Armand de Fluvià

Armand de Fluvià i Escorsa (Barcelona, 1931), is a Catalan genealogist and heraldist. He is specialist in Catalan genealogies and in the dynasties of the counts of the Catalan Countries. He has also been a pioneer of the gay emancipation movement since the last years of the Francoist dictatorship. He was also one of the founders of Nacionalistes d'Esquerra (Leftist Nationalists).

He is the son of Armand de Fluvià i Vendrell. In 1959 he became Law graduated in the University of Barcelona and in 1960 he became member of the Barcelona Bar Association, but after finishing a cours in Paleography and Diplomatics in the Faculty of Philosophy and Arts of the University of Barcelona, he was devoted to genealogy and heraldry. He is an important member of the International Institute of Genealogy and Heraldry and of the Salazar y Castro Institute of the CSIC.

In 1984 he received the Arenberg prize of genealogy (1984) and from 1985 he is member of the Académie Internationale d'Héraldique (International Academy of Heraldry). He was founder and president (1983-2007) of the Societat Catalana de Genealogia, Heràldica, Sigil·lografia, Vexil·lologia i Nobiliària (Catalan Society of Genalogy, Heraldry, Sigillography, Vexillology and Nobility). He is also member of the Institut d'Estudis Gironins (Institute of Studies about Girona) (1967) and numerary member of the Institut d'Estudis Empordanesos (Institute of Studies about the Empordà (1967–93), consultant of the Arxiu Històric de la Ciutat de Barcelona (Historical Archive of the City of Barcelona) (1983) and of the National Archive of Catalonia (1983).

In 1953 he was member of the monarchical group Joventut Espanyola d'Acció (Spanish Youth of Action) (JEA), in 1957 he was imprisoned due to his political activism, he took part in the Caputxinada and until 1969 he was member of the political secretary's office Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona, but he became later involved in Catalan independentist. and the defence of gay rights. In 1976 he became member of the Socialist Convergence of Catalonia (CSC), that he abandoned in 1979 in order to be one of the founders of Nacionalistes d'Esquerra (Leftist Nationalists) (Nd'E) and in 1985 of its split Moviment d'Esquerra Nacionalista (Leftist Nationalist Movement) (MEN). From 1981 to 1993 he was an active member of the Crida a la Solidaritat (Call to Solidarity).

In 1970, still illegally, he founded the Spanish Movement of Homosexual Liberation, in 1974 he lectured a course of sexual anthropology in the Universitat Catalana d'Estiu (Summer Catalan University), he was founder and first leader of the Front d'Alliberament Gai de Catalunya (Gay Liberation Front of Catalonia), and he was president of the Lambda Institute.

In 1996 he gave all his bibliographic and documentary collection to the Generalitat de Catalunya (Catalan regional government),. At the same time, he was against the change of heraldry symbols that had been approved by the Ajuntament de Barcelona (Barcelona City Hall). In 2000 he was awarded with the [Creu de Sant Jordi Award[]] and in 2008 with the Golden Medal of Barcelona.

On 24 October 2007 he founded, and he is nowadays the president, of the Institució Catalana de Genealogia i Heràldica (Catalan Institution of Genealogy and Heraldry) (ICGenHer).

• Pacte de Joia (1974). (Catalan)
• Diccionari general d'heràldica (1982). (Catalan)
• Els Primitius Comtats i Vescomtats de Catalunya (1989). (Catalan)
• Els quatre pals, l'escut dels comtes de Barcelona (1994). (Catalan)
• A la recerca dels avantpassats (1995). (Catalan)
• Repertori de grandeses, títols i corporacions nobiliàries de Catalunya (1998). (Catalan)
• El moviment gai a la clandestinitat del franquisme (1970-75) (2003). (Catalan)
• Repertori de grandeses, títols i corporacions nobiliàries de Catalunya II (2004). (Catalan)
• L'apropiació dels Símbols Nacionals de Catalunya per part d'historiadors aragonesos (2009). (Catalan)
• Catalunya, un país sense escut (2010). (Catalan)
• Historia de una falsificación Nobiliaria: La Baronia de Gavín en Aragón (2010). (Spanish)
• Manual d'heràldica i tècnica del blasó (2011). (Catalan)
• Qui eren els meus avantpassats? Nou manual de genealogia (2012). (Catalan)
• Manual de Nobiliària Catalana (2012). (Catalan)
• Nobiliari General Català. Volum V (2014). (Catalan)

His personal documentary collection is preserved in the National Archive of Catalonia.

His documentary collection contains all the documents that Armand de Fluvià has produced or received along his life:

• Family and personal documenta (cards, agendas and notes).
• Professional documents and work materials that are linked with his activities as a genealogist and heraldist, family trees, photos of world royal houses and of families of Catalan nobility.
• Archives of the marquis de la Cuesta.
• Documents linked with the Political Secretary of Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona in Catalonia (circulars, correspondence and invoices) with societies that defended the "monarchic rights" (letters, circulars, press excerpts about royal families and about the counts of Barcelona);
• Documents about the society Amigos de los Castillos (Friends of the castles) (statutes, correspondence, reports and acts);
• Documents about Carlism (programs, communiqués and correspondence).
• Documents in favour of gay rights.

The collection includes monographies and regular publications about genealogy, heraldry, monarchy, nobility and history.