The Battle of Almansa Room
The Almansa Battle room gets its name from the model located in the center of the room. The Battle of Almansa is the largest model exhibited in the museum, and it is one of our most outstanding pieces.
This battle took place near Almansa, in what is now the province of Albacete. It pitted the army of Philip V—numbering some 25,000 men and commanded by the Duke of Berwick, an experienced Franco-Irish military officer—against the opposing forces. He was opposed by Charles III, whose army of about 22,000 soldiers consisted mainly of English, Portuguese, and Dutch troops, led by the Earl of Galway and the Marquis of Las Minas.
The Duke of Berwick, employing superior strategy and coordination, launched a frontal attack combined with encircling maneuvers, which threw the allied army into disarray. Charles III’s army suffered heavy casualties and broke ranks, unable to regroup.
The result was a decisive Bourbon victory: Philip V consolidated his control over much of Spain. It also led to the fall of the Kingdom of Valencia: after the battle, Philip V ordered reprisals against the territories of the Crown of Aragon that had supported Charles of Austria. The Decree of Nueva Planta (1707) abolished their special privileges and institutions, imposing a centralist model. All of this led to a shift in the balance of power in Spain and Europe: the defeat significantly weakened the allies, marking a turning point in favor of the Bourbons in the war.
The Battle of Almansa is remembered as one of the most important battles of the War of the Spanish Succession due to its impact on the political and territorial configuration of Spain and Europe.
Surrounding this model is a series of dioramas that tell the history of Spain through its heads of state and their guards. Starting in the 8th century with Abd al-Rahman I of Córdoba, the display extends all the way to the guard units of Juan Carlos I. However, the period spanning from Ferdinand VII to Alfonso XIII is located in the adjacent room, the Victoria Eugenia Room.
Of course, depictions of such significant events as the Mutiny of Aranjuez, the popular uprising against Charles IV and Manuel Godoy—which led to Godoy’s dismissal and the monarch’s abdication—or the departure of King Alfonso XIII into exile following his defeat in the April 12, 1931, elections, which paved the way for the Republic’s victory—an event also depicted in the room.
In addition, there are dioramas depicting the arrival of the Spanish in the New World led by Columbus, Hernán Cortés, and Pizarro. Other dioramas depict Mayan, Inca, and Aztec warriors, as well as their great rulers such as Moctezuma.
