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The Basque ''jaurerriak'' or ''señoríos'' (literally, the Basque lordships) were a series of feudal territories that came into existence in the Basque Country in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

. The lordships were hereditary land titles over territories of variable size under the name of a lord or count. The title and lands were often recognized by kings to

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

chieftains. It is loosely related to the concept of

manorialism Manorialism, also known as the manor system or manorial system, was the method of land ownership (or "tenure") in parts of Europe, notably France and later England, during the Middle Ages. Its defining features included a large, sometimes forti ...

as the king had to swear allegiance to the Foral law in exchange for military assistance from the Basque chiefs, who were considered sovereign over their own lands and people. The Basque señoríos generally conformed

vassal states A vassal state is any state that has a mutual obligation to a superior state or empire, in a status similar to that of a vassal in the feudal system in medieval Europe. Vassal states were common among the empires of the Near East, dating back to t ...

of larger kingdoms; most of them started as domains of the

Kingdom of Pamplona 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 ...

(later Navarre) but were conquered and attached to the

Kingdom of Castile The Kingdom of Castile (; es, Reino de Castilla, la, Regnum Castellae) was a large and powerful state on the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages. Its name comes from the host of castles constructed in the region. It began in the 9th cent ...

by the 13th century. The

term ''jaurreria'' (pronounced ) means "the lord's country" and it is usually used to refer to these feudal territories. The feudal title confirmed considerable powers to the holder, which in other areas were directly controlled by the king. The ''Lord'' or ''Count'' was a sovereign judicial and military high authority, who ruled directly without referring to a king. The powers of the lord included the appointment of government and civil servants and collection of taxes, as well as the powers to sign external treaties, raise armies and wage wars. The largest and most important of the ''señoríos'' was the

Lordship of Biscay The Lordship of Biscay ( es, Señorío de Vizcaya, Basque: ''Bizkaiko jaurerria'') was a region under feudal rule in the region of Biscay in the Iberian Peninsula between 1040 and 1876, ruled by a political figure known as the Lord of Biscay. On ...

, which comprised the entire territory of the present-day province of

Biscay Biscay (; eu, Bizkaia ; es, Vizcaya ) is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lordship of Biscay, lying on the south shore of the eponymous bay. The capital and largest city is Bilbao. B ...

''Señoríos''

Lordship of Biscay

The Lordship of Biscay was a feudal territory comprising the present-day province of

. It was ruled by the

Lord of Biscay The Lordship of Biscay ( es, Señorío de Vizcaya, Basque: ''Bizkaiko jaurerria'') was a region under feudal rule in the region of Biscay in the Iberian Peninsula between 1040 and 1876, ruled by a political figure known as the Lord of Biscay. On ...

. It was the largest and most powerful of the Basque señoríos, and acted as a semi-autonomous territory with its own naval ensign and international consulates from the 11th century until its dissolution in 1876. The Lordship was first a vassal state of the

, but starting in the 13th century it was conquered and later annexed by the Kingdom of Castile. The

House of Haro The House of Haro was one of the most powerful families of Castile during the Middle Ages and strongly supported the expansionist policies of Alfonso VI of Castile. As a reward, Íñigo López was named the first Lord of Biscay. In the early 16t ...

were the bearers of the title after the Castilian conquest and until 1379, when

John I of Castile John I ( es, Juan I; 24 August 1358 – 9 October 1390) was King of Castile and León from 1379 until 1390. He was the son of Henry II and of his wife Juana Manuel of Castile. Biography His first marriage, to Eleanor of Aragon on 18 June 137 ...

inherited the title and lands. The Lordship was integrated by three constituent lands: * The ''Lur Laua'' or ''Tierra Llana'' (meaning "flat land"), referred to the non-fortified towns and villages of Biscay, which were organised in

elizate An (), ( es, anteiglesia) is an early form of local government in the Basque Country which was particularly common in Biscay but also existed in the other provinces. The terms (in Standard Basque) and (in Biscayan) literally translate as "chu ...

s. * The Enkarterri, a historical region west of the river

Nervión , name_etymology = , image = Nervion.jpg , image_size = 300px , image_caption = River Nervion with Zubizuri footbridge. , map = , map_size = , map_caption = , pushpin_map ...

. * The

County of Durango The County of Durango ( eu, Durangoko Merinaldea), also known as ''Land of Durango'' and ''Merindad of Durango'', was the ancient political administration of the territory that is now known as Durangaldea, in the Basque region of Biscay. This poli ...

, comprising a previously autonomous county who was eventually integrated into the Lordship.

Lordship of Gipuzkoa

A feudal territory comprising most of the present-day province of

Gipuzkoa Gipuzkoa (, , ; es, Guipúzcoa ; french: Guipuscoa) is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the autonomous community of the Basque Country. Its capital city is Donostia-San Sebastián. Gipuzkoa shares borders with the French depa ...

. It was annexed by Alfonso VIII of Castile to the Kingdom of Castile in the year 1200.

County of Álava

The County of Álava comprised most of the present-day province of

Álava Álava ( in Spanish) or Araba (), officially Araba/Álava, is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lordship of Álava, former medieval Catholic bishopric and now Latin titular see. Its c ...

from its consolidation in the 9th century until its dissolution in the year 1200 after being conquered by Alfonso VIII and annexed to the Kingdom of Castile. The county changed hands frequently, being controlled by the kingdoms of Asturias, Castile and Navarre at different times. The figure governing the County had the title of Count of Álava.

Lordship of Oñate

The smallest of the Basque señoríos, it comprised the territory surrounding the fortified city of

Oñati Oñati ( eu, Oñati, es, Oñate) is a town located in the province of Gipuzkoa, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country, in the north of Spain. It has a population of approximately 10,500 and lies in a valley in the center of the Basqu ...

, in present-day Gipuzkoa. The lordship was originally awarded by the Navarrese monarchs to the members of the House of Guevara, who all originated in the village with the same name in Álava. As such, the lordship had strong links with the

, but also with the County of Álava. The lordship was conquered by Castile circa the year 1200, but the titles were ratified by the

Catholic Monarchs The Catholic Monarchs were Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon, whose marriage and joint rule marked the ''de facto'' unification of Spain. They were both from the House of Trastámara and were second cousins, being bot ...

to the Guevara family in the year 1481. The lordship was dissolved in 1845, when Oñati was finally integrated into the province of Gipuzkoa.

References

*Kasper, M. ''Baskische Geschichte'' Primus: 1997
Foundation for Medieval Genealogy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Basque senorios Basque culture Basque history Politics of Spain ca:Senyoriu de Biscaia es:Señorío de Vizcaya eu:Bizkaiko jaurerria fr:Seigneurie de Biscaye gl:Señorío de Biscaia pt:Senhorio de Biscaia