1931: Originally planned for Pamplona, the Assembly of the Basque Municipalities is held in Estella to discuss the Basque Statute of Autonomy. The meeting was a great success. The Assembly — representing Araba, Bizkaia, Gipuzkoa, and Nafarroa — approved the draft of the Basque Statute of Autonomy prepared by the Society of Basque Studies. From […]
1555: Henry II, king of Nafarroa, dies. His father, John III or Jean d’Albret, had been defeated in 1512 by Ferdinand II of Aragon, both of whom had claimed the throne of Nafarroa. After that defeated, that portion of Nafarroa south fo the Pyrenees was annexed by Ferdinand while what became Nafarroa Beherea stayed in […]
1634: In the early morning, six rebels involved in the Salt Uprising, riots in Bizkaia protesting a salt tax imposed by Philip IV, are arrested, including their leader Juan de Larrabaster. They are tried and executed that same day. The salt tax had greatly affected the cod trade, of great importance to Bizkaia. 1872: The […]
1453: After being imprisoned for more than two years after his defeat in his quest to claim his throne from his father, Charles IV of Nafarroa is set free after his father, John II, is pressured by deputies of the Kingdom of Aragon. Charles tries again to claim his throne and is again defeated and […]
1118: The forces of Alfonso the Battler, King of Aragon and Nafarroa, besiege Zaragoza in an effort to reconquer the city from the Moors. After a siege of nine months, the city falls to Alfonso, who promptly makes Zaragoza the capital of Aragon. 1809: Mariano Renovales Revollar, soldier from Bizkaia, organizes a guerrilla campaign in […]
1922: Jacinto Etxenagusia races against the Franco-Belgian Leon De Nys along the famous 13 kilometer Zarauz-Aia route, the setting for countless numbers of wagers. Etxenagusia had earlier beat Vicente Erro, who had covered the Tolosa-Pamplona-Tolosa course, 125 kilometers, in just over 15 hours. However, De Nys was a professional runner with excellent times on the […]
Unfortunately, I’ve been too swamped with work to keep up with the Today in Basque History articles. I’ll do them as I get a chance, and hopefully fill in missing days in future years. If anyone would like to assist me in this endeavor, please feel free to contact me. 1364: The Battle of Cocherel […]
1407: Pedro II López de Ayala, politician and writer born in Vitoria, dies in Calahorra. He originally supported Pedro of Castille in his claim to the throne before switching sides to support the pretender to the throne, Henry of Trastamara. He fought with Henry at the Battle of Najera (Navarette) in 1367 and was captured […]
1367: The Battle of Nájera, also known as the Battle of Navarrete, is fought between an Anglo-Gascon army and Franco-Castilian forces near Nájera, in the province of La Rioja. The English are led by Edward, the Black Prince, and John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, allied with Pedro of Castile (called “The Cruel”) against his […]
1513: An agreement is signed between Ferdinand the Catholic and Louis XII of France. Mistakenly referred to as the Truce of Orthez, Louis XII agrees to abandon the cause of the dethroned king of Nafarroa Juan de Albret. Ferdinand the Catholic orders the Marquis of Comares to occupy all of Behe-Nafarroa. 1939: General Franco officially […]
