Last modified: 2000-01-21 by santiago dotor
Keywords: spain | basque country | pais vasco | euskadi | biscay | ikurriña | cross | cross: saltire (green) | cross: saint andrew (green) | coat of arms | iparralde | euskal herria |
Links: FOTW homepage |
search |
disclaimer and copyright |
write us |
mirrors
![[Basque Country (Spain)]](../images/es-pv.gif)
14:25
by Mark Sensen
See also:
Other sites:
Originally: In a field of 500 cm by 280 cm, the crosses had a width of 20 cm. Since 1936, with the same field, the crosses were enlarged to 43 cm width, to make them more visible, in particular the green one.
Xabier Ormaetxea, 9 July 1995
Last night CBC ran a special documentary on the Basque activities. Lots of scenes of the Ikurriña. In almost every view of it, the dimensions were considerably shorter than that shown above. I would guess it was generally 2:3, not the official nearly 1:2.
Rob Raeside, 7 April 1998
Historicaly the flag of Bizkaia was red. When Sabino Arana created the flag, he wanted to give it the meaning: Bizkaia (English Biscay, Spanish Vizcaya), independence and God, so the red color of the field means Biscay, the green St. Andrew's cross means the independence of the Basque Country, and it's green because it symbolizes the oak tree of Gernika, symbol of Basque freedom, as well. The white cross means God.
About the green St. Andrew's cross: in 867, there was a battle between the people of Biscay, commanded by Lope Fortzn (first lord of Biscay) and Sancho de Estigiz (lord of Durango) and Leonese King Ordoño II (son of Alfonso el Magno) in a place called Padura (or Arrigorriaga). This battle was on St. Andrew's day, and the stones of the place were stained of blood. Since that day, the place has been named Arrigorriaga (place of red stones). It is not clear whether this battle is historical or legendary, but St. Andrew's cross has been used often in Basque flags, like the one of the Consulate of Bilbao, the Naval flag of Biscay, and in some Carlist flags during the Carlist wars (1836-1876).
Xabier Ormaetxea, 9 August 1995 and Ismael Barba, 6 May 1998
![[Basque Country (Spain), Official Flag]](../images/es-pv_s.gif)
N.B. The official coat-of-arms has different colours and a plain red fourth quarter.
by Dave Martucci
On a news report a few hours ago about the Basque country (Societe Radio-Canada), there was an interview with the autonomous Basque Country's (Spain) president. Behind him was the Basque flag defaced in the center with a coat of arms. Of course, the flag was around a pole, so I wasn't able to fully see them. I could well distinguish the right part of the shield (the part in the fly), though. The shield was surrounded by green leaves that didn't touch at the top (laurel leaves?). The top of the right part of the shield consisted of a tree in natural colors (brown trunk and green leaves) with some other small details and the lower quarter was the Navarre arms (red with yellow chains crossed in a star-like pattern). Does anybody know if this flag is the presidential standard?
Luc-Vartan Baronian, 9 March 1998
My understanding is that most Spanish autonomical flags come in two versions: with and without the coat of arms of the respective autonomical community. The flag without coat of arms is intended for civil use, the other one for government use. So, that flag can be considered a "state" flag of the Basque Autonomous Community.
Jorge Candeias, 9 March 1998
The leaves are oak leaves, since the national symbol is the tree of Gernika which is an oak.
Mikel, 21 August 1999
The Basque flag was created in 1894 by Sabino Arana (founder of Basque nationalism), and the name of the flag is Ikurriña, although the meaning of this word is "flag". Actually, it is used only for the Basque flag: Basque people prefer to use the Spanish word bandera for the other flags when they are speaking in Basque.
The Ikurriña was created only for Bizkaia (Biscay, a region of Euskadi), but it became very popular and the rest of the Basque regions (4 in Spain and 3 in France) accepted it as the flag of the whole Euskadi. In the beginning only the Basque Nationalist Party (founded by Sabino Arana in 31 July 1895) used it, but during the 2nd Spanish Republic (1931-1939) all democratic parties accepted it. In 1936 the Basque Autonomous Government (whose Lehendakari -president- was José Antonio Agirre) was created, with representation of all the democratic parties, and the Ikurriña was declared by law the Basque flag. After the Spanish war, the dictatorship (1936-1975) declared the Ikurriña to be illegal, and it was totally forbidden and declared a separatist symbol. During the 2nd World War, there was a Basque brigade in the French free army, and the Ikurriña of the brigade was condecorated (because of the battle of Point de Grave, near Bordeaux). After the dictatorship and with the approval of the Basque Autonomous Community, the Ikurriña was declared again by law as the official Basque flag. In the Basque areas of France it has always been allowed and after the 2nd World War has been officially used in the town halls together with the French flag.
Xabier Ormaetxea, 9 August 1995
The Ikurriña celebrated its centenary on 14 July 1994. The Ikurriña is the symbol of the Basques of Euskadi (under Spanish rule), Iparralde (under French rule), Navarre (under Spanish-French rule) and foreign residents in America, Europe and Australia (the Ikurriña is in the flag of Saint Pierre and Miquelon). The flag was hoisted for the first time by the Arana Goiri brothers and 56 friends, in the nationalist house named "Euskaldun Batzokija" in Bilbao on 14 July 1894. This was a great event for the Basque people, who had no flag tradition.
Source: Alderdi, no 55 (publication of the Basque Nationalist Party).
Coat-of-arms charges are:
Dave Martucci, 7 March 1998
The ~Bat names (qv. Euskadi vs. Euskal Herria) identify Basque coats-of-arms as well as territories. The Zazpiak Bat consists of six quarters (representing seven territories):
The officially used Laurak Bat can be seen at the Basque Country Government Official Website. The fourth quarter is plain red, "waiting" for Navarre to incorporate to the autonomous community.
Santiago Dotor, 21 October 1998
This is another case of "wishful" or irredentist heraldry and/or vexillology. The historical Basque Country is made up of six provinces, divided between France and Spain since centuries ago. This coat-of-arms shows not only the arms of the three provinces composing the current Basque Country proper (Spanish autonomous region), but also those of Navarre, which is mostly in other Spanish autonomous region (Comunidad Foral de Navarra) and has a smaller part in France (Lower Navarre). I wonder why the arms of the two other parts of the french Basque Country (Lapurdi and Zuberoa) do not appear on this coat-of-arms. Santiago Dotor referred the void red quarter, meaning "Navarre is missing" in the Basque Autonomous Community coat-of-arms, another example of irredentist heraldry. So, the coat-of-arms referred by Dave Martucci must be some historical all-Basque arms.
António Martins, 21 October 1998
António Martins mentioned that the coat-of-arms referred by Dave Martucci might be the coat-of-arms of the Autonomous Government of the (Spanish) Basque Country 1936-1939, which was created shortly before the start of the Spanich Civil War and disappeared at its end.
Here is the Decreto of 19th October 1936 concerning the adoption of the coat-of-arms and flag by the Basque Provisional Government. Original text (someone to translate?):
EXPOSICION
El Gobierno Provisional de Euzkadi tiene entre sus funciones la de dotar a la entidad pública a quien representa, de los distintivos y emblemas que haya de utilizar el País Vasco en su vida oficial. Entre ellos han de figurar el emblema del Gobierno y la bandera o pabellón. ambos de uso uniforme y obligatorio, símbolos de esa nueva entidad surgida a la vida pública oficial con la promulgación del Estatuto de Autonomia aprobado en los términos previstos por la Constitución de la República Española de diciembre de 1931."Integran al presente el territorjo de Euzkadi, Araba, Gipuzkoa y Bizkaya, previéndose en el Estatuto la incorporación a ese territorio, de Nabara. Por esto el emblema del Gobierno de Euzkadi ha de contener, eliminando de él los atributos que significaban poderes monarquicos o señoriales, o simbolizaban luchas fratricidas de las tierras vascas, las armas de Araba, Gipuzkoa, Bizkaya y Nabara, en un solo blasón de cuatro cuarteles cercado por una corona de hojas de roble, recuerdo del arbol de las libertades vascas, de Gernika.
"La bandera ha de ser aquella en la que se ha recogido la unidad vasca y que el uso, cada vez más general por toda la extensión de las tierras vascas, ha sancionado como tai símbolo de la unidad de éstas, Formada por Arana-Goiri 'tar Sabin, creador del apelativo de Euzkadi y de su bandera, su descripción se hace constar en la parte dispositiva de este Decreto.
"Unánimemente, el Gobierno Provisional Vasco, elegido en la persona de su Presidente por sufragio de mandatarios designadas en elección popular, e integrado par todas aquellas fracciones políticas que luchan por las libertades en el País Vasco, ha aprobado, en consecuencia, la que se dispone en el presente.
DECRETO
"Art.° 1.°.-El emblema del Gobierna de Euzkadi consistirá en un escudo de cuatro cuarteles, circundado de una corona de hojas de roble e integrado por su orden, por las armas de Araba, Bizkaya, Gipuzkoa y Nabara, en sus propios colores, eliminando de ellas los atributos de institución monárquica o señorial y de luchas fratricidas entre vascos, y agregando los símbolos de su primitiva libertad según figura en el presente diseño."Art.° 2.°.-La bandera de Euzkadi llevará sobre fondo rojo bermellón, un aspa verde vivo y superpuesta una cruz blanca, las cuales llegarán respectivamente hasta los ángulos y los puntos medios de los lados de la bandera. La anchura de las bandas de estas figuras será de 0,43 metros cada una para un pabellón de cinco metros en horizontal y 2,80 metros en vertical, reduciéndose o ampliándose proporcionalmente las medidas según el tamaño total de la enseña.
"Art.° 3.° -Todas las Corporaciones y Centros Oficiales quedan obligados al empleo de estos distintivos como únicos que representan a Euzkadi, izándose la bandera descrita, en sus fachadas y en las de los edificios escolares, junto a la bandera de la Republica, en expresión de la legalidad vigente, los días en que se halle dispuesto el engalanamiento de los mismos.
"Dado en Bilbao, a 19 de octubre de 1936.
"El Presidente del Gobierno Provisional de Euzkadi".
José A. de Agire
António Martins also suggested it might be the initially proposed coat-of-arms for the Basque Autonomous Community (BAC), which was later rejected by a 1981 Constitutional Court sentence which said the arms of Navarre could not appear on the Basque coat-of-arms (at least until Navarre decides to join the BAC). It wasn't in 1981 that the Constitutional Court rejected the "Navarran coat of arms" out of the Basque coat of arms, but in 1985. It is the STC 94/1985 of 29th July. (Source: Boletín de Jurisprudencia Constitucional 52-53, Agosto-Septiembre 1985. Cortes Generales. Secretaría General del Congreso de los Diputados. Secretaria General del Senado. ISSN 0211-5921). The request of the Navarran governement was transmitted in 1982. The decision concerning the Navarran coat of arms is quite long (13 pages DIN A4). I cannot explain all but the judging was based on several points:
Pascal Vagnat, 24 October 1998
Here is the translated text of the 19th October 1936 Decree:
"STATEMENTI have always wondered why the quarters in the Basque Autonomous Community coat-of-arms are not exactly the same as the traditional coats-of-arms of the three provinces. These are the ones depicted here (wrong colours though) and show, for Guipúzcoa/Gipuzkoa, "a chief per pale gules, a king in his throne holding sword and sceptre all proper, and gules, twelve cannons or", for Álava/Araba "a bordure azure, with the motto Contra malhechores en aumento de la justicia [Against wrongdoers in defense of justice] or" and for Vizcaya/Bizkaia "two wolves passant sable carrying a fleece each", all of which are missing in the current official coat-of-arms. I realise now all of these may be "monarchical or lordly attributes".
The Provisional Government of Euzkadi has amongst its functions that of providing the public entity which it represents with the insignia and emblems that the Basque Country shall use in official life. Amongst them must be the Government's emblem and the flag or banner. Both of uniform and compulsory use, symbols of that new entity which emerged to public official life with the announcement of the Autonomy Act approved in the terms foreseen in the Constitution of the Spanish Republic of December, 1931."Presently the Euzkadi territory is integrated by Araba, Gipuzkoa and Bizkaya [sic], the incorporation of Nabara [sic] to that territory being foreseen in the Act. Thus the emblem of the Government of Euzkadi must contain, removing all attributes standing for monarchical or lordly powers or symbolizing fratricidal fights of the Basque lands, the arms of Araba, Gipuzkoa, Bizkaya and Nabara, in a single blazon of four quarters surrounded by a wreath of oak leaves, a reminder of the tree of the Basque freedoms, that of Gernika.
"The flag must be that which gathers Basque unity and which the use, ever more frequent in the Basque lands, has sanctioned as such symbol of their unity. Designed by Arana-Goirítar Sabin [sic - Sabino Arana, no idea why his name is after his surnames here], creator of the name of Euzkadi and of its flag, its description is stated in the provisions' part of this Decree.
"Unanimously, the Basque Provisional Government, elected in the person of its President by the suffrage of leaders designed in a popular vote, and integrated by all those political fractions which fight for freedom in the Basque Country, has approved, in consequence thereof, the one [flag] ordered in the present:
DECREE
"1st article.- The emblem of the Government of Euzkadi shall consist of a coat-of-arms with four quarters, surrounded by a wreath of oak leaves and integrated in their order by the arms of Araba, Bizkaya, Gipuzkoa and Nabara, in their own colours, eliminating from them all attributes of monarchical or lordly institutions and of fratricidal fights among Basques, and adding the symbols of its primitive freedom as it appears in the present design [a design accompanying the Decree?]."2nd. article.- The flag of Euzkadi shall carry, on a vermilion red field, a bright green saltire, and over it a white cross, which shall reach the corners and side centres, respectively, of the flag. The width of these figures shall be of 0.43 metres each for a flag of five metres by 2.80 metres, proportionally reducing or enlarging the measures according to the total size of the flag.
"3rd article.- All Corporations and Official Centres are hereforth compelled to use this symbols as the only representing Euzkadi, raising the described flag on their façades and in those of school buildings, jointly with the Republic's flag, as an expression of the acceptance of the current laws, in such days as it is compulsory to deck them [the buildings].
"Given in Bilbao [sic - not Bilbo], this 19th October 1936.
"The President of the Provisional Government of Euzkadi
"José A. de Agire" [sic - in Spanish it is Aguirre, in modern Basque Agirre]
Santiago Dotor, 28 October 1998
The coat of arms on official Basque Government flags no longer includes the arms of Navarre, following a legal suit from the Navarre Government (Navarre being an Autonomous Community, on the same legal footing as the Spanish Basque Country), who claimed that the usage of the arms of a region on the flag of another was illegal. The Constitutional Court (highest Court of Justice in Spain) agreed, and the Basque Government had to leave the 4th quarter empty, with a red background as had previously shown, but without the chains that stand for the ancient Kingdom of Navarre.
José Gabriel Barbero, 27 January 1999
Euskadi is the Basque name used for the Basque Autonomous Community (Comunidad Autónoma Vasca), whereas the whole of the Basque lands in France and Spain are referred to as Euskal Herria (which means 'Basque Country'). The three Basque territories within Spain (Vizcaya, Guipúzcoa and Álava) constitute the Basque Autonomous Community. In Spain there's also Navarre, a region which Basque nationalists want to incorporate into Euskadi, but whose people want to continue being a separate entity. In the Middle Ages the three Basque territories were part of the Kingdom of Navarre; they left Navarre to become part of Castile. So, Navarre is not the fourth land of Euskadi.
José María Sánchez Galera, 24 September 1998
Juanjo González told me that Basques also call the territory of the Basque Autonomous Community Hiruak Bat (three in one: Araba, Bizkaia, Gipuzkoa), when it includes Nafarroa it is called Laurak Bat (four in one) and when all territories are included Zazpiak Bat (seven in one, because this includes also Laburdi, Zuberoa and Upper Nafarroa) or Seirak Bat (six in one, [considering just a single, joint Nafarroa]).
Jaume Ollé, 16 October 1998
May I insist that Euzkadi and Euzkalherria mean different things to different individuals (like for example "Rome" centuries ago), even when those individuals belong to the same political group or party or have the same ethnic/linguistic origin. I suggest taking only the information in the Basque Country Government Official Website as authoritative. By the way, the ~Bat names identify Basque coats-of-arms as well as territories.
Santiago Dotor, 21 October 1998
This table illustrates the current divisions of the Basque Country, a perfect scenario for the motto "Divide and conquer":
| Historical province (herrialde) | Spanish Autonomous Community | Spanish province (provincial capital) |
Spain | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gipuzkoa | País Vasco / Euskadi Provincias Vascongadas (*1) |
Guipúzcoa / Gipuzkoa (San Sebastián / Donostia) |
|||
| Araba | Álava / Araba (Vitoria / Gasteiz) |
||||
| Bizkaia | Vizcaya / Bizkaia (Bilbao / Bilbo) |
||||
| Nafarroa (*4) | Navarra / Nafarroa | Navarra / Nafarroa (*2) (Pamplona / Iruñea) |
|||
| Pyrénées-Atlantiques (*3) | Bayonne | Basse Navarre / Behenafarroa (*4) (Donibane Garaz / St.Jean-Pied-de-Port) |
France | ||
| Lapurdi | Labourd / Lapurdi (Bayonne / Baiona) |
||||
| Zuberoa (*4) | Oloron - St. Marie | Soule / Zuberoa (*4) (Maule / Mauleón-Licharre) |
|||
| Historical province (herrialde) | French department | French arrondissement | Unofficial subdivisions of the French Basque Country (subdivisional capital) |
||
Notes:
António Martins and Santiago Dotor, 21 October 1998
The Basques have names for the "French" and the "Spanish" parts of their country: Iparralde (from Ipar, the North) for the "French" part; Hegoalde (from Hego, the South) for the "Spanish" part.
Joan-Francés Blanc, 8 July 1999
pv6q.gif){kind=link}