Duchy of Vasconia
Encyclopedia
The Duchy of Vasconia or Wasconia, was originally a Frankish
march formed by 602 to keep the Basques
(Vascones) in check. It comprised the former Roman province
of Novempopulania
and, at least in some periods, also the lands south of the Pyrenees centred on Pamplona
.
In the ninth century, civil war within the Frankish realm led to the permanent loss of control over the transpyrenean territories and several competing claimants to legal authority in Vasconia. After the chaos of Viking raids affecting the whole Basque area from Bordeaux to the coastal areas of Biscay and the decline of central Carolingian power, a strong regional political dynamics developed that was to become Gascony
when the territories south of the Pyrenees shook off Frankish suzerainty (Pamplona) and other counties were created in the Pyrenees.
. Both the Visigoths of Spain
and the Franks of Gaul
sought to subdue them, but neither power ever fully brought them into the orbit of their realms. In 602, the Merovingians created a frontier duchy to their southwest during the tripartite wars between Franks, Visigoths, and Basques. At the same time, the Visigoths created the Duchy of Cantabria
as a buffer against the Basques of the Navarre
.
Around 580, both kingdoms had respectively launched major campaigns against the Basques - in 587 Basques are cited as raiding the plains of Aquitaine maybe to the west of Toulouse. Chilperic I
sent his duke Bladastes but was defeated, while Leovigild also attacked from the south, founding a fortress called Victoriacum (dubiously Vitoria-Gasteiz
).
and its bordering lands north of Hispania
where they inhabited up to Cantabria. Confusion can arise with its later follow-up geographical term called Gascony, since the Duchy Vasconia comprised all Basques areas north and south of the Pyrenees
at least until the definite detachment of Pamplona from the Duchy in 824. In some documents of the 8th century, Vasconia stretches out to the Loire
and Basques at either side of the Garonne
are cited in the last independence years of the Duchy (up to 768). The territory of Vasconia went through feudalization and divided into counties and small realms, while Basque language lost ground to the rising Romance language Gascon
. By the end of the 11th century, Vasconia developed into a mainly geographical entity, Gascony
, lacking its former ethnic significance.
As of 781, Charlemagne started appointing counts (Bordeaux, Toulouse, Fezensac) on the bordering lands of Vasconia along the banks of the river Garonne, so undermining the grip on power of the dukes of Vasconia.
river but did not seem to have extended to the southern regions around the Adour
. In the years 610 and 612 respectively, the Gothic kings Gundemar
and Sisebut launched attacks against the Basques. After a Basque attack in the Ebro
valley in the year 621, Swinthila defeated them and founded the fortress of Olite
.
In 626, the Basques rebelled against the Franks, with the bishop of Eauze being exiled on the accusation of supporting or sympathising with the Basque rebels, while in 635 a gigantic Frankish expedition led by the duke Arnebert and 9 more dukes launched an attack against the Basques, but was defeated in Subola
, maybe near Tardets
. In 643, there was another rebellion in the north and in 648 battles against the Visigoths in the south. From the 589 to 684, the Bishop of Pamplona was absent from the Visigothic Councils of Toledo
, which is interpreted by some as the result of this city being under Basque of Frankish control.
In the year 660, Felix of Aquitaine
, a patrician from Toulouse of Gallo-Roman stock, received the ducal title of both Vasconia and Aquitaine
(located between the Garonne and Loire
rivers), effectively ruling independently over Vasconia and at least part of Aquitaine. Under Felix and his successors, Frankish overlordship became merely nominal. It did become a most important regional power.
Independent dukes Lupus
, Odo, Hunald and Waifer
succeeded him respectively, with the last three belonging to the same lineage. Their ethnicity is not certain, since records and their names are not conclusive.
But the Muslim invasion of 711 effected a complete shift in trends. Hitherto the duke Odo the Great had been independent, refusing to recognise the authority of either the Merovingian king or his mayor of the palace
. In 714, Pamplona was captured by the Moors. In 721, Odo defeated the Moors at the Battle of Toulouse
. In 732, however, he was utterly routed at the Battle of the River Garonne
near Bordeaux
, after which the Muslim troops under Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi
plundered the country and captured Narbonne
. Only by submitting to the suzerainty of his Frankish archrival, the mayor Charles Martel
, could they decisively defeat the Muslim invaders at the Battle of Tours
. Aquitaine and its attendant marches were then united to Francia, but Odo probably kept ruling the Duchy of Vasconia and Aquitaine about the same as before until his death.
Circa 735, Odo died, leaving his realm to his son Hunald
, who desiring the former independence which had been his father's, attacked Martel's successors, starting a war which was to last for two generations. In 743, the situation was further complicated by the arrival of Asturian
forces attacking Vasconia from the west. In 744, Hunald abdicated to his son Waifer
, who repeatedly challenged Frankish overlordship. After a campaign against the Muslims in Septimania
, the king Pepin the Short turned his attention to Aquitaine and Waifer, unleashing a devastating war on Aquitaine (Vasconia included) that was to have dire consequences on its population, towns and society. Waifer and his Basque troops confronted Pepin several times but were defeated thrice in 760, 762, and 766, after which Aquitaine and Vasconia pledged loyalty to Pepin and Waifer was eventually murdered by his desperate followers.
empire and the caliphate of Cordoba
were great threats for Vasconia during this period but the Basques soon found a pivotal ally in the south on the Basque Muslim realm of the Banu Qasi
(early 9th century), and enjoyed some safety from the west, as the Asturians were immersed in continuous dynastic conflicts.
The time of Charlemagne
's reign is rife with conflicts between Basques, Franks and Muslims. Most famous is the Battle of Roncevaux in 778: after the Frankish destruction of the walls of Pamplona, Basques ambushed and slaughtered Charlemagne's rearguard. Heavily mythologised starting in the 11th century as a combat between Christians and Muslims, this battle became the most celebrated event in one of major bodies of legendary literature in Europe, the Matter of France
.
Muslims attacked Vasconia as well, taking possession of Pamplona for some time, but they were expelled by a rebellion in 798-801 that helped to create the Basque Muslim realm of the Banu Qasi
around Tudela
. In 806 Pamplona, still under Cordovan rule, was attacked by the Franks, and the Pamplonese led by a certain Velasko pledged allegiance to Charlemagne again, but his tenure on power proved feeble. At about 814, an anti-Frankish faction led by Enecco, allied of the Banu Qasi, seems to have taken over again. A Frankish army was sent to quash the revolt, to little effect. Furthermore, on their way north through Roncevaux an ambush attempt took place that ended in stalemate, due to the greater precautions taken by the Franks, i.e. Basque women and children taken as hostages.
Northern Basques, organized in the Duchy of Vasconia, collaborated with Franks during campaigns such as the capture of Barcelona
in 799 but after the death of Charlemagne in 814, uprisings started anew. The revolt in Pamplona crossed the Pyrenees north and in 816 Louis the Pious
deposed the Basque Duke Seguin of Bordeaux for failing to suppress or sympathising with the rebellion, so starting a widespread revolt, led by Gartzia Semeno
(according to late traditions, a near-kinsman of Eneko Aritza
, to be the first monarch of Pamplona) and newly appointed duke Lupus Centullo (c. 820). Meanwhile, in Aragon the pro-Frankish Count Aznar Galindo was overthrown by Enecco´s allied Count Gartzia Malo, with Aznar Galindo in turn seeking refuge in Frankish-held territory. Louis the Pious received the submission of rebel Basque lords in Dax, but things were far from settled.
In 824 took place the third Battle of Roncevaux, when counts Eblo
and Aznar Galindo (identified as Aznar Sánchez too), Frankish vassals and the latter appointed Duke of Gascony, were captured by the joint Pamplonese and Banu Qasi forces, strengthening the independence of Pamplona
.
In the early 9th century the lands around the Adur river were segregated from the Duchy under the name of County of Vasconia. Count Aznar's successor, Sans Sancion
, fought against Charles the Bald
, as Charles didn't recognize him as legitimate.
In 844, Vikings invaded Bordeaux and killed Duke Seguin II
. His heir William
was killed trying to retake Bordeaux in 848, though some sources say he was only captured and later deposed by the king. By the year 853, Sans Sancion
, the Basque leader, was recognised as duke by Charles the Bald. During that same year, Muza of Tudela, relative of the Basque princes, invaded Vasconia and made Sans prisoner. In 855, Sans died and was succeeded by Arnold
, who died fighting against the Norse
in 864.
as the romance language (Gascon
) took hold in the 'greater Gascony', so stripping the name of its former ethnic connotations and taking on a political one. By the 11th century Basque language is believed to extend on the north-east onto the upper reaches of the Adour river, way short of its extension 300 hundred years before.
The Duchy of Gascony would fall under Pamplonese influence during Sancho the Great's reign. In 1032, it was inherited by the heir of Aquitaine and became personally united
to that duchy thereafter. It thus became a part of the Angevin Empire
in the 12th century. The ducal title was reemployed by Edward Longshanks and it formed a base of support for the English during the Hundred Years' War
. It has been called England's first foreign colony.
England lost Gascony as a result of its defeat in the Hundred Years' War
, and the region became a permanent part of France.
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
march formed by 602 to keep the Basques
Basque people
The Basques as an ethnic group, primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country , a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.The Basques are known in the...
(Vascones) in check. It comprised the former Roman province
Roman province
In Ancient Rome, a province was the basic, and, until the Tetrarchy , largest territorial and administrative unit of the empire's territorial possessions outside of Italy...
of Novempopulania
Novempopulania
Novempopulania was one of the provinces created by Diocletian out of Gallia Aquitania, being also called Aquitania Tertia. The area of Novempopulania was historically the first one to receive the name of Aquitania, as it was here where the original Aquitani dwelt primarily...
and, at least in some periods, also the lands south of the Pyrenees centred on Pamplona
Pamplona
Pamplona is the historial capital city of Navarre, in Spain, and of the former kingdom of Navarre.The city is famous worldwide for the San Fermín festival, from July 6 to 14, in which the running of the bulls is one of the main attractions...
.
In the ninth century, civil war within the Frankish realm led to the permanent loss of control over the transpyrenean territories and several competing claimants to legal authority in Vasconia. After the chaos of Viking raids affecting the whole Basque area from Bordeaux to the coastal areas of Biscay and the decline of central Carolingian power, a strong regional political dynamics developed that was to become Gascony
Gascony
Gascony is an area of southwest France that was part of the "Province of Guyenne and Gascony" prior to the French Revolution. The region is vaguely defined and the distinction between Guyenne and Gascony is unclear; sometimes they are considered to overlap, and sometimes Gascony is considered a...
when the territories south of the Pyrenees shook off Frankish suzerainty (Pamplona) and other counties were created in the Pyrenees.
Genesis
The western Pyrenean hill country was the refuge of the Basques in the period of barbarian invasionsMigration Period
The Migration Period, also called the Barbarian Invasions , was a period of intensified human migration in Europe that occurred from c. 400 to 800 CE. This period marked the transition from Late Antiquity to the Early Middle Ages...
. Both the Visigoths of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and the Franks of Gaul
Gaul
Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
sought to subdue them, but neither power ever fully brought them into the orbit of their realms. In 602, the Merovingians created a frontier duchy to their southwest during the tripartite wars between Franks, Visigoths, and Basques. At the same time, the Visigoths created the Duchy of Cantabria
Duchy of Cantabria
The Duchy of Cantabria was a march created by the Visigoths in northern Spain to watch their border with the Cantabrians and Basques. Its precise extension is unclear but seems likely that it included Cantabria, parts of Northern Castile and La Rioja....
as a buffer against the Basques of the Navarre
Navarre
Navarre , officially the Chartered Community of Navarre is an autonomous community in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Country, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and Aquitaine in France...
.
Around 580, both kingdoms had respectively launched major campaigns against the Basques - in 587 Basques are cited as raiding the plains of Aquitaine maybe to the west of Toulouse. Chilperic I
Chilperic I
Chilperic I was the king of Neustria from 561 to his death. He was one of the sons of the Frankish king Clotaire I and Queen Aregund....
sent his duke Bladastes but was defeated, while Leovigild also attacked from the south, founding a fortress called Victoriacum (dubiously Vitoria-Gasteiz
Vitoria-Gasteiz
Vitoria-Gasteiz is the capital city of the province of Álava and of the autonomous community of the Basque Country in northern Spain with a population of 235,661 people. It is the second largest Basque city...
).
Extension
The Duchy of Vasconia (or Wasconia) was on its creation (AC 602) a polity created by the Franks meant to hold sway over the Basques in NovempopulaniaNovempopulania
Novempopulania was one of the provinces created by Diocletian out of Gallia Aquitania, being also called Aquitania Tertia. The area of Novempopulania was historically the first one to receive the name of Aquitania, as it was here where the original Aquitani dwelt primarily...
and its bordering lands north of Hispania
Hispania
Another theory holds that the name derives from Ezpanna, the Basque word for "border" or "edge", thus meaning the farthest area or place. Isidore of Sevilla considered Hispania derived from Hispalis....
where they inhabited up to Cantabria. Confusion can arise with its later follow-up geographical term called Gascony, since the Duchy Vasconia comprised all Basques areas north and south of the Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
at least until the definite detachment of Pamplona from the Duchy in 824. In some documents of the 8th century, Vasconia stretches out to the Loire
Loire
Loire is an administrative department in the east-central part of France occupying the River Loire's upper reaches.-History:Loire was created in 1793 when after just 3½ years the young Rhône-et-Loire department was split into two. This was a response to counter-Revolutionary activities in Lyon...
and Basques at either side of the Garonne
Garonne
The Garonne is a river in southwest France and northern Spain, with a length of .-Source:The Garonne's headwaters are to be found in the Aran Valley in the Pyrenees, though three different locations have been proposed as the true source: the Uelh deth Garona at Plan de Beret , the Ratera-Saboredo...
are cited in the last independence years of the Duchy (up to 768). The territory of Vasconia went through feudalization and divided into counties and small realms, while Basque language lost ground to the rising Romance language Gascon
Gascon language
Gascon is usually considered as a dialect of Occitan, even though some specialists regularly consider it a separate language. Gascon is mostly spoken in Gascony and Béarn in southwestern France and in the Aran Valley of Spain...
. By the end of the 11th century, Vasconia developed into a mainly geographical entity, Gascony
Gascony
Gascony is an area of southwest France that was part of the "Province of Guyenne and Gascony" prior to the French Revolution. The region is vaguely defined and the distinction between Guyenne and Gascony is unclear; sometimes they are considered to overlap, and sometimes Gascony is considered a...
, lacking its former ethnic significance.
Social organisation
Unlike neighbouring regions, counts didn´t play a role in Vasconia's power share. Moreover, they were absent, and dukes are mentioned as the main figures of the Basques, immediately followed on the hierarchy by tribal chiefs and families, at least until the rise of the Carolingian dynasty. As for the judicial system, nor the Visigothian law neither the Roman law seem to have been in use in the Duchy of Vasconia, and a native order may have prevailed until the Carolingian takeover in 768-769.As of 781, Charlemagne started appointing counts (Bordeaux, Toulouse, Fezensac) on the bordering lands of Vasconia along the banks of the river Garonne, so undermining the grip on power of the dukes of Vasconia.
Early Frankish period (602 – 660)
By the year 602, the duchy of Vasconia, under Frankish overlordship, was consolidated in the areas around the GaronneGaronne
The Garonne is a river in southwest France and northern Spain, with a length of .-Source:The Garonne's headwaters are to be found in the Aran Valley in the Pyrenees, though three different locations have been proposed as the true source: the Uelh deth Garona at Plan de Beret , the Ratera-Saboredo...
river but did not seem to have extended to the southern regions around the Adour
Adour
The Adour is a river in southwestern France. It rises in High-Bigorre , at the Col du Tourmalet, and flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Bayonne. It is long, of which the uppermost as the Adour du Tourmalet. At its final stretch, i.e...
. In the years 610 and 612 respectively, the Gothic kings Gundemar
Gundemar
Gundemar was a Visigothic King of Hispania, Septimania and Galicia .Gundemar continued a policy of amity with Clotaire II of Neustria and Theodobert II of Austrasia. To this end, he sent grand sums of money to support their cause against their relative Theuderic II of Burgundy...
and Sisebut launched attacks against the Basques. After a Basque attack in the Ebro
Ebro
The Ebro or Ebre is one of the most important rivers in the Iberian Peninsula. It is the biggest river by discharge volume in Spain.The Ebro flows through the following cities:*Reinosa in Cantabria.*Miranda de Ebro in Castile and León....
valley in the year 621, Swinthila defeated them and founded the fortress of Olite
Olite
Olite is a town and municipality located in the province and autonomous community of Navarre, northern Spain....
.
In 626, the Basques rebelled against the Franks, with the bishop of Eauze being exiled on the accusation of supporting or sympathising with the Basque rebels, while in 635 a gigantic Frankish expedition led by the duke Arnebert and 9 more dukes launched an attack against the Basques, but was defeated in Subola
Soule
Soule is a former viscounty and French province and part of the present day Pyrénées-Atlantiques département...
, maybe near Tardets
Tardets-Sorholus
Tardets-Sorholus is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France.It is located in the former province of Soule.-External links:*...
. In 643, there was another rebellion in the north and in 648 battles against the Visigoths in the south. From the 589 to 684, the Bishop of Pamplona was absent from the Visigothic Councils of Toledo
Councils of Toledo
Councils of Toledo . From the 5th century to the 7th century, about thirty synods, variously counted, were held at Toledo in what would come to be part of Spain. The earliest, directed against Priscillianism, assembled in 400. The "third" synod of 589 marked the epoch-making conversion of King...
, which is interpreted by some as the result of this city being under Basque of Frankish control.
Personal union with Aquitaine (660 – 768)
Felix of Aquitaine
Felix was a patrician of Toulouse Duke of Aquitaine from 660 until his death. He had his seat at Toulouse and he is considered the first independent Duke of Aquitaine, i.e. formally vassal of the Franks but detached de facto from the Frankish central power base. He united under his rule the...
, a patrician from Toulouse of Gallo-Roman stock, received the ducal title of both Vasconia and Aquitaine
Duke of Aquitaine
The Duke of Aquitaine ruled the historical region of Aquitaine under the supremacy of Frankish, English and later French kings....
(located between the Garonne and Loire
Loire
Loire is an administrative department in the east-central part of France occupying the River Loire's upper reaches.-History:Loire was created in 1793 when after just 3½ years the young Rhône-et-Loire department was split into two. This was a response to counter-Revolutionary activities in Lyon...
rivers), effectively ruling independently over Vasconia and at least part of Aquitaine. Under Felix and his successors, Frankish overlordship became merely nominal. It did become a most important regional power.
Independent dukes Lupus
Lupus I of Aquitaine
Lupus I was the Duke of Gascony and Aquitaine from about 670. His reign may have lasted a few years or longer...
, Odo, Hunald and Waifer
Waifer of Aquitaine
Waifer was the duke of Aquitaine from 748 to 768, succeeding his newly-monastic father Hunold....
succeeded him respectively, with the last three belonging to the same lineage. Their ethnicity is not certain, since records and their names are not conclusive.
But the Muslim invasion of 711 effected a complete shift in trends. Hitherto the duke Odo the Great had been independent, refusing to recognise the authority of either the Merovingian king or his mayor of the palace
Mayor of the Palace
Mayor of the Palace was an early medieval title and office, also called majordomo, from the Latin title maior domus , used most notably in the Frankish kingdoms in the 7th and 8th centuries....
. In 714, Pamplona was captured by the Moors. In 721, Odo defeated the Moors at the Battle of Toulouse
Battle of Toulouse (721)
The Battle of Toulouse was a victory of an Aquitanian army led by Duke Odo of Aquitaine over an Umayyad army besieging the city of Toulouse, and led by the governor of Al-Andalus, Al-Samh ibn Malik al-Khawlani...
. In 732, however, he was utterly routed at the Battle of the River Garonne
Battle of the River Garonne
The Battle of the River Garonne was fought in 732 between an Umayyad army led by Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi, governor of Al-Andalus, and Frankish forces led by Duke Odo of Aquitaine....
near Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
, after which the Muslim troops under Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi
Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi
Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi , also known as Abd er Rahman, Abdderrahman, Abderame, and Abd el-Rahman, led the Andalusian Muslims into battle against the forces of Charles Martel in the Battle of Tours on October 10, 732 AD. for which he is primarily remembered in the West...
plundered the country and captured Narbonne
Narbonne
Narbonne is a commune in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Once a prosperous port, it is now located about from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea...
. Only by submitting to the suzerainty of his Frankish archrival, the mayor Charles Martel
Charles Martel
Charles Martel , also known as Charles the Hammer, was a Frankish military and political leader, who served as Mayor of the Palace under the Merovingian kings and ruled de facto during an interregnum at the end of his life, using the title Duke and Prince of the Franks. In 739 he was offered the...
, could they decisively defeat the Muslim invaders at the Battle of Tours
Battle of Tours
The Battle of Tours , also called the Battle of Poitiers and in Battle of the Court of the Martyrs, was fought in an area between the cities of Poitiers and Tours, located in north-central France, near the village of Moussais-la-Bataille, about northeast of Poitiers...
. Aquitaine and its attendant marches were then united to Francia, but Odo probably kept ruling the Duchy of Vasconia and Aquitaine about the same as before until his death.
Circa 735, Odo died, leaving his realm to his son Hunald
Hunald of Aquitaine
Hunald , Duke of Aquitaine , succeeded his father Odo the Great in 735....
, who desiring the former independence which had been his father's, attacked Martel's successors, starting a war which was to last for two generations. In 743, the situation was further complicated by the arrival of Asturian
Kingdom of Asturias
The Kingdom of Asturias was a Kingdom in the Iberian peninsula founded in 718 by Visigothic nobles under the leadership of Pelagius of Asturias. It was the first Christian political entity established following the collapse of the Visigothic kingdom after Islamic conquest of Hispania...
forces attacking Vasconia from the west. In 744, Hunald abdicated to his son Waifer
Waifer of Aquitaine
Waifer was the duke of Aquitaine from 748 to 768, succeeding his newly-monastic father Hunold....
, who repeatedly challenged Frankish overlordship. After a campaign against the Muslims in Septimania
Septimania
Septimania was the western region of the Roman province of Gallia Narbonensis that passed under the control of the Visigoths in 462, when Septimania was ceded to their king, Theodoric II. Under the Visigoths it was known as simply Gallia or Narbonensis. It corresponded roughly with the modern...
, the king Pepin the Short turned his attention to Aquitaine and Waifer, unleashing a devastating war on Aquitaine (Vasconia included) that was to have dire consequences on its population, towns and society. Waifer and his Basque troops confronted Pepin several times but were defeated thrice in 760, 762, and 766, after which Aquitaine and Vasconia pledged loyalty to Pepin and Waifer was eventually murdered by his desperate followers.
Vasconia in Carolingian times
The CarolingianCarolingian
The Carolingian dynasty was a Frankish noble family with origins in the Arnulfing and Pippinid clans of the 7th century AD. The name "Carolingian", Medieval Latin karolingi, an altered form of an unattested Old High German *karling, kerling The Carolingian dynasty (known variously as the...
empire and the caliphate of Cordoba
Caliphate of Córdoba
The Caliphate of Córdoba ruled the Iberian peninsula and part of North Africa, from the city of Córdoba, from 929 to 1031. This period was characterized by remarkable success in trade and culture; many of the masterpieces of Islamic Iberia were constructed in this period, including the famous...
were great threats for Vasconia during this period but the Basques soon found a pivotal ally in the south on the Basque Muslim realm of the Banu Qasi
Banu Qasi
The Banu Qasi, Banu Kasi, Beni Casi or Banu Musa were a Basque Muladi dynasty that ruled the upper Ebro valley in the 9th century, before being displaced in the first quarter of the 10th century.-Dynastic beginnings:...
(early 9th century), and enjoyed some safety from the west, as the Asturians were immersed in continuous dynastic conflicts.
The time of Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
's reign is rife with conflicts between Basques, Franks and Muslims. Most famous is the Battle of Roncevaux in 778: after the Frankish destruction of the walls of Pamplona, Basques ambushed and slaughtered Charlemagne's rearguard. Heavily mythologised starting in the 11th century as a combat between Christians and Muslims, this battle became the most celebrated event in one of major bodies of legendary literature in Europe, the Matter of France
Matter of France
The Matter of France, also known as the Carolingian cycle, is a body of literature and legendary material associated with the history of France, in particular involving Charlemagne and his associates. The cycle springs from the Old French chansons de geste, and was later adapted into a variety of...
.
Muslims attacked Vasconia as well, taking possession of Pamplona for some time, but they were expelled by a rebellion in 798-801 that helped to create the Basque Muslim realm of the Banu Qasi
Banu Qasi
The Banu Qasi, Banu Kasi, Beni Casi or Banu Musa were a Basque Muladi dynasty that ruled the upper Ebro valley in the 9th century, before being displaced in the first quarter of the 10th century.-Dynastic beginnings:...
around Tudela
Tudela, Navarre
Tudela is a municipality in Spain, the second city of the autonomous community of Navarre. Its population is around 35,000. Tudela is sited in the Ebro valley. Fast trains running on two-track electrified railways serve the city and two freeways join close to it...
. In 806 Pamplona, still under Cordovan rule, was attacked by the Franks, and the Pamplonese led by a certain Velasko pledged allegiance to Charlemagne again, but his tenure on power proved feeble. At about 814, an anti-Frankish faction led by Enecco, allied of the Banu Qasi, seems to have taken over again. A Frankish army was sent to quash the revolt, to little effect. Furthermore, on their way north through Roncevaux an ambush attempt took place that ended in stalemate, due to the greater precautions taken by the Franks, i.e. Basque women and children taken as hostages.
Northern Basques, organized in the Duchy of Vasconia, collaborated with Franks during campaigns such as the capture of Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
in 799 but after the death of Charlemagne in 814, uprisings started anew. The revolt in Pamplona crossed the Pyrenees north and in 816 Louis the Pious
Louis the Pious
Louis the Pious , also called the Fair, and the Debonaire, was the King of Aquitaine from 781. He was also King of the Franks and co-Emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813...
deposed the Basque Duke Seguin of Bordeaux for failing to suppress or sympathising with the rebellion, so starting a widespread revolt, led by Gartzia Semeno
García I Jiménez of Gascony
García I Jiménez was the Duke of Gascony as leader of the Gascons from 816 to his death in 818. He succeeded Seguin I, who was deposed by Louis the Pious in 816 and García was elected to replace him.-Sources:*...
(according to late traditions, a near-kinsman of Eneko Aritza
Íñigo I of Pamplona
Íñigo Íñiguez Arista is considered the first King of Pamplona. He is thought to have risen to prominence after the defeat of local French partisans in 816, and his rule is usually dated from the defeat of a French army in 824. However, he is only first noticed by chroniclers as a rebel against the...
, to be the first monarch of Pamplona) and newly appointed duke Lupus Centullo (c. 820). Meanwhile, in Aragon the pro-Frankish Count Aznar Galindo was overthrown by Enecco´s allied Count Gartzia Malo, with Aznar Galindo in turn seeking refuge in Frankish-held territory. Louis the Pious received the submission of rebel Basque lords in Dax, but things were far from settled.
In 824 took place the third Battle of Roncevaux, when counts Eblo
Aeblus
Aeblus, Ebalus, or Ebles was a Frankish count in Gascony early in the ninth century.With Aznar Sánchez, he led a large expedition across the Pyrenees to re-establish control over Navarre...
and Aznar Galindo (identified as Aznar Sánchez too), Frankish vassals and the latter appointed Duke of Gascony, were captured by the joint Pamplonese and Banu Qasi forces, strengthening the independence of Pamplona
Kingdom of Navarre
The Kingdom of Navarre , originally the Kingdom of Pamplona, was a European kingdom which occupied lands on either side of the Pyrenees alongside the Atlantic Ocean....
.
In the early 9th century the lands around the Adur river were segregated from the Duchy under the name of County of Vasconia. Count Aznar's successor, Sans Sancion
Sancho Sánchez of Gascony
Sancho II Sánchez or Sans II Sancion succeeded his brother Aznar Sánchez as count of Vasconia Citerior in 836, in spite of the objections of Pepin I, King of Aquitaine.After Pepin's death in 838, confusion enveloped southern Gaul...
, fought against Charles the Bald
Charles the Bald
Charles the Bald , Holy Roman Emperor and King of West Francia , was the youngest son of the Emperor Louis the Pious by his second wife Judith.-Struggle against his brothers:He was born on 13 June 823 in Frankfurt, when his elder...
, as Charles didn't recognize him as legitimate.
In 844, Vikings invaded Bordeaux and killed Duke Seguin II
Seguin II of Gascony
Seguin II , called Mostelanicus, was the Count of Bordeaux and Saintes from 840 and Duke of Gascony from 845. He was either the son or grandson of Seguin I, the duke appointed by Charlemagne....
. His heir William
William I of Gascony
William I was the Duke of Gascony, appointed in 846 following the death of Seguin II in battle with the Norse assaulting Bordeaux and Saintes. He himself had to fight the Vikings and died during an attack on Bordeaux in 848. He was the last Frankish-appointed duke...
was killed trying to retake Bordeaux in 848, though some sources say he was only captured and later deposed by the king. By the year 853, Sans Sancion
Sancho Sánchez of Gascony
Sancho II Sánchez or Sans II Sancion succeeded his brother Aznar Sánchez as count of Vasconia Citerior in 836, in spite of the objections of Pepin I, King of Aquitaine.After Pepin's death in 838, confusion enveloped southern Gaul...
, the Basque leader, was recognised as duke by Charles the Bald. During that same year, Muza of Tudela, relative of the Basque princes, invaded Vasconia and made Sans prisoner. In 855, Sans died and was succeeded by Arnold
Arnold of Gascony
Arnold was the Count of Fézensac and briefly Duke of Gascony in 864. He was the son of Emenon, Count of Périgord, and Sancha, daughter of Sancho Sánchez of Gascony. He made his claim on Gascony on his uncle's death....
, who died fighting against the Norse
Norsemen
Norsemen is used to refer to the group of people as a whole who spoke what is now called the Old Norse language belonging to the North Germanic branch of Indo-European languages, especially Norwegian, Icelandic, Faroese, Swedish and Danish in their earlier forms.The meaning of Norseman was "people...
in 864.
Later history
After Sans' death, the Duchy of Vasconia, between the Adur and the Garonne, gradually became the Duchy of Gascony, moving away from the history of the Basque CountryBasque Country (historical territory)
The Basque Country is the name given to the home of the Basque people in the western Pyrenees that spans the border between France and Spain on the Atlantic coast....
as the romance language (Gascon
Gascon language
Gascon is usually considered as a dialect of Occitan, even though some specialists regularly consider it a separate language. Gascon is mostly spoken in Gascony and Béarn in southwestern France and in the Aran Valley of Spain...
) took hold in the 'greater Gascony', so stripping the name of its former ethnic connotations and taking on a political one. By the 11th century Basque language is believed to extend on the north-east onto the upper reaches of the Adour river, way short of its extension 300 hundred years before.
The Duchy of Gascony would fall under Pamplonese influence during Sancho the Great's reign. In 1032, it was inherited by the heir of Aquitaine and became personally united
Personal union
A personal union is the combination by which two or more different states have the same monarch while their boundaries, their laws and their interests remain distinct. It should not be confused with a federation which is internationally considered a single state...
to that duchy thereafter. It thus became a part of the Angevin Empire
Angevin Empire
The term Angevin Empire is a modern term describing the collection of states once ruled by the Angevin Plantagenet dynasty.The Plantagenets ruled over an area stretching from the Pyrenees to Ireland during the 12th and early 13th centuries, located north of Moorish Iberia. This "empire" extended...
in the 12th century. The ducal title was reemployed by Edward Longshanks and it formed a base of support for the English during the Hundred Years' War
Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War was a series of separate wars waged from 1337 to 1453 by the House of Valois and the House of Plantagenet, also known as the House of Anjou, for the French throne, which had become vacant upon the extinction of the senior Capetian line of French kings...
. It has been called England's first foreign colony.
England lost Gascony as a result of its defeat in the Hundred Years' War
Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War was a series of separate wars waged from 1337 to 1453 by the House of Valois and the House of Plantagenet, also known as the House of Anjou, for the French throne, which had become vacant upon the extinction of the senior Capetian line of French kings...
, and the region became a permanent part of France.
Sources
- Auñamendi Encyclopedia: Ducado de Vasconia.
- Sedycias, João. História da Língua Espanhola.
- Foundation for Medieval Genealogy: Gascony.
- Monlezun, Jean Justin. Histoire de la Gascogne. 1846.
- Oman, CharlesCharles OmanSir Charles William Chadwick Oman was a British military historian of the early 20th century. His reconstructions of medieval battles from the fragmentary and distorted accounts left by chroniclers were pioneering...
. The Dark Ages 476-918. Rivingtons: London, 1914. - Collins, Roger. The Basques. Blackwell Publishing: London, 1990.
- Higounet, Charles. Bordeaux pendant le haut moyen age. Bordeaux, 1963.
- Lewis, Archibald R. The Development of Southern French and Catalan Society, 718–1050. University of Texas Press: Austin, 1965.
- Pertz, G, ed. Chronici Fontanellensis fragmentum in Mon. Ger. Hist. Scriptores, Vol. II.
- Pertz, G, ed. Chronicum Aquitanicum in Mon. Ger. Hist. Scriptores, Vol. II.
- Waitz, E, ed. Annales Bertiniani. Hanover: 1883.
See also
- Basque peopleBasque peopleThe Basques as an ethnic group, primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country , a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.The Basques are known in the...
- Duke of GasconyDuke of GasconyThe Duchy of Vasconia , later known as Gascony, was a Merovingian creation: a frontier duchy on the Garonne, in the border with the rebel Basque tribes...
- GasconyGasconyGascony is an area of southwest France that was part of the "Province of Guyenne and Gascony" prior to the French Revolution. The region is vaguely defined and the distinction between Guyenne and Gascony is unclear; sometimes they are considered to overlap, and sometimes Gascony is considered a...
- Northern Basque CountryNorthern Basque CountryThe French Basque Country or Northern Basque Country situated within the western part of the French department of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques constitutes the north-eastern part of the Basque Country....
- Kingdom of NavarreKingdom of NavarreThe Kingdom of Navarre , originally the Kingdom of Pamplona, was a European kingdom which occupied lands on either side of the Pyrenees alongside the Atlantic Ocean....