The Barcelona of 1842 was a keg of social conflict. The 'Bombardment of Barcelona' of December 3, 1842 occurred in Spain during the reign of Isabella II. It was ordered personally by the general Baldomero Espartero to end an insurgency that started in Barcelona the previous month and had forced the army to take refuge in the Montjuic Castle and Parc de la Ciutadella. The city, packed by all social strata of society into the same space, confronted each other in a climate of permanent tension that foreshadowed an eventual explosion of violence. The Montjuic Castle now acquired its new historical purpose in regards to the new beginnings of liberal Barcelona. The indiscriminate artillery bombardment of the city was made from Montjuïc under the command of Captain General Antonio Van Halen.