James Baquet

An over-inflated sense of honor can cause strange behavior; the “war” between the small Spanish town of Lijar and the mighty Republic of France is a case in point.

In 1883, Lijar — the population of which hovers around 500 today — was smaller still, with only 300 residents. It’s just a stone’s throw from the Mediterranean Sea; some 800 kilometers (that is, most of Spain as well as the Pyrenees Mountains) lie between the small municipality and the border of France.

Why, then, did tiny Lijar, the “mouse that roared,” declare war? In their own words: “Our King Alfonso, when passing through Paris on the 29th day of September, was stoned and offended in the most cowardly fashion by the miserable hordes of the French nation.”

That king was Alfonso XII of Spain, who reigned from 1874 to 1885. It seems Alfonso had just been in Germany, where he had presided over celebrations of the same Prussian army which had defeated — and even captured — French Emperor Napoleon III during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871. Alfonso had gone so far as to accept the honor of the rank of colonel of the Uhlans, the Polish light cavalry which had fought for the Germans. When he went on to visit Paris, he was insulted and attacked by a Parisian mob.

Back in Lijar, the attack on the King was more than Mayor Miguel Garcia Saez — known thereafter as “The Terror of the Sierras” — could stand. So on Oct. 14, 1883, he declared war on France on behalf of his 300 villagers and the nation of Spain. His written declaration of war can still be viewed by visitors to Lijar.

Of course, France seems to have been entirely unaware of the mayor’s action. No shots were fired, no troops mobilized, no blood shed. Eventually, the farmers of Lijar got bored and returned to their daily chores.

Time passed, and in 1970, then-King Juan Carlos of Spain visited France, where he was welcomed with open arms. The Mayor of Lijar, Diego Sanchez Cortes, consequently declared an end to the hostilities. Again, France seems not to have noticed — though in the early 1980s, a Madrid-based French diplomat visited Lijar and signed a peace treaty. After a century, the war was over!

Vocabulary:

Which words above mean:

1. remains near

2. large numbers of unruly people

3. set into action

4. warmly

5. after that

6. a humorous reference to someone small acting big

7. higher than it should be

8. near

9. was in charge of, led

10. routine tasks