Figure 1.-- |
|
Navarre was an important medieval kingdom, but is one that is not well know today because it did not evolve into a modern kingdom. The territory of Navarre straddled parts of two modern nations, southern France and northern Spain. Navarre in ancient times was a part of the lands coverned by the Vascons. It resisted both Roman and Visigothic control as did the Basques. Navarre played an important part in the Reconquista. Under Sancho III, Navarre controlled most of Christian Spain as wll as land north of the Pyrenees. The kingdom was at times independaent and at other times linked dynativally with Aragon or France. After the Reconquista, Ferdinand the Catholic of Aragon (and regent of Castille), conquered Upper Navarre (Navarre south of the Pyrenees) and incorporated it into the developing unified Spain (1512). Navarre in many ways, however, retained its own destinctive charter. The five communities of Upper Navarre while incorporated into the Kingdom of Castile, but enjoyed considerable autonomy. King Henry of Navarre (Lower Navarre) rose as the leader of the French Hugenoughts (Protestants) in the French Religious Wars. He converted to Catholcism to end the Wars. He united Lower Navarre with France (1607). French Kings continued to call themselves Kings of France and Navarre. Gradually Navarre made a transition from kingdom to province in both Spain and France. Navarre was a traditional area od Spain. The population generally supported supported absolutism and Casrlism (19th century). Pamplona on the other hand was a hotbed of liberalism. Mavarre became a Spanish province (1841). It managed to retained many historic institutions provided in the local charter which survived the Spanish Civil War (1936-39).
Navarre in ancient times was a part of the lands coverned by the Vascons. It resisted both Roman and Visigothic control as did the Basques. The Vascons were a pre-Roman tribe who lived in the western Pyrenees along the southern slope and the coast of the Nay of Biscay. Control of the area gave them some importance because of the passes there. The Romans conquered the area (74 BC). The Vascons were never completely overwealmed, but Rome left a substantial influence. This included urbanization, language, and other matters.
The Romans made land grants to the Franks in Gaul. With the decline of the Roman Empire, the Franks established their political control. At the same time , the Franks were expanding their control of what is now France, the Lowlands and Germany. The Moors conquered most of the the Iberian Peninsula (712-18), but like the Visigoths were unable to gain full control of the northwest. They sent a small force across the Pyrenees, but were stopped by the Frankish war lord, Charles Martle at Tours (732). Tours was a relatively small battle, but one of the most important in European history. Had the Franks not stopped the Moors, they may have well gained control of Western Europe and extinguished the sureviving Christian kingdoms on the Iberian Peninsula. Gradually Frankish power grew and reached its peak under Charlemage. The Franks began to etend their authority across the Pyreness. They occupied several areas in the north and east of the Iberian Peninsula. Another area was Pamplona. It's not entirely clear just how significant the Frankish control of Pamplon was. Charlemagne demolished the walls of Pamplona 778). This lead to a classic devent in French history. The Basque tribes destroyed the Frankish rearguard, led by Roland, in a mountain passage--the Battle of Roncevaux. It is remembered in the epic, "Chanson de Roland". The Franks returned and took Pamplona again (806 and 812). It is at this time that the Franks created the Kindom of Catalonia (800).
The declining Roman Empire made land grants to both the Franks and Visigoths. Very little is know about the details of the relationship. After Rome fell, these two Germanic tribes fought for possession of territory. The Visigoths settled in southern Gaul as foederati of the Romans. As Roman power declined, the Visigoths became independent and set up their own kingdom with a capital at modern Toulouse. From their they expanded south across the Pyrenees into Hispania (the Iberian Peninsula). Here they displaced earlier Germanic tribes--the Vandals and Alans. The Franks to the north proved a more difficult challenge. The Franks under Clovis I defeated the Visigoths at the Battle of Vouillé (507). This drove them south accross the Pyreness excdept for the enclave of Septimania. The Visigoths in Ineria reduced the Byzantine province of Spania and the Suebic Kingdom of Galicia.
The Visigoths gained control of thev Iberian Peninsula, but were never able to fully control the western Pyrenees or other areas in northwest, although they mounted a series of military expeditions of varying success..
The Vascones , Basques and Gascons inhabited the area of what is now southern France and northwest Spain. These independent-minded people proved difficult for invaders to conquer. Visigothic military expeditions forced these peoples, especilly the Baaques into the mounaneoud Pyrenees, especially the Basques. At the same time, the Franks were mot yet in full control of the south (Gascony/Aquantania). This allowed the Basques to remain and independent people, although undervCharlemage the Franks established the Spanish marches.
After Charlemage's death the Frankish Kingdom declined and was eventually divided. Thus their control of the
outlying borderlands, in this case the Spanish msaches, declined. This led to a revived local automomy. A Vasconic dynasty gained control of Panplona. The Basque chieftain Íñigo Arista was chosen king of Pamplona (824). The kingdom was expanded both north and south by his successors. Over time the kingdom became known as Navarre.
Navarre was one of the several Christian kingdoms to emerge on the Iberian Peninsula after the Moorish conquest of Visigothic Spain (8th century). These kingdoms were able to develop in northern Spaon before the Moors were able to establish Islam there. Asturias prevented a total Moorish victory and evolved into León. Navarre and Catalonia also emerged. Castille broke off from León and Argaon from Navarre. These kingdoms at times joined to fight the Moors and other times fought wuth each other, sometimes with Moorish allies. Navarre originally spanned the Pyrenees with territiry both north and south. Navarre played an important role in the early phase of the Reconquista, but ecentually Castille and Aragon emerged as the two major Christian kindoms and completed the Reconquista.
Navarre played an important part in the Reconquista. Under Sancho III, Navarre controlled most of Christian Spain as wll as land north of the Pyrenees. The kingdom was at times independaent and at other times linked dynasically with Aragon and France.
Navarre developed out of the Kingdom Pamplona as the kihgdom expanded far beyond the narrow territory around Pamplona. The people of the kingdome included the Vascones, Basques and Gascons. The name "Navarre" originated from nava a common name for an extensive valley with relatively flat land surrounded by hills
"Navarra" began to appear in the historical record during the Visigotic kingdom (7th century).
The first documented king of Navarre was Sancho II Garces. He ruled from Pamplona as king of Navarre and count of Aragon (r. 970 to 994). Aragon at the time was a dependent county of the kingdom. The first documented use of the term "King of Navarre" occured when the king of Pamplona calling himself "King of Navarre" transferred the villa of Alastue to the monastery of San Juan de la Peña (987). [Jaime del Burgo] At about the same time we begin to see the term King of Aragon being used. Sancho and his successors raised Navarre to become an important power in northern Spain and significantly expanded the territory. His son Sancho III Mayor (the Great) married the heiress of the rising kingdom of Castile. This created a powerful state whicj could have led the Reconquista.
The kingdoms, however, divided once again on Sancho's death, among his sons Athough split from Navarre, a Navarrese line became the royal dynasty in Castile and Leon. Another Navarrese line ruled in Aragon.
Navarre alone consusted of: the modern Spanish province of Nacarre, the northern slope of the western Pyrenees (the ultra puertos
Alfonso VIII of Castile annexed the other two Basque provincesn (Biscay/Vizcaya) and Guipúzcoa. Tarazona continued in control of Aragon. The crown of Navarre as a result of marriage passed a series of French families (1234). Eventually the French monarchy was able to ckain Navarre. Aragon also had family connections amd contested this and claimed the rightful possession of Navarre.
The royal line of Navarre developed a close connection with the French royal line. The indigenous Vasconic dynasty died out. Navarre was then inherited by the counts of Champagne. An heiress, Jeanne, married King Philippe IV of France ( -1314). Jeanne became queen of France and this gave the French monarchy a claim to the crown of Navarre. When Queem Jeanne died (1304), her eldest son Louis became king of Navarre. When her husband Philippe IV died, Louis became Louis X, king of France and Navarre. He put arms on his seal. Louis X died (1316). He left a daughter by his first marriage, Jeanne, and a pregnant widow, but no male heir. His posthumous child, a son, died after only a few days. Thus Louis X's brother Philippe became king of France and of Navarre. On Philippe's death he left only daughtwes as heirs. Thus both crowns passed to his brother Charles IV (r. 1322-28), who also died without a male heir (1328). Charles was the last brother and ended the direct line of the Capetian dynasty. The crown of France was inherited by Philip VI. This left the succession in Navarre in doubt. While the French ruled out female secession, the Navarrese did not. The daughter of Louis X, Jeanne, was an adult woman married d to Philippe d'Évreux, second prince of the blood after the count of Valois and a powerful French nobel. Philip VI sid not wantvto lose the Navarrese crown, but the Navarrese contested the succession acts of 1316 and 1322. They recognized Jeanne as their queen. King Philip could not very well argue a legal ckaim since Navarre had been inherited by the French crown through womem. Thus the two kingdoms separated. The Évreux family became the Navarre royal family. The crown of Navarre passed by marriage to Aragon (1425), Foix (1480), and finally to Albret.
It is at this time that King Ferdinand of Aragon (and controlling gthe rest of Spain) conquered the portion of Navarre south of the Pyrenees (1512). From this pount the history of Navarre becomes more closely associated with Spain and France.
After the Reconquista, Ferdinand the Catholic of Aragon (and regent of Castille), conquered Upper Navarre (Navarre south of the Pyrenees) from the Alberts. This was most of the kingdom as the territory north of the Pyreness was relatively small. Ferdinand incorporated southern Navarre into the developing unified Spain (1512). Navarre in many ways, however, retained its own destinctive charter. The five communities of Upper Navarre while incorporated into the Kingdom of Castile, but enjoyed considerable autonomy. Gradually Navarre made a transition from kingdom to province in both Spain. Navarre was a traditional area of Spain. The population generally supported supported absolutism and Casrlism (19th century). Pamplona on the other hand was a hotbed of liberalism. Mavarre became a Spanish province (1841). It managed to retained many historic institutions provided in the local charter which survived the Spanish Civil War (1936-39).
King Ferdinand seized southern Navarre (1512). This made Navarre which had formally straddeled the Pyrenees essentially a French kingdom. Navarre had earlierbeen joined dynastically with France. And as a result of these connections. King Henri of Navarre had a striong clsin to the French crown. Henri IV had became king of Navarre by right of his mother Jeanne d'Albret (1572). He had the best claim to the French crown through his father (1589). The problem for Henri was that he was a Protestant and France was in the middle of a bloody religious war. His claim to the throne was challenged because he was a Protestant. He rose as the leader of the French Hugenoughts (Protestants) in the French Religious Wars. He achieved major military victories, but was prevented by Soaon from entering Paris. He ultimately converted to Catholcism to end the Wars. He formally united Lower Navarre with France (1607). Subsequent French Kings continued to call themselves Kings of France and Navarre.
Jaime del Burgo, The Historia General de Navarra
Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site royal pages:
[Return to the Main Iberian kingdoms page]
[Return to the Maim Spain royalty page]
[Return to the Main royalty page]
[Austria]
[Belgium]
[Denmark]
[France]
[Germany]
[Italy]
[Italy]
[Luxemburg]
[Monaco]
[Netherlands]
[Norway]
[Romania]
[Russia]
[Sweden]
[United Kingdom]
[Yugoslavia]