Basques

Basques, people living in north-central Spain, primarily in two autonomous regions, the Basque Country (País Vasco) and Navarra, and in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department of south-western France. Basque territory straddles the French/Spanish border; there are French Basques and Spanish Basques. The origins of the Basque people have long been a subject of scholarly research. Their ancient language, customs, and traditions distinguish them from all other peoples of Europe, and are probably the result of their relative isolation from the rest of Europe until recently. They refer to their homeland as Easkal-Hereia (Land of the Basques) or Euskadi (Country of the Basques). Attempts have been made by various scholars to link the Basque language with a number of non-Indo-European languages, but such connections are not accepted by the majority of linguists.

Basque ancient laws (called fors in France and fueros in Spain), which emphasized a respect for individual liberty, traditionally governed every area of their lives and were strictly adhered to. These laws were maintained by democratically elected assemblies (juntas), and great care was taken to secure honesty at the polls. It was not uncommon for a fisherman to preside over meetings in which Spanish noblemen were seated.

The law of primogeniture, of great importance to the Basque people, gave permanence to the family structure. The importance of the family is reflected to some extent in the appearance of most Basque homesteads, which differ markedly from the one-storey house of the average French and Spanish farmer. The typical Basque house has a garden, vineyard, pasture, and woodland.

The Basques are devout Roman Catholics and have fought to prevent domination of their religious institutions by French and Spanish ecclesiastical authorities. Notable religious figures of Basque origin include St Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Order of the Jesuits, and the Jesuit missionary St Francis Xavier. The Basques have retained many religious customs dating from medieval times. Among the most colourful are the Procession of the Crosses and the Corpus Christi processions. The latter are especially interesting because of the national dances performed. Dancing and games play an important part in the lives of the Basque people, who are especially fond of a strenuous game known as jai alai.

Many Basques have emigrated to the Americas. It is estimated that about 250,000 Basques live in South America and about 50,000 live in the United States.

The Basques first appeared in written history late in the 1st century bc, when they successfully withstood the Roman invaders of Spain, maintaining their independence throughout the period of Roman rule of the Iberian Peninsula. The Basques adopted Christianity between the 3rd and 5th centuries. In the 6th century they fought fiercely and successfully against the Visigoths. Late in the 6th century groups of Spanish Basques migrated northward across the Pyrenees to Aquitania, which thereafter was known as Gascony. Those who remained in Spain withstood the Moors, who dominated most of the peninsula from the 8th to the 11th century. The Spanish Basques preserved their tradition of autonomy throughout the Middle Ages. Biscay (Vizcaya), one of the provinces, was independent from 1093 until 1350. Not until 1370 was it a definite part of the kingdom of Castile, to which Guipúzcoa had been united in 1200 and Álava in 1332. When a Spanish kingdom was established in the late 15th century, the Basque provinces preserved their customs, laws, and diplomatic relations with other countries with slight variation until 1876, when the provinces were absorbed by Spain.

The modern Basque nationalist movement started in 1900 and emerged to confront Madrid’s policies in the Basque country. During the Spanish Civil War of 1936 to 1939, an autonomous Basque state was established by the Republican government, but the victory of the Nationalists under General Francisco Franco ended this regime. Agitation for re-establishment of Basque autonomy arose during the next three decades. The separatist movement grew dramatically in the 1970s, and many violent incidents occurred. Between 1979 and 1983 the Spanish government granted limited autonomy, including an elected parliament, to the Basque Country and 16 other regions. Since then, relations between the Basques and the central government have improved, though occasional terrorist acts were carried out by the military wing of the Basque separatist organization, ETA (Euzkadi ta Azkatasuna: “Basque Fatherland and Liberty”), which was formed in the 1950s. On March 22, 2006, ETA announced a permanent ceasefire, pledging to use the political process rather than violence to achieve its goals. However, in June 2007 it reversed the statement.