Catalans didn’t lose anything, they were part of the Kingdom of Aragon (a part of the Kingdom of Spain), and when Charles II died without heir, there was a civil war against two European families: Bourbon & Habsburg. Castile nobles chose Bourbon while Aragon ones chose Habsburg.
The war was not because of some “state rights” or whatever you’d like to say, it was a fight for the Spanish Crown between two European Royal Families. If Aragon nobles chose with such bad luck that they were in the losing side, that’s Human History.
I said they lost their laws and institutions as it is mentioned on the linked wiki page. It is a big deal to them as is clear how they present it in the museum of Catalonia in Barcelona and how big they remember this day every year.
They want to be more in control of their own rules and destiny and that fight is still alive.
The question is if this is the majority or a loud minority. But without a proper referendum we will never know exactly. But how they vote in regional elections seem to be that most are more separatist.
The war was not because of some “state rights” or whatever you’d like to say, it was a fight for the Spanish Crown between two European Royal Families. If Aragon nobles chose with such bad luck that they were in the losing side, that’s Human History.