Reapers' War in the context of "Barcelona"

Northern Catalonia, North Catalonia or French Catalonia is the Catalan-speaking and cultural territory ceded to France by Spain through the signing of the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659 in exchange for France's effective renunciation to the protection over Catalonia in the context of the Reapers' War (1640–1659). The area corresponds roughly to the modern French département of the Pyrénées-Orientales which was historically part of the Principality of Catalonia since the old County of Barcelona, and remained part of it during the times of the Crown of Aragon and the Habsburg-ruled Monarchy of Spain, until they were separated and given to the Kingdom of France by the Crown of Spain.

The equivalent term in French, Catalogne du Nord, is used nowadays, although less often than the more politically neutral Roussillon (Catalan: Rosselló); Roussillon, though, historically did not include Vallespir, Conflent and Cerdagne (Cerdanya). The term Pays Catalan (País Català), "Catalan Country", is sometimes used.

The Franco-Spanish War, May 1635 to November 1659, was fought between France and Spain, each supported by various allies at different points. The first phase, from May 1635 to the 1648 Peace of Westphalia, is a related conflict of the Thirty Years' War, while the second continued until the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659.

Major areas of conflict included northern Italy, the Spanish Netherlands and the Rhineland. France supported revolts against Spanish rule in Portugal (1640–1668), Catalonia (1640–1653) and Naples (1647), while Spain backed French rebels in the 1647 to 1653 "Fronde". Both also backed opposing sides in the 1639 to 1642 Piedmontese Civil War.

Lleida (Standard Central Catalan: [ˈʎejðə], Western Catalan: [ˈʎejða] , locally [ˈʎejðɛ]; Spanish: Lérida [ˈleɾiða] ; see below) is a city in the west of Catalonia, Spain. It is the capital and largest town in Segrià county, the Ponent region and the province of Lleida. Geographically, it is located in the Catalan Central Depression. It had 140,797 inhabitants as of 2022.

Lleida is one of the oldest towns in Catalonia, with recorded settlements dating back to the Bronze Age period. Until the Roman conquest of the Iberian Peninsula, the area served as a settlement for an Iberian people, the Ilergetes. The town became a municipality, named Ilerda, under the reign of Augustus. It was ruled by Muslims from the 8th century until reconquered in 1149. In 1297, the University of Lleida was founded, becoming the third oldest in the whole of Spain. During the following centuries, the town was damaged by several wars such as the Reapers' War in the 17th century and the Spanish Civil War in the 20th century. Since then, the city has been in constant urban, commercial and demographic growth.

Elisabeth of France, also known as Isabel or Elisabeth of Bourbon (22 November 1602 – 6 October 1644) was Queen of Spain from 1621 to her death and Queen of Portugal from 1621 to 1640, as the first spouse of King Philip IV & III. She served as regent of Spain during the Catalan Revolt in 1640–42 and 1643–44. As the mother of the Queen of France Maria Theresa, wife of Louis XIV, she was the great-grandmother of the Duke of Anjou, who became king of Spain as Philip V. Through her daughter, Elisabeth is the progenitor of the Spanish branch of the House of Bourbon, which still rules over Spain to this day, as all future kings of Spain after the War of Spanish Succession descend from her. She's also the ancestor of the current Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Guillaume V, through both the Bourbon-Parma collateral branch of the Spanish royal family and the main branch of Bourbon dynasty.

Catalan Republic or Catalan State refers to Catalonia at various times when it was proclaimed or briefly established either an independent republic or as a republic within a Spanish federal republic:

• Catalan Republic (1640–1641), an independent state under French protection during the Reapers' War, but shortly thereafter put in a personal union with the Kingdom of France.
• Catalan State (1873), an attempt to proclaim a federated state within the First Spanish Republic.
• Catalan Republic (1931), a proclaimed state declared in expectations of the imminent formation of an Iberian Confederation of Republics. Within days, the Catalan Republic voluntarily became an autonomous region within the Second Spanish Republic.
• Catalan State (1934), a "Catalan State within the Spanish Federal Republic" proclaimed during the Events of 6 October.
• Catalan Republic (2017), a proposed state declared after the 2017 Catalan independence referendum, and immediately suspended.

Additionally, there were other historical proposals, attempts and ambiguous status regarding a non-monarchical Catalan statehood, among them: