Nikolai Bobrikov’s murder in the Catalan Separatist Theatre

ABSTRACT

The article analyses how Catalan separatism used the murder of the Russian Governor-General of Finland, Nikolai Bobrikov, in 1906 to establish a parallel between Finland/Catalonia and the Russian Empire/Spain, to transfer through a play an imaginary of combat against the Civil Government of Barcelona. The use of this episode of Finnish history through a play was part of Catalan nationalism’s continued will to find external models and to use relevant moments of other European nationalist movements to explain itself.

KEYWORDS:

• Bobrikov
• Schauman
• Catalonia
• nationalism
• Burgas
• Finland

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Some examples: El Diluvio, June 18, 1904; El Diluvio, June 29, 1904; La Publicidad, June 17, 1904; La Publicidad, June 18, 1904; La Ilustració catalana, June 26, 1904; La Veu de Catalunya, June 17, 1904.

2 As an examples: La Veu de Catalunya, March 7, 1899; Ibid., March 27, 1899; Ibid., May 25, 1902; Diari de Catalunya, July 10, 1900; Ibid., August 5, 1900, Ibid., September 10, 1900.

3 The author has not been able to find the message in the Finnish press.

4 Joventut, April 17, 1905; El Poble Català, December 20, 1909; Renaixement, September 19, 1915; El Diluvio, February 23, 1918.

5 La Vanguardia, September 11, 1913; La Vanguardia, September 11, 1921.

6 La Vanguardia, November 24, 1917.

7 La Veu de Catalunya, November 24, 1906.

8 La Vanguardia, September 15, 1906; La Veu de Catalunya, November 24, 1906; La Escena Catalana, November 24, 1906.

9 L’Esquella de la Torratxa, November 30, 1906.

10 La Vanguardia, October 31, 1912.

11 La Vanguardia, February 25, 1916; Teatre Català, March 18, 1916.

12 El Imparcial, December 23, 1918.

13 ABC, January 14, 1919.

14 La Vanguardia, January 30, 1919; El Imparcial, February 7, 1919.

15 La Veu de Catalunya, August 10, 1920.

16 La Vanguardia, January 7, 1921; La Vanguardia, January 13, 1921.

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Notes on contributors

Joan Esculies

Joan Esculies (Manresa, Catalonia, 1976) Professor at University de Vic – Universitat Central de Catalunya. PhD in History by Universitat Pompeu Fabra and MSc in Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict by Birkbeck College of the University of London. He is a specialist in Catalan Nationalism and has published articles on the origins, evolution, organizations and protagonists of Catalan separatism in the first half of the 20th century. More information: www.joanesculies.com.