Manuel Bofarull Palau (1851–1929) was a Spanish jurist and politician from Catalonia. He has not risen to major honors in jurisprudence, yet he wrote a law reference book which is currently considered "part of the knowledge base of civilization" and which was re-printed as late as 2023. Ideologically he generally remained within moderate Catalan right-wing Catholicism. However, between the mid-1900s and the mid-1910s he was engaged in Carlism and briefly entered its national executive, though he did not play a major role in the movement. His political climax fell on 1907–1912, when he was member of the Cortes; in 1907-1910 he served in Congreso de los Diputados, and in 1910–1912 in the Senate.
Family and youth
Manuel's paternal ancestors can be traced to the 17th century; a Pau Bofarull resided in Savallà del Comtat, where his son Miguel Bofarull (1650–1712) was born and married. His son, Joan Bofarull Montanya, a cloth merchant, moved to Santa Coloma de Queralt. It was his son, Magin Bofarull Ventalló (1731–1811), a grocer and confectioner, who in 1755 settled in Mataró.Francesc Costa Oller, Notícia dels Bofarull, [in:] Sessió d’Estudis Mataronins 9 (1992), pp. 143-144, also Francesc Costa Oller, El llibre de les famílies de Mataró, Mataró 2023, p. 69 After his wife he inherited a large commerce business,because of his 3rd marriage (with Antonia Riera Macies, widow after Josep Carbonell Serra) he inherited also the business of her deceased husband, and "gran patrimoni dels Carbonell passava íntegre als Bofarull", Costa Oller 1992, p. 144 and grew to prominence in the city.Costa Oller 1992, p. 143 His son Magin Bofarull Carbonell (1764–1845, the grandfather of Manuel) developed the business further on,apart from trade, confectionery, and brewery he engaged also in textile, spirits, and printing industry, Costa Oller 1992, p. 144 founding branches as far as in Cartagena;Costa Oller 1992, p. 144 he also purchased landed property.his sfocus was on Cartagena, where the company Germans Bofarull i Carbonell became the official state supplier. He also formed numerous other companies, active at the turn of the centuries, before the Napoleonic period, and bought estates, Costa Oller 1992, pp. 145-146 His son and the father of Manuel, Gaspar Bofarull Carbonell (1814–1885), inherited some business after his childless brother and having married in 1839 Manuela Palauspelling of this surname differs across various sources. For "Paláu" version see La Lectura Dominical 30.11.29, available here. The Senado service opts for "Palau", compare Bofarull de Palau, Manuel entry, [in:] official Senate service, available here; this is the version preferred e.g. also in the online Catalan encyclopedia, see Manuel Bofarull i de Palau entry, [in:] Enciclopèdia.cat service, available here. "Palau" is also the version which appears on the birth certificate of Manuel, compare Partida de bautismo, [in:] official Senate service, available here, and as such is adopted here Català (1818–1880), daughter to a "haciendado".both her parents were from Mataró, see Partida de bautismo, [in:] official Senate service, available here He multiplied the family wealth even more, his estates and assets located in Mataró, Barcelona, Cartagena and Valencia.Costa Oller 1992, p. 150 A contemporary scholar claims that the Bofarulls "are a perfect example of the evolution of families that base their wealth on commercial initiatives, and that over the generations become landowners and, amidst comfort and luxury, evolve towards non-productive social forms"."Els Bofarull són tot un exemple de l'evolució de les famílies que fonamenten el seu paüimoni i situació social a l'ampara de les iniciatives comercials, i que amb el pas de les generacions esdevenen senyors i enmig de la comoditat i el luxe evolucionen cap a formes socials no productives, vivint de les rendes patrimonials, l'explotació dels drets de consums i d'altres beneficis", Costa Oller 1992, p. 143 Though with no gentry roots, they started to pose as nobility.Armand de Fluvià Escorsa, La pretesa noblesa dels Bofarull de Savallà del comtat i de Santa Coloma de Queralt traslladats a Mataró, [in:] Paratge: quaderns d'estudis de genealogia, heràldica, sigil•lografia i nobiliària 12 (2000), pp. 21-22
Gaspar and Manuela had 6 children, 3 girlsfor details see Ramon Reixach i Puig, Els orígens de la tradició política liberal catòlica a Catalunya. Mataró, s. XVIII i XIX, Mataro 2008, ISBN 9788493310967 p. 806 and 3 boys, born between 1840 and 1851; it is the sons who would start to appear as "de Bofarull". Manuel was the youngest one. He frequented the Instituto in Barcelona; in 1868 and with sobresaliente marks he obtained the baccalaureate there.Partida de bautismo, [in:] official Senate service, available here, p. 4 He then entered the University of Barcelona, becoming licenciado in derecho civil y canónico in 1873. Having moved to Madrid, at Central he graduated as doctor in both civil and canon lawAntonio Elas de Molins, Diccionario biográfico y bibliográfico de escritores y artistas catalanes del siglo XIX, vol. 1, Barcelona 1889, p. 296 with the thesis Determinación del concepto del Derecho: su relación con la Moral, defended in 1877.Bofarull de Palau, Manuel entry, [in:] Portal de Archivos Españoles service, available here, also Aurora Miguel Alonso (ed.), Doctores en derecho por la Universidad Central. Catálogo de tesis doctorales 1847-1914, Madrid 2021, ISBN 9788413779065, p. 201 In 1878 he was admitted to Colegio de Abogados in Barcelona and started to practice,La Fe 23.10.78, available here though either in 1880El Sol 22.11.29, available here or in 1881B. de Artagan [Reynaldo Brea], Príncipe heróico y soldados leales, Barcelona 1912, p. 129 he switched to notariado, still in Barcelona.in 1880 he was admitted to Colegio Teritorial [of notaries] de Barcelona, see his Expediente personal, [in:] official Senate service, available here
In 1883Expediente personal, [in:] official Senate service, available here Bofarull married Clara Romañá Suari,the "Romañá" spelling is adopted in the act of marriage certificate, compare Expediente personal, [in:] official Senate service, available here; "Romaña" is the option preferred at the official Cortes service, compare here; "Romana" featured in the press, compare "Es su viuda doña Clara Romana y Suari de cuyo matrimonio viven dos hijos", La Vanguardia 24.11.29; some historiographic works prefer "Romanyà", see Costa Oller 1992 5 years his junior and descendant to a family of wealthy Catalan bourgeoisie; the couple lived in Barcelona, though in the mid-1880sone source claims 1885 and notes that the post was "obtenido por concurso", Diario oficial de avisos de Madrid 21.10.85, available here. Other sources might point to 1886 they moved permanently to Madrid,the family lived at calle del Barguillo 6, in the very centre of Madrid, see Bofarull Palau, Manuel, [in:] Patrimonio documental del Ilustre Colegio de la Abogacía de Madrid, available here where Manuel continued to practice as a notary.in 1888 he entered Colegio de Abogados de Madrid, Bofarull Palau, Manuel, [in:] Patrimonio documental del Ilustre Colegio de la Abogacía de Madrid, available here The couple had 5 children.named José Oriol, Carmen, Manuel, Hilaria and Clara, El Debate 21.11.29, available here The only one who became a public figure was Manuel de Bofarull Romañá, a politician and Cortes deputy in the 1950s. Bofarull's grandson, Ignacio Uriarte Bofarull,he was son to Manuel's daughter Carmen Bofarull Romaña, married to Uriarte y Clavería, La Correspondencia de España 24.12.10, available here gained some recognition as an ACNDP activist during late Francoism and afterwards.Uriarte de Bofarull, Ignacio entry, [in:] ACdP. Diccionario Biografico, available here Among other relatives his brother-in-law, engaged in electricity, manufacturing, railways and construction businesses,Manuel Bofarull Palau was business partner to at least some of their enterprises, as in 1904 together with Francisco Romaña y Suari he was co-owner of the La Fortuna printing house, Boletín oficial de la propiedad intelectual e industrial 1904, available here. He was still noted as co-owner in 1911, see Industria é invenciones 1911, available here was granted the title of barón de Romañá.the title is currently defunct, Baronia de Romañà entry, [in:] Enciclopedia.cat service, available here Bofarull's oldest brother Juan, a landowner and merchant, served as vice-consul of Portugal,married to Dolores de Franch, he commenced the Bofarull i de Franch line, Reixach i Puig 2008, p. 806 while the other one José became a religious and headed càtedra de Psicologia i Lògica in the Barcelona seminary;Reixach i Puig 2008, p. 646 their sister Concepción, also a religious, became superiora of the Sant Josep convent in Mataró.Enarnació was married to Terenci Thos Bofarull, Reixach i Puig 2008, p. 806, also Fluvià Escorsa 2000, pp. 21-22 His maternal cousin José de Palau y de Huguet was a scholar and writer.apart from José de Palau i d'Huguet, his brother and another Manuel's cousin Antoní de Palau i d'Huguet gained some recognition as editor-in-chief of the Carlist periodical El Correo Catalan; one more brother and cousin Camil de Palau i d'Huguet became a religious and grew to vicar general of Seville and Toledo
Jurist and other engagements
Initially it appeared that Bofarull would opt for a scientific or academic career, as during 10 years after obtaining his doctorado he published two major juridical works.apart from a minor pamphlet La libertad social y el poder público (1877) The first one, originally titled Tratado completo del Derecho romano en cuadros sinópticos, según el orden general de la Instituta (1878), was a structured reference book presenting terms and concepts of the Roman law. In its re-worked versiontitled Tratado de Derecho Romano según la Instituta it was prized at Exposición Universal in Barcelona in 1888 and was admitted as manual for university students. Similar in format was La Codificación Civil en España (1887, also prized), re-issued as El Código Civil Español según la edición oficial. Anotado y concordado con la anterior legislación y jurisprudencia española y los códigos extranjeros (1888); 150 years later it would be declared "culturally important" as "part of the knowledge base of civilization" and re-printed (2023).compare Manuel Bofarull y de Palau, El Código Civil Español, s.l. 2023, at the Amazon service, available here Apéndice al Código Civil español followed (1889). There were, however, no other similar works written and except technical La crisis del Notariado y las Cámaras de Contratación inmobiliaria (1908) Bofarull published no other major study.compare La crisis del notariado y las cámaras de contratación inmobiliaria at the Todocolección service, available here He basked in prestige: prior to 1878 he entered Real Academia de Jurisprudencia y Legislación,Tratado completo del derecho Romano at the GoogleBooks service, available here took part in national congresses,he represented Colegios Notariales de Cataluña in Congreso Nacional de Jurisconsultos in Madrid, El Debate 21.11.29, available here and formed part of Tribunales de Oposiciones, assessing candidates for university teaching positions in Roman law.e.g. in Seville and Santiago de Compostela, El Pais 06.03.10, available here He practiced as notary until 1925.El Pais 06.03.10, available here