Essential Spain
+44 118 971 4700

Search for a Hotel Anywhere

Town, Postcode, Attraction

-- Country -- UK England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland Republic of Ireland -------------------------------------- Andorra Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Barbados Belgium Belize Bosnia and Herzegovina Brazil Bulgaria Cambodia Canada Chile China Colombia Costa Rica Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt England Estonia Fiji Finland France Gambia, The Germany Greece Guatemala Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Israel Italy Jamaica Jordan Kuwait Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Malaysia Maldives Malta Martinique Mauritius Mexico Montenegro Morocco Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Zealand Northern Ireland Norway Oman Panama Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Qatar Republic of Ireland Romania Russia Saint Lucia Samoa San Marino Scotland Serbia Singapore Slovakia Slovenia South Africa South Korea Spain Sweden Switzerland Tanzania Thailand Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey United Arab Emirates USA Vietnam Wales Zambia

-- No. of nights -- 1 Night 2 Nights 3 Nights 4 Nights 5 Nights 6 Nights 7 Nights

-- Room Sleeps -- 1 person 2 people 2 + 1 child 2 + 2 children 2 + 3 children 3 people 4 people 5 people 6 people 7 people

Search This Site

Navarre History

Navarre was part of the original traditional territory of Vascones until it was conquered by the mighty Romans in 74 BC who inevitably left their mark on the area. After the Roman Empire collapsed the Visigoths and the Moors failed to take control of the area, despite its strategic importance as a route through the Pyrenees into the rest of Europe.

The Franks did manage to take some control of the area and there was a series of battles that took place in the region from 778. Further, in 806 and 812 Pamplona fell into Frankish hands. By 824 a new chief called Iñigo Arista was chosen as King of Pamplona which subsequently paved the way for the installation of the Kingdom of Navarre. Later, in 905, the dynasty was overthrown by the neighbouring regions and the new rulers fought south against the Moors and were particularly successful.
The reign of Sancho III of Navarre saw the peak of the Kingdom of Navarre’s history; its lands covered parts of today’s Navarre, the Basque Country, La Rioja, Cantabria, Castile and Leon and Aragon. As with so many other parts of Spain when the king died the land was split among his sons and so this was the case after the death of Sancho which marked a period of annexations, battles and restoration.

The Middle Ages generally saw a time of reform and building through the reigns of several kings. However, in 1513 Navarre was incorporated into the rest of the unified Spanish Kingdom. An oath was agreed in the same year to ensure a respect for Navarrese law, although this didn’t happen in practice. A series of liberation attempts ensued, some of which came close to re-establishing the old system. The northern part of Navarre did remain independent and in 1620 was officially incorporated into France.

In the 20th century Civil War between the government and Franco’s troops Navarre was loyal to the nationalist dictator and so he rewarded them by allowing them to maintain their charters outlining their plans for self-rule. After Franco’s death a new constitution paved the way for Spain’s regions to enjoy self-government and this was promptly carried out in 1982.

©e-travelguide.info 2003 - 2010