A new era
The invasion of the Kingdom of Navarre by the armies of Castile and
Aragon, begun in 1512, culminated in 1530 when the last pockets of
resistance were defeated at the battles of Noain and Maya/Amaiur. It
was a turning point for the Basque language, as the last independent
Basque-speaking territory on the peninsula fell in battle.
At the beginning of the sixteenth century, the impact of the cultural
renaissance being experienced elsewhere in Europe reached the
Basque lands. In the era of Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Bosch
and Luther, winds of cultural change were felt at the Navarrese
court in Pau and the Basque territories of Labourd (Lapurdi) and
Soule (Zuberoa). These developments were also expressed in the
Basque language; the Lazarraga manuscript, for example, is an
example of European Renaissance literature. During this period too,
the first texts were printed in Basque, marking the beginning of its
life as a written language.
89. Francis Xavier (1506-1552). Francis Xavier served as a Jesuit
missionary in the East Indies under the King of Portugal. After his
death he was canonised. The son of a noble family which had defended
the legitimacy of the Kingdom of Navarre, St. Francis Xavier
was a Basque speaker and in his honour, International Basque
Language Day is celebrated on his feast day, 3rd December. His original
name was Françesc de Jaxu, but he is known as de Xavier
because he was born in the castle of Xabier, a name which evolved
from Etxeberria (New House) to Etxaberri, Xaberri, Xabierre and
finally Xabier. 90. Castle of Xabier. 91. At this time, Basque was the majority language in Navarre.
Although pressure from Castilian Spanish relegated it to the rural
and family sphere, of 536 towns surveyed in Navarre in 1587, 453
were Basque-speaking. 92. Abaurrepea, Aezkoa Valley. 93. The Palace of Jauregizarrea in Arraiotz, Baztan has remained unchanged
in 1522, when it was altered after the battle of Amaiur. 94. At the Protestant court of Navarre in Pau. Jeanne d'Albret, daughter
of Henry II of Navarre and niece of King Francis I of France, reigned as
Queen Jeanne III of Navarre from 1555 to 1572. She protected Navarrese
independent from the French and Spanish crowns and her court
became a refuge for humanists and Reformers. It was here that the first
printed texts in Basque appeared. She professed the Calvinist faith,
which defended teaching in vernacular languages, and under her reign
schooling and religious teaching in Basque were encouraged. 95. Iesus Christ Gvre Iavnaren Testamentv Berria, is the Basque translation
of the New Testament by Joanes Leizarraga, commissioned by
Queen Jeanne III of Navarre. Like his queen, this priest (Beskoitze,
1506-1601) embraced Protestantism. He also wrote ABC edo
Christinoen instructionea and Kalendrera. The three books were
printed in La Rochelle in 1571. 96. Basques began to emigrate to the Americas from a very early
stage. As a result elements of Basque in local place names can be
traced back to the sixteenth century. The explorer Francisco de
Ibarra (Eibar, 1539 - Sinaloa, 1575) called a large area of Mexico
Nueva Vizcaya (New Biscay) and founded the town of Durango,
today the capital of the Mexican state of the same name. 97.Castle of Maule. 98. Linguae Vasconium Primitiae (Bordeaux, 1545) was the first book
printed in Basque. Its author was Bernart Etxepare, the parish priest
of Eiheralarre. The book contains a prose introduction and sixteen
poems on religious, political, romantic and autobiographic themes
and in praise of the Basque language. The author, who had ties to
the early humanists, kicked off a new era for Basque literature, with
the printing of a non-Romance vernacular tongue which had previously
had no scholarly tradition. 99. Basque began to acquire status and prestige. With works appearing
in print, the written language had to be properly developed.
And because it was also necessary to translate to and from Basque, borrowing from the resources and modisms of other languages:
learned expressions, Latinisms and neologisms also helped mark
different tiers among Basque speakers. For the first time there was
an awareness of the need for common spelling rules. 100. Manuscript by Lazarraga. The author, Juan Pérez de Lazarraga,
Lord of the Tower of Larrea (Barrundia, Alava), probably studied at
the University of Oñati, and wrote the text between 1564 and 1567.
Most of the text is in verse, and the rest is in the most common
genre of the period, the Renaissance pastoral novel. Found in 2004,
its discovery has sparked a reinterpretation of Basque literary history,
overturning the idea that Basque literature was essentially isolated
until the Modern Age. Lazarraga's language contains antiquated
forms, some which have since been lost, and it is written in the
now extinct dialect of North East Alava. Scholars have remarked on
the innovative use of prose and the first mention of the terms Euskal
Herria (Basque Country) and Araba (the province of Araba/Alava).
Today, the manuscript is the property of the Provincial Government
of Gipuzkoa. 101.Lazarraga's signature. 102. The Basques struck up friendly relations with the native
Americans, fostering collaboration and exchange and developing
trading relations that were later taken up by the French, English and
Dutch. 103. Innu from the St Lawrence/Saguenay area. 104. The Basques were pioneer shipbuilders in the fifteenth century
and Basques travelled to Newfoundland, Labrador and the estuary
of the St Lawrence river in search of whales and cod. 105. Cod fisherman with his gear. 106. Cod.
