Mosso d'Esquadra in dress uniform

Mossos d'Esquadra (lit. English: "Squadron Lads") is the police force of Catalonia, one of the autonomous communities of Spain. It is the oldest civil police force in Europe, founded in the 18th century as the 'Esquadres de Catalunya' to protect the people of Catalonia. Image File history File linksMetadata Catalunya-MossoDEsquadraEnVestitDeGala. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Catalunya-MossoDEsquadraEnVestitDeGala. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Capital Barcelona Official languages Spanish and Catalan In Val dAran, also Aranese. ... Autonomous communities of Spain. ... A civil police force is a police force comprised of civilians and not military personnel. ... A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is the worlds second-smallest continent in terms of area, covering around 10,790,000 km² (4,170,000 sq mi) or 2. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ...

They were originally men-at-arms who had fought as irregulars in the War of the Spanish Succession, and were brought together by the mayor of the town of Valls near Tarragona between 1719-1721. The corps became institutionalised and was manned by locals, who had to speak Catalan and be familiar with the paths, caves and hiding places in the area. They were eventually placed under military jurisdiction but were less centralised than the Spanish police force (then known as the 'Intendencia General de Policía') formed in 1817, or the yet to be established ‘Guardia Civil’, both of which were systematically deployed away from their regions of origin, and were thus strangers. Throughout the centuries it has passed back and forth from Catalan authority to Spanish military command several times. They were dissolved in 1868 by General Prim after the fall of Queen Isabella II of Spain, since the Mossos had always been royalists. Irregular Soldiers, 19th Century Irregulars are soldiers or warriors that are not part of a regular army organization. ... Charles II was the last Habsburg King of Spain. ... Valls is the capital of the comarca of Alt Camp, in the province of Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain. ... A picture from the air Tarragona Ampitheatre Tarragona is a city located in the south of Catalonia, Spain, by the Mediterranean Sea. ... Catalan can mean: the Catalan language inhabitant of Catalonia Eugène Charles Catalan the mathematician a Catalan solid Catalan numbers the Catalan Opening, a chess opening the Catalan forge, a type of open hearth furnace that was a precursor to the blast furnace There is also information on Catalan names. ... See Guardia Civil for other meanings of the phrase Patrol boat. ... Joan Prim, Spanish general and statesman General Juan Prim, Marquis of los Castillejos, Count of Reus (December 12, 1814 – December 30, 1870), Spanish soldier and statesman, was the son of Lieut. ... Isabella II (October 10, 1830 – April 10, 1904), Isabel II in Spanish, was queen of Spain. ...

They were reinstated in 1876 under the reign of Isabella's son king Alfonso XII of Spain, but only in the province of Barcelona. Under his son Alfonso XIII of Spain, the Mossos were not well regarded in Catalonia, specially by the Mancomunitat de Catalunya, who paid them but had no control over them. They flourished, though, under Primo de Rivera's dictatorship. When the Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed, however, the Mossos sided with the Generalitat de Catalunya. After the Spanish Civil War, the last Mossos left Catalonia with the President of the Generalitat and the corps were dissolved by the franquist authorities. Alfonso XII of Spain (November 28, 1857–November 25, 1885), was king of Spain, reigning from 1875 to 1885, after a coup détat restored the monarchy and ended the ephemeral First Spanish Republic. ... Alfonso XIII of Spain (May 17, 1886 – February 28, 1941), King of Spain, posthumous son of Alfonso XII of Spain, was proclaimed King at his birth. ... The Mancomunitat de Catalunya was an institution that grouped the four Catalan diputacions, (or province administrations) created the 6 April of 1914, while the process for its creation futile starts to the 1911. ... Primo de Rivera may refer to: Miguel Primo de Rivera y Orbaneja, dictator of Spain from September 23 1923 to 1930, or his son, José Antonio Primo de Rivera, the lawyer and son of Miguel Primo de Rivera who founded the extreme right-wing party Falange. ... History of Spain series Prehistoric Spain Roman Spain Medieval Spain -Visigoths -Al-Andalus -Age of Reconquest Age of Expansion Age of Enlightenment Reaction and Revolution First Spanish Republic The Restoration Second Spanish Republic Spanish Civil War The Dictatorship Modern Spain Topics Economic History Military History Social History Flag of the... The Generalitat de Catalunya is the institution in which the self-government of Catalonia (a country in Spain) is politically organised. ... History of Spain series Prehistoric Spain Roman Spain Medieval Spain - Visigoths - Al-Andalus - Age of Reconquest Age of Expansion Age of Enlightenment Reaction and Revolution First Spanish Republic The Restoration Second Spanish Republic Spanish Civil War The Dictatorship Modern Spain Topics Economic History Military History Social History The Spanish Civil... Francisco Franco Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco y Bahamonde (December 4, 1892 – November 20, 1975), abbreviated Francisco Franco Bahamonde and sometimes known as Generalisimo Francisco Franco, was the dictator and Head of State of Spain from 1936/1939 until his death in 1975. ...

On July 21, 1950 the Diputation of Barcelona was authorized to created a section of Mossos d'Esquadra. These new Mossos were a militarized corps with little similitudes to the earlier incarnations, with limited attributes and small in number. July 21 is the 202nd day (203rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 163 days remaining. ... 1950 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...

With the arrival of democracy, the Mossos d'Esquadra grew in number and atributions. Since October 25, 1980 it has been under the authority of the Generalitat de Catalunya (Government of Catalonia). October 25 is the 298th day of the year (299th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 67 days remaining. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ...

The current incarnation of the Mossos d'Esquadra was created by a law of the Generalitat of July 14, 1983, basically refounding the previous corps into a modern police force. They're no longer a military force, but a civilian one. Since then, the Mossos had gradually grown in both numbers and attributions. July 14 is the 195th day (196th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 170 days remaining. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Currently, the Mossos d'Esquadra are taking the place of Spain's Policia Nacional and Guardia Civil in Catalonia. This process of substitution began in 1994 and will be completed by 2008 [1]. In November 2005, the Mossos took full duties in the city of Barcelona. Policia Nacional is the countrywide police agency of Spain. ... See Guardia Civil for other meanings of the phrase Patrol boat. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is a Leap year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Barcelona within Barcelonès Population (2003) 1,582,738 Area 100. ...

The Policia Nacional and the Guardia Civil will keep some agents in Catalonia to handle terrorism, identity documents, immigration and other limited matters which the central goverment retains competences on [2]. German identity document sample An identity document is a piece of documentation designed to prove the identity of the person carrying it. ...

The Mossos are trained in the Escola de Policia de Catalunya (Catalonia Police School), which also trains local police agents.

External links

• Official web page of the Mossos d'Esquadra
• Official web page of the Municipal Police Forces of Catalonia
• History of the Mossos d'Esquadra, in catalan