History of Catalonia’s Autonomous Police – Mossos d’Esquadra
The first Squads of Armed Countrymen were established in Catalonia in 1719. Since then, the existence of the Mossos d’Esquadra has been inextricably linked to the history of Catalonia.
Photos of the first Squads of Armed Countrymen in Catalonia.
The Mossos d’Esquadra was the first institution in Europe to establish itself as a civilian force, far removed from the military functions of an army. It soon became a hierarchical security force, made up of the very citizens it served and protected. Over the course of three centuries, it has undergone across-the-board transformations in step with Autonomous Catalonia’s social and political structures.
In 2019 the Mossos d’Esquadra police force commemorated its 300th anniversary.
Comic depicting 300 years of the Mossos d’Esquadra.
