Early Middle Ages History of the Basques

in 409, vandals, alans, , suevi forced way hispania through western pyrenees, chased closely visigoths in 416 allies of rome, while consequences of advances not clear. in 418 rome gave provinces of aquitania , tarraconensis visigoths, foederati, view defending novempopulana raids of bagaudae. has been argued basque underlying these roving armed hosts, claim far certain. contemporary chronicler hydatius aware of existence of vasconias, not identify bagaudae rebels basque.

while visigoths seem have claimed basque territory date, chronicles point failure subdue it, punctuated sporadic military successes. years between 435 , 450 saw succession of confrontations between bagaudae , romano-gothic troops, best documented of battles of toulouse, araceli, , turiasum. same period, in 449-51, suevi under king rechiar ravaged territories of vascones, looting way through region on way home toulouse. settlements damaged after raids and, while calahorra , pamplona survived, iruña (veleia) seems have been abandoned result.

after 456, visigoths crossed pyrenees twice aquitaine, @ roncesvalles, in effort destroy suevic kingdom of rechiar, chronicle of hydatius, spanish source of period, ends in 469, actual events of visigothic confrontation basques obscure. apart vanished previous tribal boundaries, great development between death of hydatius , events accounted in 580s appearance of basques mountain roaming people , of times depicted posing threat urban life.

the franks displaced visigoths aquitaine in 507, placing basques between 2 warring kingdoms. in 581 or thereabouts both franks , visigoths attacked vasconia (wasconia in gregory of tours), neither success. in 587 franks launched second attack on basques, defeated on plains of aquitaine, implying basque settlement or conquest had begun north of pyrenees. however, theory of basque expansionism in middle ages has been dismissed , not necessary understand historic evolution of region. afterwards, franks , goths created respective marches in order contain basques ̶ duchy of cantabria in south , duchy of vasconia in north (602).

in south-western marches of frankish duchy of vasconia, extending @ periods during 6-8th centuries across pyrenees, cantabria (maybe including biscay , Álava) , pamplona remained out of visigothic rule, latter sticking either self-rule or under frankish suzerainty (councils of toledo unattended between 589 , 684).

after fighting, duchy of vasconia consolidated independent polity between 660 , 678 ruled duke felix, means of personal union duchy of aquitaine established de facto realm detached distant merovingian rule. synergies between ‘roman’, non-frankish urban elites , rural militarised vascon power base enabled strong political entity in south-west gaul. basque-aquitanian realm reached zenith @ time of odo great, muslim invasion of 711, @ time visigoth roderic fighting basques in pamplona, , rise of carolingian dynasty posed new threats state, spurring downfall , breakup.

the duchy of vasconia , neighbouring territories (740)

vasconia s submission franks after odo’s death in 735 interrupted frequent outbreaks of resistance, led latter’s son hunald (735-744) , grandson waifer (+768). in 762, hosts of frankish king pippin crossed loire, attacked bourges , clermont defended basques , ransacked aquitaine. after several military setbacks, basques pledged submission pippin on river garonne (fronsac, c. 769). @ time (7-8th centuries), vasconia mentioned stretching lands of cantabria in south-west way river loire in north pointing not preponderant significant basque presence in aquitaine (i.e. between garonne , loire).

duchy of vasconia , both sides of pyrenees (760)

vasconia’s newly suppressed resistance cleared way frankish army deal charlemagne’s interests in spanish marches (siege of zaragoza). after pulling down walls of pamplona, roland s rear guard headed north , defeated in first battle of roncevaux (778) treacherous basques, put frankish chroniclers, suggesting basques overall , duke lupus backed down on 769 allegiance vow. after 781, tired of basque uprisings, charlemagne appointed no more dukes, instead opting direct rule creating kingdom of aquitaine.

the basque-muslim state of banu qasi (meaning heirs of cassius in arabic), founded c. 800 near tudela (tutera in basque), acted buffer state between basques , cordovan umayyads helped consolidate independent kingdom of pamplona after second battle of roncevaux, when frankish expedition led counts eblus , aznar (sometimes identified local frankish vassal toppled in aragon 10 years earlier) defeated pamplonese , maybe banu qasi, after crossing pyrenees, in wake of basque rebellions north of pyrenees. in west fringes of basque territory, Álava arose first in history attacked asturian , cordovan hosts , comprising blur territory held duchy of cantabria (current cantabria, biscay, Álava, la rioja , burgos).

after battle, enecco arista (basque eneko aritza, i.e. eneko oak), re-asserted power in pamplona c. 824, basques managing thereafter fend off frankish rule south of western pyrenees. line of aristas ruled pamplona side side banu qasi of tudela decline of both dynasties (early 10th century). when sancho garces rose prominence in 905, pamplonese allegiances switched neighbour christian realms, new royal lineage starting expansion south territory of former allies.

in 844, vikings sailed garonne bordeaux , toulouse , raided countryside on either bank of river, killing duke of basques sigwinum ii (recorded sihiminum too, maybe semeno) in bordeaux. took on bayonne, , attacked pamplona (859), taking king garcia prisoner, released in exchange hefty ransom. overcome in 982 basque duke william ii sanchez of gascony, made way pamplona fight north of bayonne , put term viking incursions, allowing monasteries spring on gascony thereafter, first of 1 of saint-sever, caput vasconiae.

william started policy of rapprochement pamplona, establishing dynastic ties rulers. despite newly found strength, 10th century territory of vasconia (to become gascony , stripped 11th–12th centuries of original ethnic sense) fragmented different feudal regions, example, viscountcies of soule , labourd out of former tribal systems , minor realms (county of vasconia), while south of pyrenees kingdom of castile, kingdom of pamplona , pyrenean counties of aragon, sobrarbe, ribagorza (later merged kingdom of aragon) , pallars arose main regional powers basque population in 9th century.