How did Philip V’s victory at Almansa affect Valencia and Aragon?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Illustration of the Battle of Blenheim showing cavalry and infantry in combat, fallen soldiers, and smoke rising from cannon fire across a hilly battlefield. — War of the Spanish Succession The Battle of Blenheim (August 13, 1704), was the most famous victory of John Churchill, duke of Marlborough, and Eugene of Savoy during the War of the Spanish Succession.

Following the victory of Philip V over the archduke Charles at the Battle of Almansa in April 1707, the political landscape of Valencia and Aragon was fundamentally transformed.

As a direct consequence of the victory, the local privileges known as fueros—which had been viewed by Bourbon reformers as obstacles to centralized royal authority and potential covers for treasonable support of the Austrian and English invaders—were abolished in both kingdoms. Additionally, the property belonging to those who had rebelled against the crown was confiscated.1

This move reflected the determination of Philip V’s advisers to end regional autonomy and establish effective, centralized royal rule. In Valencia, the suppression of these privileges was further accompanied by a more aggressive assertion of regalism, as the administration moved to subject local church jurisdictions to the authority of civil courts.1