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he wisdom of the historian Sir John Elliott, Regius Professor at the University of Oxford, manifests itself with the clarity and privileged memory of the classics. John Elliott is already a classic, not only of Hispanism, but of the craft of history. An exceptional connoisseur of the history of Catalonia, he recalled at Foment del Treball, under the portrait of Charles III, an afternoon in the 1950s in Empordà with Josep Pla and Jaume Vicens Vives, who was his guide through the Catalan intricacies of the 17th century. On the 5th, in the setting of a dialogue proposed by the Societat d'Estudis Econòmics and the Club Tocqueville, under the auspices of Foment del Treball, with his calm tone and in very precise Spanish, he evoked the circumstances of the Guerra dels Segadors, which was not an attempt at independence because they lived in a composite monarchy: that Catalan revolt was against the Count-Duke of Olivares who believed that Catalonia was richer than it actually was and asked for a greater contribution to finance the war against France.
How does that Guerra dels Segadors resemble today's independence proposals? "History repeats itself many times, though not exactly the same. For example: already in the first half of the 17th century there were great divisions within Catalan society, and that is something that continues today."Sir John crosses his legs and nods when told that the quality of Spain's new historians makes Hispanism almost unnecessary. He evokes his long hours in the Archive of the Crown of Aragon, when he was preparing his thesis "The Revolt of the Catalans" in the 1950s. How does that Guerra dels Segadors resemble today's independence proposals? "History repeats itself many times, though not exactly the same. For example: already in the first half of the 17th century there were great divisions within Catalan society, and that is something that continues today." He adds that an independent Catalonia without allies abroad could not survive. Sir John warns of the risks of exceptionalism.
There is a touch of benevolence in Sir John's wisdom, a very fine intelligence, also capable of consummate diplomacy, with a quick sense of humor. His fascinating defense of comparative history becomes masterful practice in his parallel lives of Richelieu and Olivares, whose biography is for many his masterpiece, and now with the comparison between Scotland and Catalonia – which will be published in Barcelona in autumn. For Elliott there is a great difference: Scotland was independent for centuries, while Catalonia belonged to the Crown of Aragon. That is why – he says – all generations have the obligation to critically review their history, beyond myths. On the other hand, while Gaelic has disappeared from Scottish life, the Catalan language survives and, according to romantic historians, constituted the essential element of Catalonia's identity. Another difference is Scottish participation in the rise of the British Empire, while Catalonia is not present in the Empire of the Indies until, precisely, its final stretch and it is when 19th-century Catalans dominate the Cuban economy.
What it's about is for historians to demystify History. It is one of John Elliott's many masterful lessons.At eighty-eight years old, Elliott maintains a mental agility that kept the permanent attention of those attending his intervention in the Foment auditorium. Nothing from the past seems alien to him, and from there he goes back and forth to better understand the present. Regarding the "procés," internationally, the propaganda based on the falsification of grievances suffered by Catalans seems to have triumphed –initially. Later, he adds that current nationalisms are the new populism. In Great Britain –he explained– the most effective slogan of Brexit supporters was Take control, a typically populist turn, especially when there are serious economic crises. As the growing distance between people and central governments, as well as large supranational corporations, appears, a void emerges, and populism has now occupied it. The point is for historians to demystify History. It is one of many masterful lessons from John Elliott, whose adolescence was spent in the classrooms of Eton. Doctor "honoris causa" by a good handful of Spanish universities, Princess of Asturias award, he is spending a few days in S'Agaró, with his wife Lady Oonah, between sun and rain, pondering the meaning of his next work.
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