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Jarod Taylor
Mrs. Sutliff
4
th
hour English
5/13/14
The History of the Basque People

The Basques are a proud group of people, living in northern Spain, with strong ideals of Independence.
The origin of the Basque people is unknown, and their native language, Euskera, shares no common
roots with any language in Europe. (bibliotecapleyades.net)They have been invaded many times
throughout history, but have turned back invaders again and again.
While there are several theories as to where they came from, the origin of the Basque people is
unknown. Much of their history is unknown before the Roman Empire. While many languages in Europe
share similarities, such as French and Spanish, Euskera shares no ties to any other language. The genetic
trait, Rh-, which can cause pregnancy problems, is common in Europe, but the Basque people have the
highest concentration of it worldwide. The Basque people are also renowned as skilled sea-farers. Not
only did the use of the rudder in Europe start with them, many Basques were part of Christopher
Columbus crew. (bibliotecapleyades.net) In Ferdinand Magellans ill-fated trip around the world, Juan
Sebastian Elcano, a Basque born man eventually took charge after Magellans death and finished the trip
back to Spain.( usa-people-search.com)

Originally, the land of the Basques was divided between France and Spain, with the majority of
the Basques inhabited the Spanish side. They feel no ties to either nation, and have a strong sense of
Basque nationalism. Until the French Revolution, where privileges such as self government from
Frances old government were abolished, the Basque people were practically an independent nation-
state. Basque country was eventually given over to Spain after the War of the Pyrenees. The Basque
region did not gain independent governing rights until the Spanish Civil War was underway.
(bibliotecapleyades.net)

When the war broke out, The Basque people sided with the Spanish Republicans, hopeful to
keep their rights. Many opinions formed of the Basque people during this time period. Francisco Franco,
leader of the rebels, hated the Basque for their ideals of independence. George Lowther Steer, a
correspondent for The Times sent to Spain to cover the war, felt as is the Basques struggle symbolized
The best elements of the fight against Fascism (Preston). The Bizkaian (Basque-ian) town of Guernica
was bombed during this war, by the German Condor legion, practicing a new form of warfare called

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blitzkrieg. This resulted in mostly civilian deaths, heavily damaging the morale of the troops on that side.
Eventually, the government fell, replaced by the leader of the rebels, Francisco Franco, as dictator.
(Schweimler)

The Basque people were heavily oppressed during this time period. Franco believed in uniting all
of Spains people under one flag, quashing out sub-cultures. During this time period, a group called the
Euskadi ta Askatasuna , or Basque Homeland and Liberty, known as the E.T.A for short. emerged to
combat Franco. After Francos reign fell, the new Spanish government eventually granted autonomy
back to the Basque region. The E.T.A is still fighting to this day, attempting to gain full independence for
the Basque people. Their actions shifted many peoples views of them from war heroes fighting against
tyranny to a group of terrorists. A cease fire for the E.T.A. was only just declared by its leader in January,
2011. While no violence has occurred associated with the E.T.A since this ceasefire, the future of the
slef-governing Basque region is still unclear. (Schweimler)