Basque señoríos
Encyclopedia
The Basque señoríos were medieval hereditary land titles over an area called señorío ( Lordship ), recognized by a king to former basque chieftains in relation to the concept of manorialism
in exchange for sworn allegiance. The Basque
term is jaurerria , means "lord's country" and usually relates to the señoríos of the Basque Country
. Either term frequently refers to the most important of these, the Bizkaiko Jaurerria or Señorío de Vizcaya (Lordship of Biscay) as it is known in Spanish. Most other Basque jauerriak were much smaller, such as the Oñati
ko Jaurerria (Señorío de Oñate).
This title conferred considerable powers into the hands of the Lord of Vizcaya which in other area were directly controlled by the king. A señor was the judicial and military high authority, was entitled to rule directly without referring to the king, had the power to appoint civil servants and was entitled to collect taxes.
of Navarre
annexed Castile
in 1029, the titles to the Lordship of Biscay were granted by the Kings of Navarre. This early "core" of Biscay consisted of:
To these were added the Enkarterri and the area around Durango (called Durangaldea in Basque
, Duranguesado in Spanish) at a later date.
After the Kingdom of Navarre disintegrated during the 12th century and a big part of it was annexed by Castile, titles over lands were awarded to the nobility by the Kings of Castile. They continued to exist in various forms until 1876 when the Basque foral rights or fuero
s were abolished.
was the most powerful family of Castile at that time and strongly supported the expansionist policies of Alfonso VI of Castile
. As a reward, Íñigo López was named the first Lord of Biscay.
Since 1379, the title has been held by the kings of Castile and, after the unification of Spain, by the ruling monarch of Spain.
, later by the Kings of Navarre before falling back to the Castilian crown. The last areas of the Señorío de Álava, as it is known in Spanish, were annexed by Alfonso XI of Castile in 1332.
all hailed from the Gebara (Guevara in Spanish) family. Their titles as Lords of Oñati were originally conferred by the Kings of Navarre and after the annexation of Gipuzkoa in 1201 by the Kings of Castile. The title was lost in 1845 when Oñati was incorporated into the province of Gipuzkoa. Some members of the Gebara family included:
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
in exchange for sworn allegiance. The Basque
Basque language
Basque is the ancestral language of the Basque people, who inhabit the Basque Country, a region spanning an area in northeastern Spain and southwestern France. It is spoken by 25.7% of Basques in all territories...
term is jaurerria , means "lord's country" and usually relates to the señoríos of the Basque Country
Basque 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....
. Either term frequently refers to the most important of these, the Bizkaiko Jaurerria or Señorío de Vizcaya (Lordship of Biscay) as it is known in Spanish. Most other Basque jauerriak were much smaller, such as the Oñati
Oñati
Oñati is a town located in the province of Gipuzkoa, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country, in the north of Spain. It has a population of approximately 10,500 and lies in a valley in the center of the Basque country. It lies about 40 km south of the Bay of Biscay and is about 236 m...
ko Jaurerria (Señorío de Oñate).
This title conferred considerable powers into the hands of the Lord of Vizcaya which in other area were directly controlled by the king. A señor was the judicial and military high authority, was entitled to rule directly without referring to the king, had the power to appoint civil servants and was entitled to collect taxes.
Historical development
After the Sancho IIISancho III of Navarre
Sancho III Garcés , called the Great , succeeded as a minor to the Kingdom of Navarre in 1004, and through conquest and political maneuvering increased his power, until at the time of his death in 1035 he controlled the majority of Christian Iberia, bearing the title of rex Hispaniarum...
of Navarre
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....
annexed Castile
Castile (historical region)
A former kingdom, Castile gradually merged with its neighbours to become the Crown of Castile and later the Kingdom of Spain when united with the Crown of Aragon and the Kingdom of Navarre...
in 1029, the titles to the Lordship of Biscay were granted by the Kings of Navarre. This early "core" of Biscay consisted of:
- the Lur Laua or Tierra Llana, the "flat" (i.e. not fortified) lands of Biscay which were organised in elizateElizateElizate is a Basque term that refers to an early form of local government in the Basque Country which was particularly common in Biscay but also existed in the other provinces. It literally translates as "church door"...
s. - the chartered cities and towns of Biscay: BalmasedaBalmasedaBalmaseda is a town in the Encartaciones region of Biscay in the Spanish Basque Country....
, BermeoBermeoBermeo is a town and municipality in the sub-region of Busturialdea and the wider province of Biscay, part of the autonomous region of the Basque Country, in Northern Spain. Bermeo has 17,026 inhabitants and is the most important fishing port of the Basque Country. The town was founded in 1236 and...
, BilbaoBilbaoBilbao ) is a Spanish municipality, capital of the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. With a population of 353,187 , it is the largest city of its autonomous community and the tenth largest in Spain...
, Durango, ErmuaErmuaErmua is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, northern Spain.-External links:* * *...
, Gernika, LanestosaLanestosaLanestosa is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, northern Spain.-External links:*...
, LekeitioLekeitioLekeitio is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the Spanish Autonomous Community of Basque Country, 53 km northeast from Bilbao. The municipality has 7,293 inhabitants and is one of the most important fishing ports of the Basque coast...
, MarkinaMarkina-XemeinMarkina-Xemein is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, Bizkaia, in the Basque Autonomous Community, also known as the Basque Country, located in northern Spain. The origin of the town's name lies in its geographic location. The last town in the province of Bizkaia, Markina...
, OndarroaOndarroaOndarroa is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, northern Spain.-Main sights:*Church of St. Mary, in late Gothic style *Likona Tower, a typical Basque tower-house....
, OtxandioOtxandioOtxandio is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the Autonomous Community of Basque Country, northern Spain.Athletic Bilbao left-back Koikili Lertxundi was born in Otxandio.-External links:*...
, PortugaletePortugaletePortugalete is a town lying to the west of Bilbao in the province of Biscay in the Autonomous Community of Basque Country, northern Spain.The town has 51,066 inhabitants and is part of Bilbao's metropolitan area. It is located at the mouth of the Estuary of Bilbao, on the left bank...
, PlentziaPlentziaPlentzia is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, in northern Spain. The town has 4,146 inhabitants ....
and UrduñaOrduñaOrduña is a town and municipality of 4,057 inhabitants located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, in the North of Spain....
.
To these were added the Enkarterri and the area around Durango (called Durangaldea in Basque
Basque language
Basque is the ancestral language of the Basque people, who inhabit the Basque Country, a region spanning an area in northeastern Spain and southwestern France. It is spoken by 25.7% of Basques in all territories...
, Duranguesado in Spanish) at a later date.
After the Kingdom of Navarre disintegrated during the 12th century and a big part of it was annexed by Castile, titles over lands were awarded to the nobility by the Kings of Castile. They continued to exist in various forms until 1876 when the Basque foral rights or fuero
Fuero
Fuero , Furs , Foro and Foru is a Spanish legal term and concept.The word comes from Latin forum, an open space used as market, tribunal and meeting place...
s were abolished.
The Legendary Lords
According to the 14th century historian Lope García de Salazar, there were five Lords prior to those known to us from the historical record:- Jaun Lope Zuria ("Lord Lope the White"), also known simply as Jaun ZuriaJaun ZuriaJaun Zuria is the mythical first Lord of Biscay. According to the legend, he was born from a Scottish princess that had been visited by god Sugaar in the village of Mundaka....
("the white lord"), or Don Blanco or Don Zurián in Spanish. He is said to have beaten the AsturiansKingdom of AsturiasThe 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...
and LeoneseKingdom of LeónThe Kingdom of León was an independent kingdom situated in the northwest region of the Iberian Peninsula. It was founded in AD 910 when the Christian princes of Asturias along the northern coast of the peninsula shifted their capital from Oviedo to the city of León...
in the Battle of Padura in 840 and subsequently honoured with the title of Lord of Biscay in 888 by the Biscaynes. - 909-920 Munso/Nunso López, son of Jaun Zuria.
- 920-924 Ínigo Esquira "El Zurdo", son of Munso López
- 924-931 Lope II Íñiguez, also known as Lope Díaz "El Lindo" and son of Ínigo Esquira.
- 931-993 Sancho López, son of Lope II Íñiguez.
House of Haro
The House of HaroHaro, La Rioja
Haro is a town and municipality in the northwest of La Rioja province in northern Spain. It is known for its fine red wine and every year the Haro Wine Festival is held where locals hold a wine battle....
was the most powerful family of Castile at that time and strongly supported the expansionist policies of Alfonso VI of Castile
Alfonso VI of Castile
Alfonso VI , nicknamed the Brave or the Valiant, was King of León from 1065, King of Castile and de facto King of Galicia from 1072, and self-proclaimed "Emperor of all Spain". After the conquest of Toledo he was also self-proclaimed victoriosissimo rege in Toleto, et in Hispania et Gallecia...
. As a reward, Íñigo López was named the first Lord of Biscay.
- 1040-1077 Íñigo LópezÍñigo LópezÍñigo López was the first Lord of Biscay. Although the date is not known precisely, Íñigo's government of Biscay began between 1040 and 1043 at the latest. It was certainly by appointment of the king, García Sánchez III of Navarre, and not a hereditary right...
"Ezquerra" ("The Left"). He appears in documents as Comes Enneco Lopiz Vizcayensis but little is known about his life except that he gifted the castle and church of San Juan de GaztelugatxeSan Juan de GaztelugatxeGaztelugatxe is a tiny island on the coast of Biscay belonging to the municipality of Bermeo, in Basque Country . It is connected to the mainland by a man made bridge...
to the monastery of San Juan de la PeñaSan Juan de la PeñaThe monastery of San Juan de la Peña is a religious complex in the town of Santa Cruz de la Serós, at the south-west of Jaca, in the province of Huesca, Spain. It was one of the most important monasteries in Aragon in the Middle Ages. Its two-level church is partially carved in the stone of the...
and that he was married to Toda Ortiz with whom he had 5 children. - 1077-1093 Lope Íñiguez, son of Íñigo López. According to documents in the monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla he supported Alfonso VI of CastileAlfonso VI of CastileAlfonso VI , nicknamed the Brave or the Valiant, was King of León from 1065, King of Castile and de facto King of Galicia from 1072, and self-proclaimed "Emperor of all Spain". After the conquest of Toledo he was also self-proclaimed victoriosissimo rege in Toleto, et in Hispania et Gallecia...
who annexed ÁlavaÁlavaÁlava is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lord of Álava. Its capital city is Vitoria-Gasteiz which is also the capital of the autonomous community...
, the RiojaLa Rioja (Spain)La Rioja is an autonomous community and a province of northern Spain. Its capital is Logroño. Other cities and towns in the province include Calahorra, Arnedo, Alfaro, Haro, Santo Domingo de la Calzada, and Nájera.-History:...
and parts of BiscayBiscayBiscay is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lord of Biscay. Its capital city is Bilbao...
and Gipuzkoa following the assassination of Sancho IV of NavarreSancho IV of NavarreSancho IV Garcés , called Sancho of Peñalén or Sancho the Noble, was King of Navarre from 1054 to 1076. He was the eldest son and heir of García Sánchez III and Estefanía....
. In return, Lope Íñiguez was given additional lands to enlarge his señorío. He was married to Tecla Díaz, daughter of Diego Álvarez de Oca with whom he had 5 children. - 1093-1124 Diego López I de HaroDiego López I de HaroDiego López I de Haro was the third Lord of Biscay, and also the ruler of Álava, Buradón, Grañón, Nájera, Haro, and perhaps Guipúzcoa: the most powerful Castilian magnate in the Basque Country and the Rioja during the first quarter of the twelfth century...
"El Blanco" ("the white"), son of Lope Íñiguez. He fought against the CidEl CidRodrigo Díaz de Vivar , known as El Cid Campeador , was a Castilian nobleman, military leader, and diplomat...
alongside the king and in return was granted to settlement of Haro by Alfonso VI of Castile. He was the first to take the title de Haro and built a castle in an unknown location in Haro. He was married to Lady Almicena, daughter of the Lord of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-PortSaint-Jean-Pied-de-PortSaint-Jean-Pied-de-Port is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France close to Ostabat in the Pyrenean foothills....
with who he had one child. - 1124-1170 Lope Díaz I de HaroLope Díaz I de HaroLope Díaz I de Haro was the fourth Lord of Biscay . He was an important magnate in Castile during the reign of the Emperor Alfonso VII and in the kingdom of his son and grandson. Between 1147 and 1168 he is recorded as governing Old Castile on behalf of the crown.-Political career:Lope was the...
- 1170-1214 Diego López II de Haro "El Bueno"
- 1214-1236 Lope Díaz II de Haro "Cabeza Brava" ("the hothead")
- 1236-1254 Diego López III de Haro
- 1254-1288 Lope Díaz III de Haro
- 1288-1289 Diego López IV de Haro
- 1289-1295 María Díaz de Haro, first reign
- 1295-1310 Diego López V de Haro "El Intruso" ("the intruder")
- 1310-1322 María Díaz de Haro, second reign
- 1322-1326 Juan de Haro "El Tuerto" ("one-eyed")
- 1326-1333 María Díaz de Haro, third reign
House of Haro and Lara
- 1334-1349 María Díaz II de Haro with Juan Núñez de Lara
- 1334-1350 Juan Núñez de Lara
- 1350-1355 Nuño de Lara
- 1355-1359 Juana de Lara
House of Trastámara
- 1355-1369(?) Tello of CastileTello of CastileTello of Castile was the seventh of the ten illegitimate children of Alfonso XI of Castile and Eleanor of Guzman. He was a prince of Castile and First Lord of Aguilar de Campoo. In Spanish he is known as Tello de Castilla, Infante de Castilla; Señor de Aguilar de Campoo, de Vizcaya, de Castañeda...
- 1369(?)-1379 John I of CastileJohn I of CastileJohn I was the king of Crown of Castile, was the son of Henry II and of his wife Juana Manuel of Castile, daughter of Juan Manuel, Prince of Villena, head of a younger branch of the royal house of Castile...
Since 1379, the title has been held by the kings of Castile and, after the unification of Spain, by the ruling monarch of Spain.
Lords of Gipuzkoa
The Señorío de Guipúzcoa, as it is known in Spanish, was annexed by Alfonso VIII of Castile early on in 1200.Lords of Álava
Álava was a señorío from about 1100 onwards when the titles to the Señorío de Álava were awarded by Queen Urraca of CastileUrraca of Castile
Urraca was Queen regnant of León, Castile, and Galicia, and claimed the imperial title as suo jure Empress of All the Spains from 1109 until her death in childbirth, as well as Empress of All Galicia.- Childhood :...
, later by the Kings of Navarre before falling back to the Castilian crown. The last areas of the Señorío de Álava, as it is known in Spanish, were annexed by Alfonso XI of Castile in 1332.
Lords of Oñati
Between 1149 and 1845 the Lords of OñatiOñati
Oñati is a town located in the province of Gipuzkoa, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country, in the north of Spain. It has a population of approximately 10,500 and lies in a valley in the center of the Basque country. It lies about 40 km south of the Bay of Biscay and is about 236 m...
all hailed from the Gebara (Guevara in Spanish) family. Their titles as Lords of Oñati were originally conferred by the Kings of Navarre and after the annexation of Gipuzkoa in 1201 by the Kings of Castile. The title was lost in 1845 when Oñati was incorporated into the province of Gipuzkoa. Some members of the Gebara family included:
- Pedro Vélez de Guevara
- Íñigo Vélez de GuevaraÍñigo Vélez de Guevara, 7th Count of OñateÍñigo Vélez de Guevara, seventh Count of Oñate and Count of Villamediana was a Spanish political figure. He played an important role in the Thirty Years War....
(1566–1644) - Beltrán Vélez de GuevaraBeltrán Vélez de Guevara, Marquis of Campo RealBeltrán Vélez Ladrón de Guevara, 1st Count of Campo Real was a Spanish political figure.He was the son of Iñigo Vélez de Guevara and Catalina de Guevara, 5th Countess of Oñate...
(?-1652) - Íñigo Vélez de Guevara (1642–1699)