1.
Basque language
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Basque is the language spoken by the Basques. Linguistically, Basque is unrelated to the languages of Europe and indeed, as a language isolate. The Basques are indigenous to, and primarily inhabit, the Basque Country, the Basque language is spoken by 27% of Basques in all territories. Of these, 93% are in the Spanish area of the Basque Country, native speakers live in a contiguous area that includes parts of four Spanish territories and the three ancient provinces in France. However, in those Basque-speaking regions that supported the uprising the Basque language was more than merely tolerated, overall, in the 1960s and later, the trend reversed and education and publishing in Basque began to flourish. As a part of process, a standardized form of the Basque language. Besides its standardised version, the five historic Basque dialects are Biscayan, Gipuzkoan, and Upper Navarrese in Spain and they take their names from the historic Basque provinces, but the dialect boundaries are not congruent with province boundaries. Euskara Batua was created so that Basque language could be easily understood by all Basque speakers—in formal situations. In both Spain and France, the use of Basque for education varies from region to region, a language isolate, Basque is believed to be one of the few surviving pre-Indo-European languages in Europe, and the only one in Western Europe. Basque has adopted a good deal of its vocabulary from the Romance languages, the Basque alphabet uses the Latin script. In Basque, the name of the language is officially Euskara, three etymological theories of the name Euskara are taken seriously by linguists and Vasconists. In French, the language is normally called basque, though in recent times euskara has become common, Spanish has a greater variety of names for the language. Today, it is most commonly referred to as el vasco, la lengua vasca, both terms, vasco and basque, are inherited from Latin ethnonym Vascones, which in turn goes back to the Greek term οὐασκώνους, an ethnonym used by Strabo in his Geographica. The Spanish term Vascuence, derived from Latin vasconĭce, has acquired negative connotations over the centuries and is not well-liked amongst Basque speakers generally, Basque is geographically surrounded by Romance languages but is a language isolate unrelated to them. It is the last remaining descendant of one of the languages of Western Europe. Consequently, its prehistory may not be reconstructible by means of the comparative method except by applying it to differences between dialects within the language. Little is known of its origins, but a form of the Basque language likely was present in Western Europe before the arrival of the Indo-European languages to the area. Others find this unlikely, see the aizkora controversy, Latin inscriptions in Gallia Aquitania preserve a number of words with cognates in the reconstructed proto-Basque language, for instance, the personal names Nescato and Cison
Basque language
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Family transmission of Basque language (Basque as initial language)
Basque language
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Schematic dialect areas of Basque. Light-colored dialects are extinct. See dialects below for details.
Basque language
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An example of Basque lettering in a funerary stela.
Basque language
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An example of the number system employed by millers.
2.
Gascon language
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Gascon is a dialect of Occitan. It is mostly spoken in Gascony and Béarn in southwestern France and it has about 250,000 speakers worldwide. Aranese, a southern Gascon variety, is spoken in Catalonia and has greatly influenced recently by Catalan. Both these influences tend to differentiate it more and more from the dialects of Gascon spoken in France, since the 2006 adoption of the new statute of Catalonia, Aranese is co-official with Catalan and Spanish in Catalonia. See Occitan, Debates concerning linguistic classification, there is a proven Basque substrate in the development of Gascon. This explains some of the differences that exist between Gascon and other Occitan dialects. A typically Gascon feature that may arise from this substrate is the change from f to h, thus we have Gascon hèsta or. A similar change took place in continental Spanish, thus Latin facere gives Spanish hacer. Note that modern Basque has had influence from Gascon in words like beira, polit to mention. One way for the introduction of Gascon influence into Basque came about through language contact in bordering areas of the Northern Basque Country, acting as adstrate. A poll conducted in Béarn in 1982 indicated that 51% of the population could speak Gascon, 70% understood it, the usual term for Gascon is patois, a word designating in France a non-official and usually devaluated dialect or language, regardless of the concerned region. It is mainly in Béarn that the population uses concurrently the term Béarnais to designate its Gascon forms and this is because of the political past of Béarn, which was independent and then part of a sovereign state from 1347 to 1620. In fact, there is no unified Béarnais dialect, as the language differs considerably throughout the province, many of the differences in pronunciation can be divided into east, west, and south. For example, an a at the end of words is pronounced ah in the west, o in the east, because of Béarns specific political past, Béarnais has been distinguished from Gascon since the 16th century, not for linguistic reasons. Gascon comprises three main areas, The Garonnais Gascon used on and next to the river Garonne valley. These regions know the least specific Gascon forms, the Southern Gascon used in the south and in the south-west of the linguistic Gascon zone. The Gascon of these regions is the one with the most distinctive characteristics of Gascon, the Intermediary Gascon in an intermediary zone between the two just mentioned. Occitan conjugation Languages of France Vergonha Darrigrand, Robert
Gascon language
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Trilingual sign in
Bayonne: French, Basque, and Gascon Occitan ("Mayretat", "Sindicat d'initiatibe")
Gascon language
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An isard (Pyrenean chamois).
Gascon language
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According to the testimony of
Bernadette Soubirous, the Virgin Mary spoke to her (
Lourdes, 25 March 1858) in Gascon saying: Que sòi era Immaculada Concepciou ("I am the
Immaculate Conception ", the phrase is reproduced under this statue in the Lourdes grotto in Mistralian/Febusian spelling), confirming the proclamation of this Catholic dogma four years earlier.
3.
Pyrenees
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The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain. For the most part, the main crest forms a divide between France and Spain, with the microstate of Andorra sandwiched in between. The Crown of Aragon and the Kingdom of Navarre have historically extended on both sides of the range, with smaller northern portions now in France and larger southern parts now in Spain. The demonym for the noun Pyrenees in English is Pyrenean, in Greek mythology, Pyrene is a princess who gave her name to the Pyrenees. The Greek historian Herodotus says Pyrene is the name of a town in Celtic Europe, Hercules, characteristically drunk and lustful, violates the sacred code of hospitality and rapes his hosts daughter. Pyrene gives birth to a serpent and runs away to the woods, alone, she pours out her story to the trees, attracting the attention of wild beasts who tear her to pieces. After his victory over Geryon, Hercules passes through the kingdom of Bebryx again, and all the rock-cliffs and wild-beast haunts echo back Pyrene. … The mountains hold on to the name through the ages. Pliny the Elder connects the story of Hercules and Pyrene to Lusitania, the Spanish Pyrenees are part of the following provinces, from east to west, Girona, Barcelona, Lleida, Huesca, Navarra and Gipuzkoa. The French Pyrenees are part of the following départements, from east to west, Pyrénées-Orientales, Aude, Ariège, Haute-Garonne, Hautes-Pyrénées, the independent principality of Andorra is sandwiched in the eastern portion of the mountain range between the Spanish Pyrenees and French Pyrenees. Physiographically, the Pyrenees may be divided into three sections, the Atlantic, the Central, and the Eastern Pyrenees, together, they form a distinct physiographic province of the larger Alpine System division. In the Western Pyrenees, from the Basque mountains near the Bay of Biscay of the Atlantic Ocean, at the eastern end on the southern side lies a distinct area known as the Sub-Pyrenees. On the French side the slopes of the range descend abruptly. The Pyrenees are older than the Alps, their sediments were first deposited in coastal basins during the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras, the intense pressure and uplifting of the Earths crust first affected the eastern part and moved progressively to the entire chain, culminating in the Eocene Epoch. The eastern part of the Pyrenees consists largely of granite and gneissose rocks, the massive and unworn character of the chain comes from its abundance of granite, which is particularly resistant to erosion, as well as weak glacial development. Low passes are lacking, and the roads and the railroads between France and Spain run only in the lowlands at the western and eastern ends of the Pyrenees. A notable visual feature of mountain range is La Brèche de Roland, a gap in the ridge line. Coal deposits capable of being profitably worked are situated chiefly on the Spanish slopes, the open pit of Trimoun close to the commune of Luzenac is one of the greatest sources of talc in Europe
Pyrenees
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Central Pyrenees
Pyrenees
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Composite satellite image of the Pyrenees (
NASA)
Pyrenees
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Pico del Aneto, the highest mountain of the Pyrenees.
Pyrenees
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Pic de Bugatet in the
Néouvielle massif
4.
Northern Basque Country
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The French Basque Country, or Northern Basque Country is a region lying on the west of the French department of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. Since 1 January 2017, it constitutes the Basque Municipal Community presided over by Jean-René Etchegaray, the population included in the Basque Municipal Community amounts to 295,970 inhabitants distributed in 158 municipalities. Bayonne and Biarritz are its chief towns, included in the Basque Eurocity Bayonne-San Sebastián Euroregion, the present-day territory was inhabited by the Tarbelli and the Sibulates, tribal divisions of the Aquitani. When Caesar conquered Gaul he found all the south and west of the Garonne inhabited by a people known as the Aquitani. In the early Roman times, the region was first known as Aquitania, and later, the County of Vasconia was created extending around the Adour River. In this period northern Basques surely participated in the battles of Roncevaux against the Franks. He became Duke of Vasconia after submitting to Charles the Bald, at this point, Basque language was losing ground to vulgar and written Latin and was increasingly confined to the lands around the Pyrénées. The lands to the south of the Adour became Labourd, encompassing initially a bigger region than the territory around the Nive. In 1020 Gascony ceded its juridsiction over Labourd, then also including Lower Navarre and this monarch made it a Viscounty in 1023. With the end of the Hundred Years War, Labourd and Soule passed to the Crown of France as autonomous provinces. After the conquest of Upper Navarre by Castile in 1512–21, the still independent north-Pyrenean part of Navarre took the lead of the Huguenot party in the French Wars of Religion, in this time the Bible was first translated into the Basque language. Eventually Henry III of Navarre became King of France but kept Navarre as a independent state. After Axulars accomplished book, other Basque writing authors followed suit, especially in Labourd, in 1677 it was translated to Basque by Pierre Etxeberri. However, during the 17 and 18th century that activity saw a decline as the English took over from the Basques. However, eventually the brothers Garat from Labourd voted for the new out of hopes to get a say in future political decisions. The three Basque provinces were then shaken by events after the intervention of the French Convention army during the War of the Pyrenees. It became a matter of concern discussed by Napoleon Bonaparte and Dominique Garat, as of 1814, traditional cross-Pyrenean trade fell conspicuously, starting a period of economic stagnation. Eventually, trade across the Pyrénées border was cut off after the First Carlist War, in Soule, the emigration trend was mitigated by the establishment circa 1864 of a flourishing espadrille industry in Mauleon that attracted workers from Roncal and Aragon too
Northern Basque Country
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Bilingual French-Basque language signage in
Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle
Northern Basque Country
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Basque pelota courts are found in most villages
Northern Basque Country
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Stone decoration in
Armendarits, "This house was made by Betiri Echarte and Aimia Iriarte"
5.
Lower Navarre
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Lower Navarre is a traditional region of the present day Pyrénées Atlantiques département of France. It corresponds to the northernmost merindad of the Kingdom of Navarre during the Middle Ages, after the Spanish conquest of Iberian Navarre, this merindad was restored to the rule of the native king, Henry II. Its capitals were Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port and Saint-Palais, in the extreme north there was the little sovereign Principality of Bidache. Its extent is of 1,284 km2, and has a population of 44,450,25,356. Although this denomination is not completely correct from the point of view, it is also known as Merindad de Ultrapuertos by the southerners. Despite its lost administrative cohesion, the memory of its past heyday has left an imprint on its inhabitants, the Nafarroaren Eguna or Day of Navarre is a festival held in Baigorri every year to strengthen their bonds and celebrate their Basque identity. The territory is claimed by Basque nationalists to be one of the seven constituent regions making up the Basque Country. Lower Navarre is a collection of valleys in the foothills of the Pyrenees, the Irouléguy wines are produced in the area around the town of Irouléguy. The river Nive rises in Lower Navarre and flows through the province and on to Bayonne, beyond Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port itself, the Nive enters the Ossès valley, with many beautiful old houses with carved lintels in the villages of Ossès, Irissarry and Bidarray. A reserve for the pottok, the wild Basque Pyrenean pony, the Baigura massif towers over the western valleys and sets a natural boundary with the rolling valleys of Labourd. North of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port is the Mixe region around the town of Saint-Palais, although close to Béarn, Basque influence and traditions are strong. Lower Navarrese is a dialect of the Basque language spoken in the region, just south of Saint-Palais, the three principal routes to Santiago de Compostela on the Way of St James met at the hamlet of Ostabat, bringing much wealth and trade to the area in medieval times. The Way of St James headed south from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port towards the pass above Roncesvalles. Pilgrims travelled across the Cize region of Lower Navarre on their way to Navarre across the mountains, in these rolling hills, ewes milk cheese, pur brebis, is commonly made, including Ossau-Iraty cheese. Villages like Estérençuby and Lecumberry are popular for agro-tourism and the Iraty beech forest on the Spanish border is known for its views and history. Dolmens and other neolithic monuments dot the landscape, including the Tour dUrkulu high in the mountains at 1, 149m—a 2, Lower Navarre is well delimited by mountain ranges on the west, south and the east. The lands of the Lower Navarre were part of the Duchy of Vasconia turned into Gascony by the end of the first millennium. Moreover, the valleys of Baigorri, Ossès, Arberoa, Cize and Arberoa were attached to the latter, so establishing the first nucleus of the Navarrese grip on the lands north of the Pyrenees
Lower Navarre
6.
Labourd
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Labourd is a former French province and part of the present-day Pyrénées Atlantiques département. It is one of the traditional Basque provinces, and identified as one of the component parts of the Basque Country by many. Labourd extends from the Pyrenees to the river Adour, along the Bay of Biscay, to the south is Gipuzkoa and Navarre in Spain, to the east is Basse-Navarre, to the north are the Landes. It has an area of almost 900 km2 and a population of over 200,000, over 25% of the inhabitants speak Basque. Labourd has also long had a Gascon-speaking tradition, noticeably next to the banks of the river Adour, the main town of Labourd is Bayonne, although the capital up to the French Revolution was Ustaritz,13 km away, where local Basque leaders assembled. Other important towns are Biarritz, Anglet, Hendaye, Ciboure and Saint-Jean-de-Luz along the coast, the area is famous for the five-day Fêtes de Bayonne and the red peppers of Espelette. Many tourists come to the coast, especially to Biarritz, La Rhune, a 900 m high hill, lies south of Saint-Jean-de-Luz on the border with Spain. The hill is a Basque symbol, with views from its peak. The traditional buildings of Labourd have a low roof, half-timbered features, stone lintels and painted in red, white and green. The house of Edmond Rostand, Villa Arnaga at Cambo-les-Bains, is such a house and is now a dedicated to the author of Cyrano de Bergerac. Lapurdian is a dialect of the Basque language spoken in the region, ancient Labourd was inhabited by the Tarbelas, an Aquitanian tribe. They had the town of Lapurdum, that eventually would become modern Bayonne. In the Middle Ages it formed part of the Duchy of Vasconia, in the year 844 Viking raiders conquered the former oppidum of Lapurdum, where they established a base for their incursions. They were only expelled in 986, leaving a legacy of expertise in Labourd. The town came out of this period attested as Bayonne, up to this point the area of the river Adour was referred to as the County of Vasconia after the early 9th century. This Lope was supposedly the kings relative, being a nephew of King Ramiro Garcés of Viguera and this oft-repeated story has no basis in contemporary documents, and there is no evidence that Navarre extended its territory north of the Pyrenees prior to the late 12th century. Around 1125, Bayonne was chartered by Duke William IX of Aquitaine, in 1130–31, King Alfonso the Battler of Aragon and Navarre attacked Bayonne over a dispute on jurisdictions with the Duke of Aquitaine, William X the Saint. Labourd was ruled directly, between 1169 and 1199, by Richard Lionheart, who gave a charter to Bayonne c.1174 and
Labourd
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Ainhoa village houses showing some aspects of traditional Basque architecture
Labourd
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Labourd in the departement of the
Pyrénées-Atlantiques.
7.
Gascony
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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 defined, and the distinction between Guyenne and Gascony is unclear, by some they are seen to overlap, while others consider Gascony a part of Guyenne. Most definitions put Gascony east and south of Bordeaux and it is currently divided between the region of Aquitaine and the region of Midi-Pyrénées. Gascony was historically inhabited by Basque-related people who appear to have spoken a language similar to Basque, the name Gascony comes from the same root as the word Basque. From medieval times until today, the Gascon language has been spoken, Gascony is the land of dArtagnan, who inspired Alexandre Dumass character dArtagnan in The Three Musketeers. It is also home to Henry III of Navarre, who became king of France as Henry IV. In pre-Roman times, the inhabitants of Gascony were the Aquitanians, the Aquitanians inhabited a territory limited to the north and east by the Garonne River, to the south by the Pyrenees mountain range, and to the west by the Atlantic Ocean. In the 50s BC, Aquitania was conquered by lieutenants of Julius Caesar, later, in 27 BC, during the reign of Emperor Augustus, the province of Gallia Aquitania was created. In 297, as Emperor Diocletian reformed the administrative structures of the Roman Empire, the territory of Novempopulania corresponded quite well to what we call now Gascony. The Aquitania Novempopulana or Novempopulania suffered like the rest of the Western Roman Empire from the invasions of Germanic tribes, the Visigoths were defeated by the Franks in 507, and fled into Spain and Septimania, as well as Albania. Novempopulania then became part of the Frankish Kingdom like the rest of southern France, however, Novempopulania was far away from the home base of the Franks in northern France, and was only very loosely controlled by the Franks. Modern historians reject this hypothesis, which is sustained by no archeological evidence, for Juan José Larrea, and Pierre Bonnassie, a Vascon expansionism in Aquitany is not proved and is not necessary to understand the historical evolution of this region. This Basque-related culture and race is, whatever the origin, attested in Medieval documents, the word Vasconia evolved into Wasconia, and then into Gasconia. The gradual abandonment of the Basque-related Aquitanian language in favor of a local vulgar Latin, was not reversed, the replacing local vulgar Latin evolved into Gascon. It was heavily influenced by the original Aquitanian language, quite paradoxically the Basques from the French side of the Basque Country traditionally call anyone who does not speak Basque a Gascon. Meanwhile, Viking raiders conquered several Gascon towns, among them Bayonne in 842–844 and their attacks in Gascony may have helped the political disintegration of the Duchy until their defeat against William II Sánchez of Gascony in 982. In turn, the weakened ethnic polity known as Duchy of Wasconia/Wascones, unable to get round the general spread of feudalization and his 1152 marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine allowed the future Henry II to gain control of his new wifes possessions of Aquitaine and Gascony. This addition to his already plentiful holdings made Henry the most powerful vassal in France, in 1248, Simon de Montfort was appointed Governor in the unsettled Duchy of Gascony
Gascony
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Typical view of the hilly countryside of Gascony, with the Pyrenees mountains in the far distance
Gascony
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A map of Gascony, showing a wide definition of the region. Other maps may define a smaller area as Gascony.
Gascony
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The Duchy was meant to hold sway over the Basques (Vascones)
Gascony
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Homage of Edward I (kneeling) to Philip IV (seated)
8.
Landes forest
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The Landes forest or the Landes of Gascony, in the historic Gascony natural region of southwestern France now known as Aquitaine, is the largest maritime-pine forest in Europe. The French word, landes and Gascon lanas, mean moors or heaths, the forest covers a large portion of Landes and Gironde, two of the departments of France, it also spills over into parts of the Lot-et-Garonne department. The sources of rivers can be found in this region, including the sources of the Leyre, the Boudigau, the Ciron. The largest towns within the forest are Arcachon, Dax, the forest is composed mostly of maritime pine, Pinus pinaster. Unlike many other European forests, the Landes forest is almost entirely created and managed by man for industrial purposes and this massive pine plantation was started in the 18th century in the Pays de Buch area of Gironde, to halt erosion and cleanse the soil. Prior to this period, the people of the Landes used stilt-walking to move from place to place in the wet terrain, there, pines co-exist with other species, chiefly oak, alder, birch, willow, and holly. This mixed temperate forest is most commonly found along watercourses, where the drainage is particularly good, the old-growth forest was probably more extensive prior to the Middle Ages, when a colder, more humid, climate took hold and changed the species composition. Because of the need for wood for fuel and construction, and because of an expansion in the grazing of sheep. A major storm in January 2009 damaged approximately 300,000 hectares of forest, before the mid-19th century, only the breeding of sheep on the moors allowed the cultivation of rye. Because of wet winters, it was necessary to top-dress the land with thatch to preserve it for the growing season. The shepherd image was replaced by the image of the resin-collector with his tools, in the first part of the 20th century, extensive commercial exploitation of wood, paper, and pine resin began, and these industries became an important part of the regional economy. DRT is the largest company in this region uses the byproducts of pine exploitation. Voies Ferrées des Landes, grouping of companies operating in the forest. Massif des Landes de Gascogne - Inventaire forestier 199819992000, IFN LOurs Pécheur, bordeaux, Pleine Page Editeur,2008,312 p. ISBN 978-2-913406-58-2 Dérivés Résiniques et Terpéniques
Landes forest
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A stand of Pinus pinaster
Landes forest
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Jean Louis Gintrac (1808—1886), Inhabitants of the Landes, Museum of Fine Arts,
Bordeaux; first half 19th century; oil on canvas; 32x46 cm.
9.
Armagnac (region)
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The county of Armagnac, situated between the Adour and Garonne rivers in the lower foothills of the Pyrenées, is a historic county of the Duchy of Gascony, established in 601 in Aquitaine. It is a region in southwestern France that includes parts of the Departments of Gers, Landes, the region is predominantly agricultural and is noted for its Armagnac brandy, the oldest French brandy. Once an important county, it reached its greatest power and extent during the 14th and 15th centuries, under Roman rule, Armagnac was included in the Civitas Ausciorum, or district of Auch, of Aquitania. Under the Merovingians it was part of the duchy of Aquitania, near the end of the ninth century the part now known as Fezensac became a hereditary county. About 1140 Bernards grandson, Géraud III, briefly reunited the comté of Fezensac, when Gascogne was linked once more to Aquitaine by the Treaty of Meaux in 1229, the county of Armagnac was the most powerful of the fiefs of Gascony. The chance of dynastic succession continued repeatedly to separate Fezensac, the three great territorial lords in the south were the Count of Armagnac, the Count of Foix, and the Lord of Albret. The counts of Armagnac increased their territory through marriage and purchase, Jean I, comte dArmagnac and his successors joined to Armagnac the comté of Rodez and that of Carlat, and the vicomtés of Lomagne and Auvillars, Comminges and briefly Charolais. During the Hundred Years War the southern part of France, including Armagnac, was ceded to England by the Treaty of Brétigny, Edward, the Black Prince, administered the region for his father, King Edward III of England. He soon alienated the nobles by giving privileges to the towns, by submitting themselves to King Charles V of France, noble families like the Armagnacs were able to retain much of their former power and assure themselves of protection. In 1410 the daughter of Count Bernard VII of Armagnac was married to Duke Charles I of Orleans, Charles father had been killed by supporters of the duke of Burgundy, who resented Orleans influence on the king. After the marriage, the Armagnac family became associated with the part of King Charles VI against Burgundy, until his death in 1418, Count Bernard remained a bitter enemy of Burgundy. When Burgundy allied itself with England during the stages of the Hundred Years War. The two factions engaged in a civil war that ended in 1435. After peace was established, many veterans originally recruited by Count Bernard VII formed mercenary bands that became known as the Armagnacs. Although they were in the service of King Charles VII, the Armagnacs became notorious for their rapacious plundering in the north of France. In 1444 they were sent to Switzerland on a known as the Armagnac War. Although the Swiss were badly defeated, their determined resistance persuaded the Armagnacs to withdraw from Switzerland, soon after, the Armagnacs were incorporated into Charles VIIs regular army. After the death of Bernard VII in 1418, the counts of Armagnac gradually lost their position in southern France
Armagnac (region)
–
Armagnac
10.
Bigorre
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Today Bigorre comprises the centre and west of the département of Hautes-Pyrénées, with two small exclaves in the neighbouring Pyrénées Atlantiques. Before the French Revolution, the province of Bigorre had an area of 2,574 km². At the 1999 French census, there lived 177,575 inhabitants on the territory of the province of Bigorre. The largest urban areas in Bigorre are Tarbes, with 77,414 inhabitants in 1999, Lourdes, with 15,554 inhabitants in 1999, and Bagnères-de-Bigorre, with 11,396 inhabitants in 1999. At the time of the Roman conquest, the area of Bigorre was inhabited by the Bigorri or Bigerri, the Bigorri were probably speakers of Aquitanian, a language possibly related to Basque. Bigorre was conquered by the Roman general Julius Caesar in 56 BC, in the fourth century, Aquitania was divided in three, for administration, the region that became Bigorre was part of the southernmost section, Aquitania tertia or Novempopulana. Like the rest of Aquitaine, Bigorre was subsumed within the Visigothic kingdom during the fifth century, under the Merovingian kings, Bigorre was a civitas, the chief settlement of which was Cieutat. It was part of the morganegyba of Galsuintha from her husband, on Galsuinthas murder it passed to her sister Brunhilda as part of the arbitration imposed by Guntram of Burgundy. By the Treaty of Andelot Guntram acquired possession of it and it remained with Burgundy until the reunion of various Frankish kingdoms in 613, the history of Bigorre in the seventh and eighth centuries is obscure. It was apparently part of the Basque Duchy of Gascony which was often at odds with the Frankish Duchy of Aquitaine, the County of Bigorre was formed by the Dukes of Gascony in the ninth century and inherited by scions of the ducal house in the tenth. It remained semi-independent of ducal authority throughout the two centuries, and was briefly attached to the Viscounty of Béarn. Recaptured by the French and their allies the counts of Foix between 1370 and 1406, Bigorre was granted by King Charles VII of France to Count Jean I of Foix in 1426. Thus, Bigorre was incorporated into the estates of the House of Foix-Grailly, which included the county of Foix, Béarn, Henry III of Navarre became King Henry IV of France in 1589. In 1607, he united to the French crown those of his personal fiefs that were under French sovereignty, before the French Revolution, Bigorre was made part of the gouvernement of Guienne-Gascony, whereas for general matters it depended from the généralité of Auch like the rest of Gascony. For judicial matters, Bigorre depended from the Parlement of Toulouse, unlike so many other French provinces, Bigorre kept its provincial parliament, its estates, until the Revolution. The provincial estates of Bigorre decided the level of taxation in Bigorre, in 1789 Bigorre sent four representatives to the Estates-General in Versailles. The representatives of Bigorre lobbied quite successfully because in 1790 it was decided that Bigorre would become a French département, Tarbes, the capital of Bigorre, was made the capital of the new département
Bigorre
–
The famous
Cirque de Gavarnie, in the very south of Bigorre, with the 442 meters (1,450 ft) Gavarnie waterfall visible in the background
Bigorre
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Coat of arms of the counts of Bigorre.
11.
Aragon
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Aragon is an autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces, Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel, the current Statute of Autonomy declares Aragon a nationality of Spain. Aragons northern province of Huesca borders France and is positioned in the middle of the Pyrenees, within Spain, the community is flanked by Catalonia to the east, Valencia and Castile–La Mancha to the south, and Castile and León, La Rioja, and Navarre to the west. Aragon is home to many rivers—most notably, the river Ebro, Spains largest river in volume and it is also home to the Aneto, the highest mountain in the Pyrenees. As of 2015, the population of Aragon was 1,317,847, with more than half of it living in Zaragoza. As of 2015, half of Aragons population,50. 45%, Huesca is the only other city in the region with a population greater than 50,000. The majority of Aragonese citizens,71. 8%, live in the province of Zaragoza,17. 1% in Huesca and 11. 1% in Teruel, the population density of the region is the second lowest in Spain, only 26, 8/km2, after Castilla La Mancha. Only four cities have more than 20,000 inhabitants, Zaragoza 700,000, Huesca 50,000, Teruel 35,000 and Calatayud 20,000. Spanish is the language in most of Aragon, and it is the only official language, understood. The strip-shaped Catalan-speaking area in Aragon is often called La Franja, with such a low population density large areas of Aragon remain wild and relatively untouched. It is a land of natural contrasts, both in climate and geologically, from the green valleys and snow-capped peaks of the Pyrenees to the dry plains. Aragons Pyrenees include splendid and varied mountain landscapes with soaring peaks, deep canyons, dense forests and its rugged peaks include the Aneto, the highest in the range, the misty Monte Perdido, Perdiguero, Cotiella and many others. The park is one of the last sanctuaries of birds of prey in the range. Many beautiful mountain butterflies and flowers can be seen in the summer, the principal valleys in the mountains include those of Hecho, Canfranc, Tena, Benasque and others. The green valleys hide pretty villages with nice Romanesque churches and typical Pyrenean houses with flowers on the balconies, the oldest Romanesque cathedral in Spain is located in the medieval town of Jaca in the very northern part of Huesca Province. In the Pyrenean foothills, or pre-Pyrenees, the Mallos de Riglos are a natural rock formation. Ancient castles nestle on lonely hills, the most famous being the magnificent Loarre Castle, further south, the Ebro valley, irrigated by the river Ebro, is a rich and fertile agricultural area covered with vast fields of wheat, barley and other fruit and vegetable crops. Many beautiful and little-known settlements, castles and Roman ruins dot the landscape here, some of the most notable towns here include Calatayud, Daroca, Sos del Rey Catolico, Caspe and others
Aragon
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Loarre, one of the most important Romanesque castles in Europe
Aragon
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Flag
Aragon
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View from Ordesa valley in the Aragonese Pyrenees
Aragon
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Circo de Soaso in
Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park
12.
Guillem II of Montcada
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He was the son of Guillem Ramon de Montcada and Guilleuma de Castellvell. The main thrust of his policy was the affairs of the Aragonese court, in particular, he was involved in the preparation for the invasion of the Balearic islands. In his last visit to Bearn, in February 1228, he promised the representative of the King of England that he would pay the latter homage throughout his lands in Aquitaine. This act marked the departure of Bearn from within the Aragonese domain, back in Catalonia, he played a leading role in the council held in Salou which planned the conquest of Majorca. In September 1229 the fleet left for Majorca, with Guillermo commanding the first ship, the troops having landed, they engaged in the battle of Portopí, thus beginning the conquest of Majorca. The crew had faced little difficulty when they landed on the 12 September, however, Guillermo was killed, along with eight knights of his family, including his nephew Ramon de Moncada in the Sierra de Na Burguesa. In the division following the conquest of the island by the Crown of Aragon and his mausoleum is in the church of the Monastery of Santes Creus. Guillem Ramon de Moncada had two children - Gastón, who succeeded him in 1229, and Constanza de Béarn, who married Diego López III de Haro, Lord of Vizcaya - with his wife Garsenda
Guillem II of Montcada
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Guillermo II in a fresco on the walls of the house once belonging to Berenguer d'Aguilar de Barcelona. His shield shows a combination of the arms of Montcada and those of Béarn.
Guillem II of Montcada
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Monument showing the family crest, near the location where Guillermo II de Bearne died in combat alongside his nephew Ramón during the
conquest of Majorca. The monument is part of the decoration of the
Paseo Calvia.
13.
Roger-Bernard III of Foix
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Roger-Bernard III was the Count of Foix from 1265 to his death. He was the son of Roger IV of Foix and Brunissende of Cardona and he entered into conflicts with both Philip III of France and Peter III of Aragon, who held him in captivity for a time. He was nevertheless a distinguished poet and troubadour and his conflict with Philip III was rooted in the longstanding desire of the French monarchy to establish its authority in Languedoc, where, since the 10th century, it had been practically a nonentity. In 1272, Roger-Bernard allied with Gerald VI, Count of Armagnac to attack the lord of Sompuy and this brought the king and the count into direct opposition. Ignoring the royal command, the two went to war. Philip, claiming rights as the heir of his uncle Alfonso of Poitou, Roger-Bernard fled to his castle at Foix and the Seneschal of Toulouse, Eustache de Beaumarchès, seized his lands. Roger-Bernard, meanwhile, placed himself under the protection of James I of Aragon. Roger-Bernard, however, demanded harsh and unacceptable conditions, on 3 June, King Philip began the siege of Foix and on 5 June, the citadel fell by the work of the sappers in tearing down its defensive walls. Roger-Bernard surrendered and was carted off to prison in Carcassonne, the dispute between James and Philip, however, did not immediately abate. The former refused to relinquish what he held on behalf of the imprisoned count, on 8 February 1273, the conflict was resolved and the king of Aragon gave up his claims. Before the end of year, the count of Foix was released and did homage to the king of France. Roger-Bernards relationship with Philip III was thereafter solid, with Philip even considering him his most loyal, on the death of Henry I of Navarre in 1274, a dispute arose over the succession to that small kingdom. Henrys heir was his daughter Joanna, wife of Philip the Fair, the Aragonese, however, opposed her succession, which would have put the French in control of Navarre. In order to secure Joanna and Philips rightful inheritance, Roger-Bernard led a French army into Navarre in September 1276 and he took the capital city of Pamplona by force and razed it. In gladful compensation for this, Philip III restored all the remaining territories south of the Pas de La Barre. On 8 September 1278, after negotiations, the count and the bishop concluded a paréage. Though slightly modified a little later, the remains the governing system of Andorra to this day. In Spring 1280, the conflict between Roger-Bernard and Peter of Aragon broke out into open rebellion
Roger-Bernard III of Foix
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The coat of arms Roger-Bernard adopted after his inheritance of Béarn in 1290.
Roger-Bernard III of Foix
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Margaret of Montcada
14.
County of Foix
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The County of Foix was an independent medieval fief in southern France, and later a province of France, whose territory corresponded roughly the eastern part of the modern département of Ariège. During the Middle Ages, the county of Foix was ruled by the counts of Foix, the provincial-states of the county, which can be traced back to the 14th century, consisted of three orders and possessed considerable power and energy. In the 17th and 18th centuries Foix formed one of the thirty-three gouvernements, or military areas, of France, in 1790 it was joined with Couserans to form the département of Ariège. The county of Foix, as it existed just before the French Revolution, had an area of 2,466 km². At the 1999 census there were 76,809 inhabitants living on the territory of the province of the county of Foix. The largest urban areas are Pamiers, with 17,715 inhabitants in 1999, the Counts of Foix flourished from the 11th to the 15th century. During the 13th and 14th centuries the counts of Foix figured among the most powerful of the French feudal nobles and his grandson, Roger II, took part in the First Crusade in 1095 and was afterwards excommunicated by Pope Paschal II for seizing ecclesiastical property. Subsequently he appeased the anger of the church through rich donations, and when he died in 1125 he was succeeded by his son, Roger III, and his son, Roger Bernard I. Roger-Bernards only son, Raymond Roger, accompanied the French king, Philip Augustus, to Palestine in 1190 and he was afterwards engaged in the Albigensian Crusade defending the Cathars, and, on being accused of heresy, his lands were given to Simon IV de Montfort. Raymond Roger came to terms with the Church and recovered his estates before his death in 1223 and he was a patron of the Provençal poets and a poet himself. From 1278 the counts of Foix, and their successors, have also been Co-princes of Andorra. The quarrel was continued under Roger Bernards son and successor, Gaston I, becoming embroiled with the French king, Philip IV, in consequence of the struggle with the count of Armagnac, Gaston was imprisoned in Paris. He quickly regained his freedom and accompanied King Louis X on an expedition into Flanders in 1315, and died on his return to France in the same year. His eldest son, Gaston II, made peace with the house of Armagnac, Gaston III, called Phoebus, the Latin version of Apollo, on account of his beauty, was the most famous member of the House of Foix-Béarn. Like his father he assisted France in her struggle against England, when the French king, John II, favored the count of Armagnac, Gaston left his service and went to fight against the pagans of Prussia. Returning to France around 1357, he delivered some noble ladies from the attacks of the adherents of the Jacquerie at Meaux, and was soon at war with the count of Armagnac. During this struggle he also attacked the count of Poitiers, the representative in Languedoc. Gaston, however, continued to fight against the count of Armagnac, early in 1380, the count was appointed governor of Languedoc, but when Charles VI succeeded Charles V as king later in the same year, this appointment was cancelled
County of Foix
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Castle of Foix towering above the town, with the Pyrenees behind.
County of Foix
County of Foix
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Gaston Phoebus, from an early 15th-century copy of his Livre de chasse, made in Paris and kept at the
National Library of France.
15.
Isabella, Countess of Foix
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Isabella of Foix also known as Isabella of Foix-Castelbon was sovereign Countess of Foix and Viscountess of Béarn from 1399 until 1428. She was the daughter of Roger Bernard V, Viscount of Castelbon and she was Countess of Foix in her own right, but shared power with her husband. She succeeded as countess along with her husband upon the death of her childless brother Matthew, Isabella was the eldest of three children, her two brothers were the aforementioned Matthew and Roger Bernard, who died young. Isabella inherited since neither brothers left children, Isabella married in 1381 to Archambaud de Grailly. This heritage was to be denied to Isabella by the French Crown because of her marriage to Archambaud, whose family had been supporters of the English during the Hundred Years War. Charles VI of France wanted to prevent Foix from falling under influence of England, so a Royal Army under the leadership of the Constable de Sancerre invaded Foix, in this situation, Isabella and her husband were willing to submit to the French Crown. The Treaty of Tarbes on 10 May 1399 saw Isabella made Countess as long as her husband stopped his alliance with the English, the loyalty of the new Dynasty of Foix to France was awarded in 1412, when Archambaud was appointed Lieutenant-General of the Languedoc. This marriage hoped to make a union between Foix and Navarre, however, in 1413, Joan died leaving no issue and John a widower, all hope of a union had now failed. Archambaud died in 1413, Isabella died in 1428 and was buried in the Abbey of Boulbonne, the couple were married for around thirty-two years, in which time they had five sons, John, succeeded as John I, Count of Foix. His third wife was Joanna of Urgell, daughter of James II of Urgell and Infanta Isabella and he also fathered two illegitimate children by mistresses whose identities are unknown
Isabella, Countess of Foix
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Seal of Isabella
16.
Gaston IV of Foix-Grailly
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Gaston IV was the sovereign Viscount of Béarn and the Count of Foix and Bigorre in France from 1436 to 1472. He also held the viscounties of Marsan, Castelbon, Nébouzan, Villemeur and Lautrec and was, by virtue of the county of Foix, from 1447 he was also Viscount of Narbonne. Through his marriage to Eleonor, heiress of the Kingdom of Navarre and he was a son of John I, Count of Foix and Jeanne dAlbret. His maternal grandparents were Charles dAlbret, Constable of France and co-commander of the French army, killed at the Battle of Agincourt, Gaston married the Navarrese Infanta, Eleonor, in 1436. Her parents were John II and Blanche I of Navarre and they had ten children, Gaston de Foix, Viscount of Castelbon, Prince of Viana, lieutenant general of Navarre. Jean de Foix, Viscount of Narbonne, Count dÉtampes and he claimed the throne of Navarre upon the death of his nephew François Phébus. He married in 1476 Marie of Orleans Marguerite de Foix, married at Clisson on 27 June 1471 Francis II and they were parents of Anne of Brittany, twice queen of France as consort to both Charles VIII and Louis XII. Catherine de Foix, married in 1469 Gaston de Foix, Count of Candale, Jacques de Foix, Infante de Navarra, Count de Montfort. Married in 1485 and divorced in 1494 Ana de Peralta, daughter of Pedro de Peralta, 1st Count de Santisteban y Lerín, married secondly in 1495 Catherine de Beaumont, daughter of Louis de Beaumont, 2nd Count de Lerín and his wife Leonor de Aragón. Jacques and his wife had one child, Jean de Foix. Jacques also had two children by unknown mistresses, Frederic de Foix, Seigneur dAlmenèches, and Jacques de Foix, Bishop of Oloron. Gaston IV, Comte de Foix, Vicomte souverain de Béarn, Prince de Navarre, Étude historique sur le Midi de la France et le Nord de lEspagne au XVe siècle
Gaston IV of Foix-Grailly
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Gaston IV, Count of Foix
Gaston IV of Foix-Grailly
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Seal of Gaston IV, Count of Foix
17.
Eleanor of Navarre
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Eleanor of Aragon, was the regent of Navarre from 1455 to 1479, then briefly the queen regnant of Navarre in 1479. She was crowned on 28 January 1479 in Tudela and she was born in Olite, Navarre, the third and youngest child of King John II of Aragon and Queen Blanche I of Navarre and the younger sister of Blanche II of Navarre. She was born 2 February 1426, and was acclaimed by the Cortes in Pamplona,9 August 1427, as the heir of Charles IV. After their mothers death, however, their father occupied Navarre and she married Gaston IV, Count of Foix, in 1441. In 1442, Eleanor moved with her spouse to Bearn, in 1455, her father deposed her brother and her sister as heirs of Navarre and proclaimed Eleanor as the heir and the regent and general governor of Navarre, and she moved to Sangüesa. She continued as regent after the death of her brother in 1461, in 1462, she signed the treaty of Olite, where she recognized her father as the monarch of Navarre and accepted to have her sister Blanche imprisoned under her care. In 1464, Blanche died in her care, suspected to have been poisoned, by the treaty, she was recognized by her father as the heir of Navarre and his regent in Navarre. In 1468, her father killed her advisor Nicolas de Etchabarri, in 1471, however, her father recognized her as the governor of Navarre until his death. At her fathers death in 1479, she gave her oath as the monarch of Navarre, peter, cardinal and bishop of Arles, John, viscount of Narbonne, whose daughter Germaine of Foix was second wife to Ferdinand II of Aragon. Marie, married William VIII, marquess of Montferrat, joan, married John V, count of Armagnac. Margaret, married Francis II, duke of Brittany, Catherine, married Gaston II de Foix, Count of Candale and Benauges. Isabella, married Guy de Pons, viscount of Turenne, Eleanor, engaged firstly with Charles, duke de Guyenne and secondly with the duke of Medinacelli, but she died before the wedding. James, count of Cortes, married Catherine of Beaumont, anthony, Raoul, Identification et Etude des Ossements des Rois de Navarre inhumés dans la Cathédrale de Lescar, Paris, Masson,1931 Navarre Kings Genealogy
Eleanor of Navarre
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Eleanor
Eleanor of Navarre
18.
Catherine of Navarre
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Catherine, Queen of Navarre, reigned from 1483 until 1517. She was also Duchess of Gandia, Montblanc, and Peñafiel, Countess of Foix, Bigorre, and Ribagorza, Catherine was the younger daughter of Gaston of Foix, Prince of Viana, and Magdalena of Valois, the sister of Louis XI of France. She was born and raised during the reign of her paternal great-grandfather, King John II and their father having already died, the crown of Navarre devolved upon Catherines brother Francis Phoebus upon their grandmothers death the same year. In 1483 the death of Francis made Catherine queen under the regency of their mother and her uncle John of Foix, appealing to the Salic Law alien to the Kingdom of Navarre, claimed the throne and ignited a civil war that reignited the old conflict of the Beaumont-Agramont parties. In 1484, hard pressed by ambitions over the throne of Navarre, Magdalena of Valois decided to marry 15-year-old Catherine to John of Albret and this marriage was favored by many of Catherines Iberian subjects and would have given Catherine much needed support in her fight against her uncles claim. Catherines mother Magdalena died in 1495, in 1504, she made her will, confirming her son Henrys right to succeed her and expressing her wish to be buried at the Cathedral of Pamplona—ultimately both she and John were interred in Lescar. The political alliance between the houses of Valois and Foix ahead of an impending Spanish invasion led to negotiations between Catherine and Louis XII in 1512. It was suggested that Henry should marry a daughter of the French king, Ferdinand, who had allied with the Pope against France, presented a set of claims to the legitimate royal family of Navarre. Catherine did not accept the demands, and Ferdinand sent Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba, over to Pamplona, the Castilians went on to conquer St-Jean-Pied-de-Port after setting fire to Roncevaux, and wrought havoc across the merindad of Ultrapuertos. The Spanish troops would retain the southern half of that region intermittently for the next years, Catherine and John III, overwhelmed by the Castilian push, fled to Bearn, constituent part of their kingdom. They set their base in Pau, Orthez and Tarbes, where they resided most of the time until their deaths. On 23 March 1513, the Cortes of Navarre reunited in Pamplona, greatly reduced to the pro-Spanish Beaumont party, and pledged allegiance to Ferdinand in exchange for his loyalty to the Navarrese laws. In 1516, two led by King John III and Pedro, Marshal of Navarre, crossed the Pyrenees south and attempted to reconquer Navarre. Devastated by the defeats undergone, John retreated to Monein, Queen Catherine did not outlive her husband much longer, and died in her domain of Mont-de-Marsan on 12 February 1517, just a few months later. By then, she had given birth to 13 children and she and John III of Navarre were parents to thirteen children, Anne of Navarre. Abbess of the Trinity at Caen, took part in the Siege of Naples during the War of the League of Cognac but was captured. Died while still held as a prisoner of war, married Rene I, Viscount of Rohan. Cawley, Charles, List and genealogy of the Kings of Navarre, Medieval Lands database, Foundation for Medieval Genealogy
Catherine of Navarre
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Catherine
Catherine of Navarre
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Orthez, a town where the Navarrese monarchs took shelter after 1512
Catherine of Navarre
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Seal of Catherine of Navarre
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