.

See also

In Spanish: Segunda Germanía para niños

• Revolt of the Barretinas, a similar revolt in Catalonia from 1687–1689