Soule ( Basque: Zuberoa; Zuberoan/ Soule Basque: Xiberoa or Xiberua; Occitan: ''Sola'') is a former viscounty and

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

province and part of the present-day Pyrénées-Atlantiques '' département''. It is divided into two cantons of the arrondissement (district) of Oloron-Sainte-Marie (Mauleon-Licharre and Tardets-Sorholus), and a part of the canton of Saint Palais (arrondissement of

Bayonne Bayonne (; eu, Baiona ; oc, label= Gascon, Baiona ; es, Bayona) is a city in Southwestern France near the Spanish border. It is a commune and one of two subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine re ...

). Its provincial capital is Mauléon, which fused with Licharre in 1841 to form " Mauléon-Licharre", but today is often known as "Mauléon-Soule". Historically, Soule is the smallest province of the

Basque Country Basque Country may refer to: * Basque Country (autonomous community), as used in Spain ( es, País Vasco, link=no), also called , an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain (shown in pink on the map) * French Basque Country o ...

(785 km²; 303 sq. mi.). Its population has been decreasing (23,803 in 1901; 16,006 in 1990; 15,535 in 1999).

Etymology

The territory is named ''Xiberoa'' in

Souletin Basque Souletin or Zuberoan ( eu, Zuberera) is the Basque dialect spoken in Soule, France. Souletin is marked by influences from Occitan (in particular the Béarnese dialect), especially in the lexicon. Another distinct characteristic is the use of v ...

, ''Zuberoa'' in

standard Basque Standard Basque ( eu, euskara batua or simply ''batua'') is a standardised version of the Basque language, developed by the Basque Language Academy in the late 1960s, which nowadays is the most widely and commonly spoken Basque-language version ...

, ''Sola'' in Gascon and ''Soule'' in

; all of them derivate from ''Subola'', previous name of the region attested for the first time in the year 635 in the diaries of a Franco-Burgundian expedition led by Duke Arnebert against the

Basques The Basques ( or ; eu, euskaldunak ; es, vascos ; french: basques ) are a Southwestern European ethnic group, characterised by the Basque language, a common culture and shared genetic ancestry to the ancient Vascones and Aquitanians. Bas ...

. ''Subola'' comes from the name the Romans gave to the

Aquitani The Aquitani were a tribe that lived in the region between the Pyrenees, the Atlantic ocean, and the Garonne, in present-day southwestern France in the 1st century BCE. The Romans dubbed this region ''Gallia Aquitania''. Classical authors such a ...

tribe that inhabited the region by the time of their arrival, the

Suburates The Suburates (also named ''Sibulates'') were a pre-Roman tribe of the Aquitani, settled in what today is the historical territory of Soule (in Basque ''Xiberoa''), in the Northern Basque Country. From their name come the French and Occitan name f ...

, also called ''Sibusates'' by

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, and ...

in his '' Commentarii de Bello Gallico'' and ''Sybillates'' by Pliny the Elder.Jacques Lemoine, ''Toponymie du Pays Basque Français et des Pays de l'Adour'', Picard 1977,

History

Soule has been continuously inhabited since the last glaciation. There are several deposits from the neolithic as well as fifteen protohistoric settlements. The first text written in Soule dates from the 7th century.

Ancient Soule

The territory was already inhabited in the

Middle Paleolithic The Middle Paleolithic (or Middle Palaeolithic) is the second subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe, Africa and Asia. The term Middle Stone Age is used as an equivalent or a synonym for the Middle Paleoli ...

; Neanderthal prehistoric settlements have been found in the caves of Xaxixiloaga in Aussurucq and Etxeberri. At the end of the Neolithic the population had extended and assimilated knowledge from other peoples. There are protohistoric settlements that show a simple material life and a lifestyle dominated by migration. Rests of coins and other monetary artifacts have been found, proving the existence of an exchange economy in Soule, which very likely worked as an access point between Aquitaine— Novempopulania—in the north and the southern side of the Pyrenees. At the time of the Roman arrival in the 1st century, Soule was inhabited by an

tribe named

, who spoke the

Aquitanian language The Aquitanian language was the language of the ancient Aquitani, spoken on both sides of the western Pyrenees in ancient Aquitaine (approximately between the Pyrenees and the Garonne, in the region later known as Gascony) and in the areas south ...

(a form of Proto-Basque). As with other peoples in Aquitaine, the Romans had a somewhat important influence in the territory, although Soule kept its language and culture and was relatively unimportant during the times of the Roman Empire, due to its isolation. The only evidence of Roman influence in Soule exists in the chapelle of the Madeleine, in

Tardets Tardets-Sorholus (; eu, Atharratze-Sorholüze)ATHARRATZE-SORHOLÜZE

. Soule is first mentioned as a territory in a text from the 7th Century. In 636 (or 635) the Frankish army led by the Duke Arembert was ambushed and defeated by the Basques in a place named "vallis subola". This valley is then included in the territory of the "''Wascones''" ( Duchy of Vasconia), which included intermittently lands to either side of the western and central Pyrenees. It was later referred to as

Gascony Gascony (; french: Gascogne ; oc, Gasconha ; eu, Gaskoinia) was a province of the southwestern Kingdom of France that succeeded the Duchy of Gascony (602–1453). From the 17th century until the French Revolution (1789–1799), it was part o ...

Middle Ages

The region of Soule may have developed a primeval political structure before the 11th century with a strong influence of the Kingdom of Pamplona, established in the year 824. However, it would be in 1023 when Sancho VI Duke of Gascony would name Guillaume Fort as first Viscount of Soule. His descendants would inherit the title for around two centuries. The Viscounts of Soule had their base in the fortress of Mauléon, a strategic region that controlled the pass from Aquitaine to the Iberian peninsula. The viscounts of Soule took advantage of their territory. Despite being small in size, it held a strategic position between the

Kingdom of Navarre The Kingdom of Navarre (; , , , ), originally the Kingdom of Pamplona (), was a Basque kingdom that occupied lands on both sides of the western Pyrenees, alongside the Atlantic Ocean between present-day Spain and France. The medieval state took ...

to the south and the Duchy of Aquitaine to the north. In the year 1152 Eleanor of Aquitaine married Henry II of England, thus the Duchy of Aquitaine joined the Crown of England. In 1261, after ten years of conflict, the last viscount of Soule, Auger III, surrendered the castle of Mauléon to Edward I of England, and as a result the territory of Soule was administered by the crown of England. At this time the current network of roads between the Souletin villages was constructed.

Soule under English rule

The English Soule was under direct authority of the Duke of Aquitaine, who was also the King of England. Control over the territory was delegated to a lord, who kept the castle of Mauléon and collected the taxes. The lord of Soule had fourteen captains, of whom only one was English, the rest being either locally-born or Gascons. The ex-viscount Auger III allied with the

, and taking advantage of the war between

Philip IV Philip IV may refer to: * Philip IV of Macedon (died 297 BC) * Philip IV of France (1268–1314), Avignon Papacy * Philip IV of Burgundy or Philip I of Castile (1478–1506) * Philip IV, Count of Nassau-Weilburg (1542–1602) * Philip IV of Spain ...

, king of Navarre, and Edward I of England, retook his fortress at Mauléon in 1295, but he was forced to hand it back after Aquitaine was formally declared English in 1303. The

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French Crown, ...

kept Soule isolated from the exterior for many years. Finally, in 1449, an army led by Gaston IV, the Count of Foix and Viscount of Béarn, took possession of the castle in the name of the French king ending the English presence in Soule.

Modern Period

Soule under French rule

In the mid 15th century, Soule finally recognizes the

King of France France was ruled by monarchs from the establishment of the Kingdom of West Francia in 843 until the end of the Second French Empire in 1870, with several interruptions. Classical French historiography usually regards Clovis I () as the first ...

as its own, with the Basque district becoming the smallest province and exclave of the kingdom and the most distant from the centre of power, Paris. It came to be surrounded by the sovereign

on the south and west and the independent principality of Viscounty of Béarn on the east. In 1511, King Francis I of France urged the Souletins to set down their institutional and legal framework on paper, which they did in Bearnese, the administrative written language up to that point. In 1539, an amendment to their region specific laws went on to be written in French, the new official language as decreed by King Francis I. Despite numbering more than fifty towns and villages, Soule was populated by fewer than 4,000 people. The only town was Mauléon, with a population totalling fewer than 350 people. As of 1512, given its proximity to France and its particular geographic situation surrounded by the Kingdom of Navarre-Bearn and the recently invaded Navarre to the south, Soule became ensnared in the political, religious and military manoeuvres derived from its shaky position, with the French Wars of Religion affecting the province tremendously.

The end of home rule

The province of Soule relied largely on the commons set on the highlands and lowlands of the valley for the use of local farmers and shepherds. However, they were also coveted by local and alien lords with estate grants on Soule. By the mid 17th century and in the context of the Treaty of the Pyrenees, anger spread like fire among common Souletins at the aristocracy's takeover of lands and the curtailment of their legal and institutional sovereignty. In 1661, a widespread rebellion erupted led by the priest Bernard Goihenetche 'Matalaz', but was harshly suppressed by an army sent over from Gascony. Still Soule managed to retain many native laws and institutions, with its representatives attending the Parliament of Navarre and Béarn (six deputies, two for each estate). The representatives of Soule in the National Costituent Assembly held in Paris (August 1789) voted against the suppression of the French provinces and the establishment of a new administrative arrangement that wiped out the existence of their native order, giving way to the ''départément'' system. Attempts by the Basque deputies in Paris to create a Basque department failed, their districts merged with

Béarn The Béarn (; ; oc, Bearn or ''Biarn''; eu, Bearno or ''Biarno''; or ''Bearnia'') is one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in southwest France. Along with the three Bas ...

among protests of the Basque representatives, and even Soule was divided into two cantons. After the end of the First Carlist War in Spain and the relocation of customs to the Pyrenees from the Ebro (1841), trade with

Navarre Navarre (; es, Navarra ; eu, Nafarroa ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre ( es, Comunidad Foral de Navarra, links=no ; eu, Nafarroako Foru Komunitatea, links=no ), is a foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, ...

collapsed. In the late 19th century, the establishment of espadrille factories in Mauleón made up for the decay of economic life and emigration, with a number of inhabitants in Navarre and Aragón pouring in and being recruited on the workforce.

Geography

Soule is located in the northern basin of the western Pyrenees, and is the smallest of the Basque region. It is surrounded by Lower Navarre on the west,

on the south,

on the east and north. Along with

Labourd Labourd ( eu, Lapurdi; la, Lapurdum; Gascon: ''Labord'') is a former French province and part of the present-day Pyrénées Atlantiques ''département''. It is one of the traditional Basque provinces, and identified as one of the territorial c ...

and Lower Navarre, it forms the

Northern Basque Country The French Basque Country, or Northern Basque Country ( eu, Iparralde (), french: Pays basque, es, País Vasco francés) is a region lying on the west of the French department of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. Since 1 January 2017, it constitu ...

, also known as French Basque Country or ''Pays basque''. Its entire territory extends around the axis provided by the river Saison, known in Basque as Uhaitza, that flows from south to north until it joins the river Oloron, that works as a border between Soule and Béarn. Soule includes three geographical regions: the lowlands at north on a territory known as ''Pettara'' or Lower Soule, a forest region known as ''Arbaila'' and the highlands at south, in a region named ''Basabürüa'' with a highest peak at 2,017 meters (6617') at the Pic d'Orhy.

Orography

Soule's orography divides into three regions: the northern lowlands, made up by extensive plains; the central region, which is fairly hilly and the southern highlands, which are part of the northwestern Pyrenees, with altitudes reaching up to 2,017 meters (6617') above sea level at the Pic d'Orhy. In the Pyrenees, from west to east, the first peak is the Pic d'Orhy, above 2,000 meters (6600') and the fourth highest peak in the Basque Country after Iror Errege Maia and Euzkarre among others, all of them in Navarre. Also in the highlands are located the Otsogorrigaina (1,922 metres; 6305') and Sardekagaina (1,893 metres; 6210'), which are the second and third highest mountains in Soule. In total, there exist more than 20 peaks higher than 1,000 metres (3300').

Hydrography

The river Saison (known as Ühaitza in Souletin Basque) is the main river of Soule. It is 60 km (40 miles) long and originates at Licq, in the highlands region. Smaller rivers rising at the Pyrenees join the Saison before it converges with the river Oloron, together flowing into the river

Adour The Adour (; eu, Aturri; oc, Ador) is a river in southwestern France. It rises in High-Bigorre (Pyrenees), in the commune of Aspin-Aure, and flows into the Atlantic Ocean (Bay of Biscay) near Bayonne. It is long, of which the uppermost ca. i ...

Climate

The

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...

of Soule is generally warm and humid. The highlands and Pyrenees experience an alpine climate.

Demography

Soule is the province with the lowest population density of the Northern Basque Country, with 17 people per square kilometer (44 per sq. mi.). Soule has experienced a significant population decline since the 19th century; many people have emigrated to larger cities and regions outside the province, such as

and Paris. In the last century, Soule has lost more than three quarters of its population, which has caused the need for different municipalities to be merged in order to assure the maintenance of public services.

Largest cities

Administrative divisions

Traditionally, Soule has been divided into three geographical regions, each of which group a determinate number of municipalities or communes. *Pettarra, comprising the lower Soule, in the north. It includes the towns and villages of Ainharp, Aroue-Ithorots-Olhaïby,

Berrogain-Laruns Berrogain-Laruns ()BERROGAINE-LAHÜNTZE

, Domezain-Berraute, Espès-Undurein,

Etcharry Etcharry (; eu, Etxarri)ETXARRI

Gestas,

L'Hôpital-Saint-Blaise L'Hôpital-Saint-Blaise (; eu, Ospitalepea)OSPITALEPEA

, Lohitzun-Oyhercq, Mauléon-Licharre, Moncayolle-Larrory-Mendibieu, Osserain-Rivareyte, Viodos-Abense-de-Bas. *Arbaila, in the mid-lands. It is divided into two regions: ''Arbaila Txipia'' ("small Arbaila") and ''Arbaila Handia'' ("big Arbaila"). It includes the towns and villages of Aussurucq,

Garindein Garindein (; eu, Garindaine)GARINDAINE

, Gotein-Libarrenx, Idaux-Mendy, Menditte, Musculdy, Ordiarp, Ossas-Suhare, Pagolle,

Roquiague Roquiague (; eu, Arrokiaga)ARROKIAGA
Sauguis-Saint-Étienne. *Basabürua, comprising the highlands and Pyrenees. It is divided into two regions: ''Ibarresküin'' ("the right valley") and ''Ibarrezker'' ("the left valley"). It includes the towns and villages of Alçay-Alçabéhéty-Sunharette, Alos-Sibas-Abense, Barcus,

Camou-Cihigue Camou-Cihigue (; eu, Gamere-Zihiga)GAMERE-ZIHIGA
Esquiule,

Etchebar Etchebar (; eu, Etxebarre)ETXEBARRE
Haux, Lacarry-Arhan-Charritte-de-Haut,

Laguinge-Restoue Laguinge-Restoue (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques Departments of France, department in south-western France. It is located in the Provinces of France, historical province of Soule. See also *Communes of the Py ...

, Larrau, Lichans-Sunhar,

Licq-Athérey Licq-Athérey (; )LIGI-ATHEREI
Montory Montory (; eu, Montori; oc, Mondòri) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military ...

, Sainte-Engrâce, Tardets-Sorholus, Trois-Villes.Basabürüa (Zuberoa (-a))
Place names in the website of the Basque language academy. For administrative purposes, the communes of Soule are grouped into four cantons; the canton of Mauléon-Licharre, that includes 19 communes; the canton of Tardets-Sorholus, that includes 16 communes; the canton of Saint-Palais and the canton of Oloron.Jean-Louis Davant
«Errolda: zonbat züberotar?»

Culture

After decades of emigration and demographic, social and cultural decay, the territory is showing a strong determination to recover the lost vitality of centuries ago. Assorted cultural events linked to old traditions bear witness to that dynamism. Jokalariak melean

There is a tradition of folk musical theatre, the ''

pastoral A pastoral lifestyle is that of shepherds herding livestock around open areas of land according to seasons and the changing availability of water and pasture. It lends its name to a genre of literature, art, and music (pastorale) that depicts ...

'': the inhabitants of a village spend the year preparing and rehearsing the play and its dances. Traditionally, the subject of the play was Catholic, but recently pieces of Basque history are also presented. Another event akin to the pastoral beloved of the people of Soule is the '' maskaradas''. This theatrical performances are put on in many villages of Soule in carnival time through spring. Each year a specific village takes the responsibility of arranging a new performance. It consists of a music band in due carnival outfit surrounded with a group of set carnivalesque characters and dancers parading up and down the main street of the host village; at the end, they stage an informal play usually in the market place or handball court. Soule is also renowned for its singing tradition, elegant dances and local music instruments, such as '' xirula'' and ''

ttun-ttun The string drum or Tambourin de Béarn (in German) is a long rectangular box zither beaten with a mallet. It is paired with a one-handed flute (French: galoubet) with three finger holes, similar to a pipe and tabor. It has also been called tambou ...

''. These instruments are gaining new dynamism thanks to music schools founded to that end by local cultural activists.

Language

Soule's own language has been Basque for centuries, with the region featuring its own

Souletin Souletin or Zuberoan ( eu, Zuberera) is the Basque dialect spoken in Soule, France. Souletin is marked by influences from Occitan (in particular the Béarnese dialect), especially in the lexicon. Another distinct characteristic is the use of ...

dialect. At the same time, the neighbouring Béarnais (Gascon) has been widely understood, and in recent centuries even spoken as a

lingua franca A lingua franca (; ; for plurals see ), also known as a bridge language, common language, trade language, auxiliary language, vehicular language, or link language, is a language systematically used to make communication possible between groups ...

. However, both Basque and Béarnais have lost ground to

with both languages struggling to survive into the next generation. Basque is attested to have been widespread farther east of the territory into the Pyrenees in previous centuries. The inhabitants call non-Basque speaking foreigners ''Kaskoinak'', while other Basque speaking people (especially when referring to those of the French Basque Country) are dubbed ''Manexak'' after a commonplace sheep breed in the area.

References

External links

Official website of the community of Soule municipalities
{{Authority control Former provinces of France Basque