History of the Basques - SpeedyLook encyclopedia

The history of the Basques , as in the majority of the people whose origins go back to times for which it does not exist hard copies, gives place to many assumptions. The recent genetic and scientific research, combined with linguistics and hematology shows that the Basques (or rather proto-Basques) lived in the Basque Country current during the last glaciation. To have a language isolated and without relation with its neighbors and which appears not to have any relation with those which arrived to Europe during the emigrations Indo-European born is a characteristic which with thorough with the research of the origins of these people, his language and facts cultural and characteristics which define it as a " peuple". These reports were transformed into a challenge for many students and gave place to more theses than it is usual to see of them on such a subject, the majority without scientific rigor the any and others based on the various evidence and discovered carried out.

Origins of the Basques

Prehistory

Paleolithic average inferior and

It is one period which goes from 400.000 to 35.000 front J.C. The first human traces in the Basque Country are located in places isolated like Aitzabal or Irunberri where Hachereau X out of cut stone were found. The industry Moustérien which is characterized by the use of tools on glares, such as Racloir S, points or Grattoir S is present there as well as many caves. The shelter of Axlor in Biscay watch techniques of hunting used since a ravine in front of the entry constituted there a trap for the animaux.

Paleolithic superior

It is one period which goes from 35.000 to 9.000 front J.C where the tools for hunting are refined with the use of the wood of Cervidé or of the bones. Hunting and fishing are practiced from now on at the rate/rhythm of the seasons and of the artistic figurations decorates the caves of parietal Art.
One found in the Grottes of Isturitz and Oxocelhaya a movable Art comprising sculptures on bone of horse and the rods of wood of reindeer; sites of burial and flutes in bone were discovered there. The life there is organized, easier and is ritualisée parfois.

Mesolithic

Period which goes from 9.000 to 7 500 av. J.C. After the Glaciation of Würm, the climate is heated, the level of water goes up but especially the vegetation passes from Toundra to meadows and Forêt S. the sea starts to be a source of food, the tools refine with Harpon S osseous plats.
The proto-Basques will disperse through Europe but also the people Indo-Europeans will arrive from Asia. While the latter are sédentarisent, the proto-Basques will continue during thousands of years to living of gathering and chasse.

Neolithic and Protohistoire

If the valid assumption is the first advanced on the origin of the Basques, in prehistoric times, a series of tribes speaking about the languages belonging to the same linguistic family (what must be called " protoeuskara") and maintaining the commercial relations between them were established in all Europe and particularly in the grounds occupied by current the Euskal Herria. If the fourth assumption is checked, the Basques will arrive in current the Pays Basque only starting from Ve and VIe centuries. The other assumptions are intermediate. However, one is currently unaware of which is the exact assumption.

According to the Roman historians Strabon, Pline Old the, Pomponius Mixed, Lucius Florus or Silius Italicus, the zone was inhabited in the times préromaines by various tribes whose idiom is not known. The distribution of these tribes and the zones occupied by Vardules, the Drivers and Autrigons vary according to the historians. The distribution of Ptolémée, most complete, is the following one:

Cantabres, name given to the people which lived between the Sella and the Ason.
Autrigons, established between Ason and the Nervion.
Drivers, established between Nervion and the Deba in current the Guipúzcoa.
Vardules which occupied current Guipuzcoa except for the valley of Deva and that of the Bidassoa.
Vascons, which occupied current the Navarre and part of the Aragon.
Aquitains, which was established between the the Garonne and the the Pyrenees.

Others locate Cantabres and Vascons like frontier tribes, and for others still, only Vardules lived between Vascons and Cantabres. Pline indicates that Portus Am (the Flaviobriga Roman and current Castro Urdiales) was a city vardule, which contradicts the version of Ptolémée clearly.

There are not other mentions of the people like Vardules, Caristes and Autrigons, until in IXe century one mentions for the first time Castille: called before Bardulie .

The Roman epoch

General situation

The traditional sources of study of the History of the Basques are authors like Strabon, which announced as of the Ier front century J. - C. the presence of people called the " Vascons " in the north of what are the Spanish provinces today of Navarre and of Aragon.
What touches with this part of the history of the Basque people is based especially on the contributions of the historians and Roman narrators of the time (namely Ptolémée, Pline, Tite-Live or even Jules César), who constitute the only written sources. Indeed, one knows for the moment no historical writing coming from the native people of these territories, and what is deduced from the archaeological discoveries carried out on all the territory confirms in a usual way the accounts of the anciens.
First contact between Basques and Romans is former to arrival of the latter in territory Basque, since it is established that Basque mercenaries fought at the sides of Hannibal Barca during the Second Punic War, which appears in the many ones towards telling various battles drawn from the poem Punique of Silius Italicus, inter alia: " Neither the cerretains, formerly a camping of the hero of Tirinte, nor the Basque, nonaccustomed with the helmet, will hesitate to take the weapons ". Nor los cerretanos, antaño campamento LED héroe of Tirinto, O el vasco, No acostumbrado Al casco, demoraron in tomar tired armed yourself ”. --> " And when Caton, oublieux of its advanced age, fills up its spirit of a warlike heat, fought, launched out against the enemies and removed its weapons mortifères the young person, continued by the nimble Basque and the cantabre with a rain of arrows ".
When Hasdrubal came using his/her brother, at the end of the confrontation with the Romans, it did it through the country of Vascons and continued by the south of Gaules, recruiting new troops among their peuples.
It is possible, or at least thus certain historians consider it, that this knowledge of the military capacity of Rome led Vascons to collaborate when the Roman troops arrived on their territory instead of facing them. Consequently, and like rewards for the aforementioned collaboration, the Romans gave up in Vascons some of the cities which they conquered by the force on others peuples.
According to Tite-Live, in year 194 before our era, the consul Marcus Porcius Caton taken Jaca by trick. Later on, in year 186 before J.C., the Préteur L. Manlius Acidinus overcame Celtibères close to Calahorra. And in 178 before J.C. , the foundation of Gracurris (currently Alfaro) on the ruins of Ilurcis by Tib. Sempronius Gracchus marks the beginning of the Basque romanisation .
The Romans indicate the existence of many tribes: Autrigons, Drivers, Vardules, Bérons, Vascons and Aquitaines' , and although it is not known as concretely if they are various denominations for the same people, they all included them in what they called Vasconum, which divided at the same time into Saltus and Ager, implying that he was thus. The denomination Vasconum saltus corresponded to the north of the territory and included/understood Biscay, Guipuzcoa, the French Pays Basque current, the Eastern part of Cantabrie, the North-East of Aragon, and the north of the Alava and the Navarre; this zone was employed like territory of forestry development and dwelling, and especially for the exploitation of some mines (Triano and Aldituri) and careers; the ruins discovered are very scattered, although each time they appears in greater number. Ager Vasconum includes Alava, the south of Navarre, Rioja, the north of Burgos and the south-west of Aragon; this area being the area with most important and most installations, and large farm.

People

Autrigons constitute the most Western people of all those quoted with Cantabres in the west and Turmiges in the south, and with the Drivers and Bérons in the east, extended between Ason and Nervion, although later on their fields, probably granted by Auguste after the victory over Cantabres, were established Cantabric horn almost until Deba. Their principal city was Uirovesca (Briviesca). There were other important cities like Tricio, in Rioja, and on the coast, Flaviobriga (Castro-Urdiales) the last colony rested by the Romans in Hispanie, or Osma de Valdegovia, Poza of Sal and in the mouth of Nerua (Nervion) a port, as show it monnaires discovered in the bar of Portugalete and with Bilbao. Florus and Orosius tells that they were frequently attacked by Cantabres, for their probable collaboration with Auguste during the Guerres cantabres and thus obtained the price quoted before.

The Caristes were established between the Nervion river and the mouth of Deba, and were thus close to Autrigons in the west and Vardules in the east, without the limits of their territories being clearly defined. They had a port on the Deba and Forua, close to Guernica, where remainders of a furnace for the cast iron of iron and of a roadway were exhumed; there are also ruins with Arrigorriaga and Lemoa. Ptolémée indicates that their principal cities were Suestasion and Tullica, without however locating some no, and Veleia. The latter is current the Iruña, close to Vitoria-Gasteiz, in which one discovered the remainders of a city with walls and bridges, as well as others verstiges; and recently, of the inscriptions will euskara some and of Christian sets of themes dated, a priori , between IIe and IIIe centuries was updated, showing clearly that at that time will euskara it was spoken on what will be the territory of the Basques.

The Vardules were frontier Drivers in the west, of Vascons in the east and Bérons in the south; they were established on the coast to the headland of the Pyrenees, except for Oiasso (Irun) which was the outlet of Vascons on the sea, whereas inside the grounds the borders were fuzzier. Ptolémée speaks about many cities which were still not localized: Menosca on the coast, Gebala, Trutium Tubicorum, Thabuca, Alba and Tullionum inside. The ruins exhumed on this territory are rare, some with Donostia, Zarautz and Azkoitia, even if it is known that the mines of Peñas de Aya were worked.

The Bérons occupied a good part of current Rioja. It appears obvious that they constituted rather pure Celtic people, if one bases oneself on the archaeological vestiges distributed on all the territory. It is probable that cities like Gracurris and Calagurris were, after being overcome by the Romans, granted Vascons for their collaboration, and that it was the case for the remainder of the territory.

The Vascons were the first with being studied and are among those which one knows best. They were the Eastern people, being located on a territory comparable with Navarre, but increased Aragonese grounds like the higher valley of the river Aragon and the region ranging between S.O.S del Rey Católico and Alagón, passing by Ejea of los Caballeros near Saragossa and by the south with the valley of the Ebre riojain. In this zone innumerable archaeological vestiges of this time were exhumed. Their most important cities were Pompaelo (Pampelune), Gracurris (Alfaro), Cascantum (Cascante) and especially Calagurris (Calahorra) which had the title of munucipium civium Romanorum , which devotes it like the most important city vasconne, and which was conceded to them by Octave (Auguste) as rewards with the soldiers calagurritains who formed his personal guard at the time of his victory over Marc-Antoine and Cléopâtre in Actium.

The Aquitains were the last of these people to being conquered by the Romans. In order to prevent that the Aquitanian ones can help the Gallic ones against which it fought at this time, Jules César required of his lieutenant Publius Licinius Crassus to conquer the Aquitaine into -56. By attacking them by surprised with ten troops legionaries and a many cavalry, it overcame Sociates (which seemed the most powerful tribe) led by Adiatuanus. Shortly after the first trace of union between tribes of the Pyrenees appeared on both sides, at the beginning in the form of a common revolt against the Romans, propagated by various Aquitanian people which sought of the assistance on other side of the Pyrenees among those which had fought side by side with Sertorio and knew the Roman military tactics. They in spite of that were beaten at the time of a pastoral battle in September of the same year. Aquitaine extended, according to César, " of the the Garonne in the Pyrenees, and until the oceanic part of Hispanie " and " was directed den of the Sun towards North ". Later, Auguste annexed to him the people located between the the Loire and the Garonne, thus constituting Novempopulania.

The territory vascon

The territory vascon was deeply implied in the Guerres Sertoriennes. Thus, in the year 77 av. J.C., Sertorius settled in the valley of Ebre and establishes its districts with Osca to control this manner the Ilerda-Osca-Calagurris surface. This same year, Pompée, sent by Rome, arrived while crossing the collar of Perthuis, which attracted the sympathy of many Vascons, particularly in the zone of Ebre. This arrival caused the scission of the close cities in different parties: Calagurris remained faithful to Sertorius, Gracurris was subjected to Rome, making zone of Ebre the most explosive zone because of the confrontations between the two bands.

During the winter -75 more precisely, Pumped, seeking refuge in the territory vascon to spend the winter and to restore its troops - and its finances - created the city of Pompaelo (future Pampelune). Appien and Florus indicates that in -74 Sertorius sent 3000 soldiers between the troops of Metelus and of Pumped which besieged Calahorra, at the same time releasing it. One year afterwards, Calagurris was also besieged but, this time, Sertorius could not run to the assistance. He was then assassinated at the time of a treason in -72 with Osca, the last place faithful to his ideal. This seat, carried out by Afrianus, general of Pumped, lasted until in -67 , pushing its inhabitants at ends like nourishing corpses, and became a commonplace of the literature of the time, through works of Salaustius, Florus, Valerius Maximus (which indicated that " as they did not find any more other animals in their city, they converted with the disastrous consumption of their wives and children, including, so that youth can nourish its entrails with those of their, did not hesitate to put in salt the disasters remainders of the corpses "), Juvénal and Orosius.

Five of the thirty-four ways of the Itinéraire of Antonin passed by the territories vascons, most important being XXXIVe which bound Arturica (Astorga) to Burdigala (Bordeaux) while passing by Velegia and Pompaleo. The zone ranging between this road and XXXIIe, which passed by Calagurris, were to probably include/understand many minor paths, funds and cities, according to the quantity of vestiges discovered in this zone.

There was constancy of the presence of Vascons in the Roman army at least starting from Ier century before J.C., as much in Cohorte S that in Légion S, like at the Prétoriens. There were also Basque troops: the I Fida Vardullorum equitania was made up for the Brittany between the IE and IIIe centuries at least, and the fact that it was affublée cardinal number I lets suppose that there were some more, as diplomas and inscriptions attest it (an inscription of the time of Trajan named it I Fida Vardullorum Civium Romanorum , which indicated that its members were Roman citizens). The Cohors II Vasconum Civium Romanorum was intended for the Germanie, where Tacite tells its valorous intervention in 70 which made it possible to save the compromised situation that met the legate Vocula, bench close to Novesio (now Neuss, the Low-Rhine) and which was attacked by the back-up troops during the revolts of the Empire of 69 . This troop was then directed on Brittany then in 156 on the Maurétanie Tingitane. The praetor Cassius Longinus had a personal guard made up of Bérons, which saved to him the life at the time of an attack in 48 . Auguste had made one of them of Vascons calagurritains which was laid off after having overcome Marc-Antoine. The habit of the personal guards made of Hispanic was common among the generals, because of their fidelity towards their chiefs.

The Middle Ages

There is almost no historical trace of the Pays Basque (nor of the near total of the Cantabric coast) starting from the fall of the Roman Empire and of the invasion of the Germanic people. The fact of being on a territory isolated in the middle of a great empire implies for Vascons to be confronted in the frontier zones with two quarrelsome neighbors: the Frank kingdoms and Visigoth S. the Pays Basque became thus a territory of great strategic value wished by the two adversaries. Its rough ground is of more ideal for the armed robbery and the guerilla, which can explain the survival of the Basques in spite of the oppression carried out by their neighbors: they had to only take refuge in the mountains and to wait there until the threat disappears. According to the assumption of the late vasconisation, it is at that time that the Aquitanian ones emigrated towards the Pays Basque current, while bringing their language.

The fall of the Roman Empire opened the way with the establishment and the perpetuation of the kingdoms Visigoth S and Francs, like with the establishment in France of the Duché of Vasconie. This duchy, created by the frank kings, occupied Novempopulania Roman as a Gaulle, and managed to obtain a certain independence with respect to the Francs by its union with the Duchy of Aquitaine.

In VIIIe century, the Moslem invasion coming from the south concentrated the Christian population in the northern point, which, because of difficult sound Orographie, was always very impermeable with any influences external. In the south of the Pyrenees was formed the Royaume of Pampelune , which became after the conquest of Najera the Royaume of Najera-Pampelune , prelude to the future Royaume of Navarre.

In 778 took place the Bataille of Roncevaux, for which certain theories support that they were Vascons which attacked the rear-guard of the franque army of Charlemagne, thus depriving of its protection the constitution of a zone of Carolingian influence in the valley of the Ebre, similar to the Hispanic Marches of Catalonia. This battle gave rise to famous the Chanson of Roland .

The Islamic invasion

Although Christians, the Basques did not resist the Moslem projection, which was only stopped by the franques troops at the time of the battle of Poitiers. The Moslems will arrive thus in Navarre in an quasi-immediate way after their entry in the peninsula in 714. In 718, the garrison wisigothe of Pampelune capitulated. The Moslems controlled thus the passage of the the Pyrenees. Nobody could resist their projection in the peninsula, except for Pélage the Conqueror, with the head of Asturiens, which in 722 founded the Royaume of Asturies in the green north of the Cantabric mountains. Alphonse I^er of Asturies, whose reign lasted of 739 with 757, extended his kingdom, dominating the territories of the Galicia to the Alava.

Pampelune was conquered in 778 by Charlemagne, which then destroys the walls which surrounded it. Navarre, in the past kingdom of Pampelune acquired a certain independence only as from the moment when Iñigo Arista proclaimed king de Pampelune between 810 and 820.

Roncevaux

The reconquest

Navarre

In the 9th century, Iñigo " Aritza" (816 - 852) was elected as chief ( buruzagi ) to fight against the francs and was crowned king de Pampelune. This kingdom, which became later the Royaume of Navarre, was combined with the kingdom Muladi (indigenous converts) of Banu-Qasi (Casio latino-Hispanic), whose capital was Tudèle and who did not depend on Cordoue: they sealed this alliance realizing of the cross marriages. The kingdom of Navarre extended thus from the south until to the river Èbre.

In second half of IXe century and with Xe century, the kingdom of Pampelune was built: following the example counties resulting from the division of the Hispanic Steps and Kingdom of Asturies, it will behave like element of head-on opposition to the Islam installed on the territory of monarchy Visigoth, although the Navarrese relations with the muladi family of the Banu Qasi were very close at the time of the first years.

Sancho Bitchy girls, combined with Ordoño II of León, conquered Najera and, in 924, his/her son García Sánchez created the kingdom of Najera-Pampelune , achievement a work of repopulation and supporting the new establishments and the preexistent monasteries. Its successor, Sancho Bitchy girls II, and Garcia Sanchez II " Trembleur" transfer themselves obliged to capitulate to Almanzor and to pay tribute with the Califat of Cordoue.

With Sanche III Large the (1004 - 1035), the kingdom of Najera-Pampelune reaches its maximum extension territorial, recovering all one the northern third of the peninsula, of what is currently the Catalogne until the Galicia, of the Mediterranean in the Atlantic. At the time of the reorganization of the kingdom, there was probably creation of the Viscount of Labort between 1021 and 1021, with residence of the Viscount with Bayonne, and of that of Baztan until in 1025. With its death, the October 4th 1032, the duke of Gascogne Sancho Guillermo had extended its authority on the ultra-Pyrenean Vasconie antique which included/understood the the Pyrenees and the the Garonne, as that started to be mentioned in its documents. One can then say that Sanche III builds the first Hispanic Empire and it was indicated like Rex Ibericus and Rex Navarrae Hispaniarum .

Before dying in 1035, it divided its territories between its sons: the elder one, Garcia, reigna with Pampelune and inherited some grounds in Aragon and Castille; Fernando obtained most of the county of Castille; Ramiro accepted grounds in Aragon and Navarre, and Gonzalo of the grounds in Sobrarbe and other points distant from Aragon. Of this division the new political structure of XIIe century is resulting, with the kingdoms of Navarre, Aragon and Castille.

Between 1076 and 1134, the kingdom of Najera-Pampelune was incorporated in the Aragonese crown of which it separated under the reign from Garcia Ramirez. Under that of Sanche Wise the (1150 - 1194), it becomes the kingdom of Navarre and followed the territorial retreat. In the year 1200, under the reign of Sanche the Fort (1194 - 1234), it lost the territories of current the Alava, Guipuzcoa and the Duranguesado, which are conquered by the Castilian monarch Alphonse VIII, helped by most of the minor nobility alavaise (they took Vitoria with an army with alavaise majority). In Guipuzcoa, it benefitted from the dissensions between the people and the nobility (the Castilian king founded many cities like compensation) and the Duranguesado was granted as rewards (once annexed) with the Lord for Biscay as rewards for services rendered at the time of the Bataille of the Basins of Toulouse.

Navarre, already separated from the other peninsular territories from the Pays Basque (or Euskal Herria), was seen obliged to direct its expansion policy towards north and is, the French territories of Outreports and border with Aragon fringes it.

The pressures of the Crowns of Castille and Aragon made that in order to survive, Navarre entered the orbit of France to the death of Sanche VII the Fort in 1234 without posterity, by the installation of the House of Champagne (1234 - 1274), and, later on, of the Capétiens (1274 - 1328).

The House of Evreux (1328 - 1425) inaugurates a stage of peninsular and European relations interesting, particularly with Charles II of Navarre " Noble" (1387 - 1425) for the material and cultural prosperity which resulted from this.

Biscay

Alava and Guipuzcoa

Alave and Guipuzcoa belonged to the kingdom of Navarre until they form part of the kingdom of Castille after the conquest carried out by Alphonse VIII; these facts are reported in the Castilian acts entitled " Narración of Toma de Vitoria there Guipúzcoa Año 1199" ( Account of the Catch of Vitoria and Guipuzcoa in the year 1199 ). According to these chronicles, this catch of Vitoria would be mainly with the population which populated the province of Alava later on, under the direction of the minor nobility of Alava.

In Guipuzcoa, Castilian king the USA of a contrary strategy: instead of being based on the honesty of the nobility, it made sure honesty of the population which was subjected to the nobility: the Castilian kings thus created four cities in less than 30 years in which the mayors had jurisdictions civil and penal. This situation was amplified by the granting of fueros on behalf of the king Charles I (more known under the name of Charles Quint), in agreement with the support given by the inhabitants of Vascongadas (name that accepted the Basque provinces until Sabino Arana) and of Navarre at the time of the " will guerra of los comuneros" at the time which cities Castilians rebelled against the new taxes promulgated to finance its crowning as Empereur of the Saint Worsens Roman Germanic.

Guipuzcoains, Alavais and Biscayais, integrated into the sides of their neighbors cantabres in the Fraternity of Marismas, maintained commercial relations with Flandres and faced the tradesmen of Bayonne constantly, until arriving at armed confrontations and plunderings. The capacity of this fraternity was such as it was allowed to establish pacts with the kings of England.

Rebirth at the XIXe century

Navarre

At the end of the Middle Ages, Ferdinand the Catholic succeeds in gaining the civil war which tore Navarre by dividing it into two rival parties: the Agromonteses and the Beamonteses . In 1512, an army Castilian entered in Navarre by the west under the direction of Fadrique Alvarez II of Tolède, duke of Alba, and invades it militarily the major part of the Kingdom of Navarre which later on changed dynasty reigning with the nomination of Ferdinand as king de Navarre, following the proclamation of the pontifical bubble which excommunicated the kings of the House of Albret. However, according to certain historians, this bubble was a forgery. Many historians support the veracity of the pontifical bubble, as the Navarrese historian Victor Pradera in his book " '' Ferdinand the Catholic and forgers of the history '' ". Its version was then corroborated by other historians like Jose Mª Lacarra, Boissonade, Jaime Del Burgo or Luis Suarez, by discrediting consequently Arturo Campion (regarded almost as the precursor of Basque nationalism) for its theory of the false bubble.

In 1513, the Cortes de Navarre name definitively Ferdinand king de Navarre. This last, in 1515, by the treated of Burgos, annexed Navarre in Castille with a particular mode foral in the Crown of Castille. Seemingly, it took only three days to occupy Pampelune, which could indicate a great sympathy of the population towards the king aragon Ferdinand, because of its prestige as king and policy; also as wire of Jean II of Navarre, which had succeeded in maintaining a pretense of stability in its kingdom at the preceding century when the fights between Agromontes and Beamontes started, and with the fact that Pampelune was in beamontaise majority.

A few years later, Foix tried to seize Navarre but could not reach that point, the local population having helped the army of Castille.

In 1521, the statute of Navarre as left the crown of Castille was consolidated.

Low-Navarre

The Kingdom of Navarre under domination of the House of Foix was reduced to the territories in the north of the Pyrenees (Low-Navarre). In 1594, Henri de Navarre was crowned king de France, first Bourbon to be reached the French throne (what one can go back to his famous sentence: " Paris is worth a messe" well; ). Thus, and like consequence of the Cortes of 1513, monarchy navaraise was reduced to the Low-Navarre , the part of the kingdom with agromontaise majority. The Navarreses thus maintained their independence some time before being annexed to the kingdom of France. The Navarrese grounds were thus divided between Spain and France. The majority of the population remained Spanish side: this situation perdure nowadays.

Provinces of the Pays Basque

The Basques of Guipuzcoa, Biscay and Alava continued to maintain a degree high automy of their provinces both in Spain and in France: the fueros gave to each Basque area local laws, independent taxes and courts. These fueros was specific to each area. For example, in the Seigniory of Biscay, they were different for the Encartaciones, the Tierra Llana (which were called for of Biscay ), the city (Orduña) and the cities (which had their clean fors, like that of Bilbao and Bermeo: the Fuero de Logroño).

At the end of XVIe century, the Basques taught with the sailors Dutch (and, it appears, Breton), the use of the harpoon in hunting for the whale. Hunting whale-boat and fishing with cod probably conduirent the arrantzales (fishing) Basque towards America before its official discovery by Christophe Colomb (as the Vikings did it), and more particularly towards current the Canada and Newfoundland. (see also the island with the Basques)

Services rendered to the Crown of Spain

The famous characters of Basque origin are numerous. Since always famous being excellent sailors and explorers, the Basques took part in the Conquête of America, and in all the companies which resulted from this, so much military, that economic or religious. Thus in the Spanish Navy, there were many Basques like:

Juan Sebastián de Elcano which buckled the first round the world tour, and the pilots biscayais took part in the race towards the Indies. The Casa of Contratación preferred the boats provided by the building sites of Cantabric (Golf of Gascogne), for their solidity and their maritime good condition for the fleets sent towards the Indies.
Miguel López de Legazpi conquered the Filipino for the Spanish Crown.
Andrés de Urdaneta opened the road between the Filipino and Acapulco.
Pedro Navarro and Machín de Rentería which fought at the time of the campaigns of the Mediterranean.
the squadrons of Biscay and Guipuzcoa took an active part in the Spanish naval actions. One will particularly quote the action of the squadron of Guipuzcoa, under the orders of Miguel de Oquendo, during the Bataille of the Island Terceira, or the nombraniento of Oquendo and Recalde, admirals of the squadrons of Guipuzcoa and Biscay, lieutenants of the duke of Médina-Sidonia at the time of the day of England of the Invincible Armada. The son of Miguel de Oquendo, Antonio was also a famous sailor of Armada.

At the time of the Bataille of Trafalgar died heroically, with the orders of the San Juan Nepomuceno, the sailor guipuzcain Cosme de Churruca.

The French Pays Basque

The Reform

The Protestant Reform, supported by Marguerite of Angouleme and its daughter Jeanne d' Albret queens of Navarre, was partially accepted by the Basques. Into 1571, the Basque huguenot Joannes Leizarraga translates into Linguæ Navarrorum , i.e. will euskara some, the New Testament.

In XVIe, with Bayonne, a middle-class bascophone printed books out of Basque, in quasi-exclusity on Christian topics. However, as Protestantism was persecuted by the Spanish Inquisition in the south, and, in the North-East, the Navarrese king protesting Henri IV converted with Catholicism to reign on France, as well the Reform as the publication of texts out of Basque lasted little.

The French revolution

The broad autonomy of the Basque provinces of north touched at its end with the French revolution , which centralized the government and abolishes the totality of the local privileges that the Ancien Mode guaranteed. Certain Basques transfer themselves forced to take positions counter-revolutionaries, whereas others, like Garat, took an active part in the Revolution, going even until writing a Basque constitution project.

The French revolution arrived to Spain at the time of the Guerre of Roussillon (1793) during which, after some first successes, Spanish took Roussillon. The campaigns of 1794 and 1795 transfer the French troops, under the orders of the general Dugommier, to take again Roussillon at the time of the battles of tce (April 28th), of Albere (April 30th) and Boulou (1^er May), then they penetrated in Catalonia, the Basque Country and Navarre, ending up occupying Miranda d' Ebre.

In front of the French threat, Godoy concludes with France the Paix from Basilea (1795). In exchange of the occupied territories, Spain recognizes the French Republic, yields to France the Spanish part of the island of Saint-Domingue and standardizes the commercial relations. Because of this treaty, Godoy obtenut the title of Prince of Peace.

The XIXe century

The War of Independence

The wars carlists

Industrialization

The Industrial revolution had a manifest influence on the Pays Basque. The richness of its mines and the purity of its ore attracted the English investors who, initially, worked the iron mines to export it in England, then established iron and steel plants on Right Bank of the Nervion. This emergent industry required an abundant labor: at the end of the XIXe century, internal immigration coming from other parts of Spain is abundant and consequently creates a high cultural contrast.

Until now, the people having of the resources which could study were to go in the universities Castilians and, consequently, spoke a good Castillan whereas those which did not study did not know it, which distinguished the speakers or not-speakers in social class higher or pertaining to the rural world. The emigrants, who arrived on these grounds to seek their subsistence speaking the Castilian, showed with the buildings that the social position was not a question of language and brought thus in more the left-wing ideas which accompanied the birth by the industrial revolution, marking the Class struggle and the call to the union of the Prolétaire S.

Modern history

Birth of nationalism

The civil war

Francoism

The transition and autonomy

The end of the pro-Franco era meant the end of the suspension of the autonomous mode in Biscay and Guipuzcoa, and the creation of a Basque autonomous region in Spain, where, for the first time in the history, the three Basque provinces within the Spanish state were plain. Although Navarre on the occasion to be linked at this autonomous community, it did not do it until is held the elections pre-separatists where the forces which could be regarded as continuatrices of the mode Navarrese foral within the Spanish mode found the largest supports.

Between 1979 and 1983, the Pays Basque, as the remainder of Spain, obtained a limited autonomy of the Spanish government. This autonomy partial included the election of a clean Parliament. In the facts, by the means of the approval of the statute of autonomy of the Pays Basque in 1979, the Autonomous Community absorbed the various rights forales of the three historical territories.

In 1981, an important scission within ETA took place: most of its members really do not prove in the ideological line of the party but rather defined by their opposition to Franco. The others considered that the inadequate or insufficient democratic projections and continued the armed struggle.

The end of the dictatorship, the transition towards the democracy and most of the fully democratic period were marked in the Basque Country by the actions of ETA until in 2006, it declares permanent a cease-fire and is laid out to establish negotiations with the Spanish government for its total dissolution, supplemented by a political standardization and an integration with the legal political life for the broad spectrum of the Basque electorate (some 150.000 voters) supporting these ideals related to a terrorism which made more than 800 victims mortals.

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