Els intents de l´Armada per controlar l´Escola de Nàutica de Barcelona entre 1791 i 1806

Abstract

The Spanish Navy attempted, on various occasions, to exert a more direct control over the Schools of Nautical Science, including the one in Barcelona. This was not an exception, but part of a broader trend that sought to standardize nautical education throughout the territory. The official argument used by the administration was the need to unify the training programs and guarantee a common standard of quality across all maritime instruction centers. However, the available data and contemporary testimonies indicate that private schools, such as the one in Barcelona, were already offering a high level of training, adapted to the demands of maritime trade and with a solid scientific basis. From this perspective, the supposed 'unification' could be interpreted as a pretext to centralize control over education and subject the civilian schools to the authority of the Royal Navy.

Postprint (published version)