Everything about the Basques totally explained
The
Basques are an
ethnic group who inhabit parts of north-central
Spain and southwestern
France.
The name
Basque derives from
Medieval French and from the ancient tribe of the
Vascones, described by
Ancient Greek historian
Strabo as living south of the western
Pyrenees and north of the
Ebro River, in modern day
Navarre and northern
Aragon. This tribal name, of unknown etymology, was extended in late
Antiquity and the early
Middle Ages to cover all Basque-speaking people on either side of the Pyrenees.
Basques are now mainly found in an area traditionally known as
Euskal Herria, which is located around the western end of the
Pyrenees on the coast of the
Bay of Biscay.
The Basques are known in local languages as:
- Euskaldunak ("Basque speakers", also used loosely to describe all ethnic Basques) or euskotarrak ("Natives of the Basque Country", a rarely used neologism) in Basque
- Vascos in Spanish
- Basques in French
- Bascos in Gascon
This article discusses the Basques as an
ethnic group or, as some view them, a
nation, in contrast to other ethnic groups living in the Basque area. The history of the Basque region as covered here will focus on how that history bears on the Basques as a people.
Recent genetic studies have confirmed that many western Europeans, including the great majority of Spaniards, Portuguese, Britons, Irish and French, have a common ancestry with modern Basques that can be traced to inhabitants of the Basque areas of Spain and France based on Y-chromosome and
mtDNA analysis. The originators of these genes are thought to have traveled up the Atlantic Coast in the
Upper Palaeolithic and the
Mesolithic period.
Etymology of the word "Basque"
The English word "Basque" comes from
French Basque (pronounced /bask/), which itself comes from
Gascon Basco (pronounced /ˈbasku/) and
Spanish Vasco (pronounced /ˈbasko/). These, in turn, come from
Latin Vasco (pronounced /wasko/), plural
Vascones (see History section below). The Latin
labial-velar approximant /w/ generally
evolved into the
bilabials /b/ and /β̞/ in Gascon and Spanish, probably under the influence of Basque and
Aquitanian, a language related to old Basque and spoken in
Gascony in
Antiquity (similarly the Latin /w/ evolved into /v/ in
French,
Italian and other languages). This explains the Roman
pun at the expense of the Aquitanians (ancestors of the Gascons): 'Beati Hispani quibus vivere bibere est", which translates as "Blessed (are the)
Spaniards, for whom living is drinking'. The Romans considered the Aquitanians akin to the Spaniards.
Several coins from the
1st and
2nd centuries BC found in the north of Spain bear the inscription
barscunes written in the
Iberian alphabet. The place where they were minted isn't certain but is thought to be somewhere near
Pamplona in the heartland of the area that historians believe was inhabited by the
Vascones. Some scholars have suggested a Celtic etymology based on
bhar-s-, meaning "summit", "point" or "leaves", according to which
barscunes may have meant "the mountain people", "the tall ones" or "the proud ones", while others have posited a relationship to a
pre-Indo-European root
*bar- meaning "border", "frontier", "march".
Others suggest that Latin
Vasco comes from a Basque and Aquitanian root used by these people to refer to themselves,
eusk-, pronounced /ewsk/, which is rather similar to Latin /wasko/. The name of an Aquitanian people which the Romans recorded as
Ausci (pronounced /awski/ in Latin) appears to represent from the same root. The basque word for hand/grasp is similar to the root "eusk" in Basque as well, with the sense that other ethnic groups have also for self referral as "those who grasp(thought,word),those who understand (us)".
In modern Basque, Basques call themselves
euskaldunak, singular
euskaldun, formed from
euskal- (for example "Basque (language)") and
-dun (for example "one who has");
euskaldun literally means a Basque speaker. Not all Basques are Basque-speakers, and not all Basque speakers are Basques; foreigners who have learned Basque can also be called
euskaldunak. Therefore the
neologism euskotar, plural
euskotarrak, was coined in the nineteenth century to mean an ethnically Basque person whether Basque-speaking or not. These Basque words are all derived from
euskara, the Basque name for the Basque language.
Alfonso Irigoyen claimed that the word
euskara comes from an ancient Basque verb
enautsi "to say" (cf. modern Basque
esan) and the suffix
-(k)ara ("way (of doing something)"). Thus
euskara would literally mean "way of saying", "way of speaking". One item of evidence in favour of this hypothesis is found in the Spanish book
Compendio Historial, written in 1571 by the Basque writer
Esteban de Garibay, who records the native name of the Basque language as "
enusquera". It may be however a writing mistake.
In the nineteenth century, the Basque nationalist activist
Sabino Arana posited an original root
euzko which, he thought, came from
eguzkiko "of the sun" on the assumption of an original
solar religion). On the basis of this putative root Arana proposed the name
Euzkadi for an independent Basque nation. Arana's etymology is discredited today, but his
neologism Euzkadi, in the regularized spelling
Euskadi, is still widely used in both Basque and Spanish, since it's now the official name of the
Autonomous Community of the
Basque Country.
In fact the root
eusk- might come from the name of the aquitanian tribe
Ausci that gave its name to the french city of
Auch that was called before Elimberrum 'new town' (from basco-aquitanian ili-berri).
History
It is thought that Basques are a remnant of the early inhabitants of Western Europe, specifically those of the
Franco-Cantabrian region. Basque tribes were already mentioned in Roman times by
Strabo and
Pliny, including the
Vascones, the
Aquitani and others. There is enough evidence that they already spoke Basque in that time (see:
Aquitanian language,
Iruña-Veleia).
In the Early Middle Ages the territory between the
Ebro and
Garonne rivers was known as
Vasconia, being united under the Castillian noblesse. After
Muslim invasions and
Frankish expansion under
Charlemagne, the territory was fragmented and eventually the Kingdom of Castile and the
Kingdom of Pamplona arose as the main states with basque population in the ninth century.
This state, later known as
Navarre, experienced
feudalization and was subjected to the influences of its vaster
Aragonese,
Castilian and
French neighbours, with Castile annexing parts of it in the
eleventh and
twelfth century and from 1512 to 1521. The remainder of Navarre would end up being united to
France.
Nevertheless the Basque provinces enjoyed a great deal of self-government until the
French Revolution in the North and the mainly religious wars named
Carlist Wars in the South trying to establish a catholic theocratic monarchy. Since then, a violent fragment of Basque society has been attempting to establish a socialist State (see
Basque nationalism) in spite of the actual self-government of the Basque Country settled by the Spanish Constitution.
Geography
Political and administrative divisions
The autonomous community (a concept established in the
Spanish constitution of
1978) that's known as
Euskal Autonomia Erkidegoa or EAE in Basque, and as
(la) Comunidad Autónoma Vasca or CAV in Spanish (in English:
Basque Autonomous Community or BAC), is composed of the three Spanish provinces of
Alava,
Biscay and
Guipuscoa. The corresponding Basque names of these territories are
Araba,
Bizkaia and
Gipuzkoa and their Spanish name is
Álava,
Vizcaya and
Guipúzcoa.
Although the BAC only includes three of the seven provinces of the currently called "historical territories", it's sometimes referred to simply as "the Basque Country" (or
Euskadi), at times by writers only considering those three provinces, but also on occasions merely as a convenient abbreviation when this doesn't lead to confusion in the context; others reject this usage as inaccurate and are careful to specify the BAC (or an equivalent expression such as "the three provinces") when referring to this entity or region. Likewise, terms such as "the Basque Government" for "the government of the BAC" are commonly though not universally employed. In particular it should be noted that in common usage the French term
Pays Basque ("Basque Country"), in the absence of further qualification, refers either to the whole of
Euskal Herria or, not infrequently, to the northern (or "French") Basque Country specifically.
Under Spain's present constitution, Navarre (
Nafarroa in actual Basque,
Navarra historically in Spanish) constitutes a voluntarily separate entity, called in actual Basque
Nafarroako Foru Erkidegoa, in Spanish
Comunidad Foral de Navarra (the autonomous community of Navarre). The government of this autonomous community is the Government of Navarre. Note that in historical contexts Navarre may refer to a wider area, and that the present-day northern Basque province of Low Navarre may also be referred to as (part of)
Nafarroa, to distinguish it from which the term "High Navarre" (
Nafarroa Garaia in Basque,
Alta Navarra in Spanish) is also encountered as a way of referring to the territory of the present-day autonomous community.
There are other three provinces claimed by the nationalist basque parties as parts of an expanded Basque Country: Labourd, Lower Navarre and Soule (
Lapurdi, Nafarroa Beherea and
Zuberoa in Basque;
Labourd, Basse-Navarre and
Soule in French), have no official status within France's present-day political and administrative territorial organization and there's only a marginal political support to the Spanish basque nationalists.
Population, main cities and languages
There are 2,123,000 people living in the Basque Autonomous Community (279,000 in Alava, 1,160,000 in Biscay and 684,000 in Gipuscoa). The most important cities in this region, which serve as the provinces' administrative centers, are
Bilbao (Bilbo/Bilbao) (in Biscay),
San Sebastian (Donostia/San Sebastián) (in Gipuscoa) and
Vitoria (Gasteiz/Vitoria) (in Alava). The official languages are Basque and Spanish. Knowledge of Spanish and Basque are equally compulsory according to the Spanish constitution, and virtually universal. Knowledge of Basque, after declining for many years during
Franco's dictatorship owing to official persecution, is again on the rise due to favourable official language policies and popular support. Currently about 27 per cent of the BAC's population speaks Basque.
Navarre has a population of 601,000; its administrative capital and main city, also regarded by many nationalist Basques as the Basques' historical capital, is Pamplona (
Iruñea in modern Basque). Although Spanish and Basque are official languages in this autonomous community, Basque language rights are only recognised by current legislation and language policy in the province's northern region, where most Basque-speaking Navarrese are concentrated.
Approximately a quarter of a million people live in the part of claimed French Basque Country. Nationalists politicians in Basque Country generally refer to this as the "north" (
Iparralde), and therefore to the Spanish provinces as the "south" (
Hegoalde). Much of this population lives in or near the Bayonne-Anglet-Biarritz (BAB) urban belt on the coast (in Basque these are
Baiona, Angelu and
Miarritze). The Basque language, which was traditionally spoken by most of the region's population outside the BAB urban zone, is today losing ground to French at a fast rate. Associated with the northern Basque Country's lack of self-government within the French state is the absence of official status for the Basque language throughout this region.
The Basque diaspora
Large numbers of Basques have left the
Basque Country for other parts of the world in different historical periods, often for economic or political reasons, and in some cases to escape imprisonment or death.
A great many Basques emigrated to
Argentina, where they represent about 10% of the national population, and substantial numbers settled elsewhere in North and South America, particularly in
Chile,
Cuba,
Mexico,
Guatemala,
Venezuela, and the
United States, where Basque place names are to be found, such as New Biscay, now
Durango (Mexico),
Biscayne Bay,
Jalapa (Guatemala), Aguerreberry or Aguereberry Point in the United States.
In Mexico most Basques are concentrated in the
Monterrey,
Saltillo,
Camargo,
Jalisco,
Durango, and the Mexican states of
Nuevo Leon,
Tamaulipas, and
Coahuila areas. In Guatemala most Basques are concentrated in
Jalapa Guatemala for six generations now, some have immigrated to the city of Guatemala. The largest of several important Basque communities in the United States is in the area around
Boise, Idaho, home to the Basque Museum and Cultural Center, host to a Basque festival every year, as well as a festival for the entire Basque diaspora every five years.
Reno, Nevada, where the Center for Basque Studies and the Basque Studies Library are located in the
University of Nevada, is another significant nucleus of Basque population. There also exists a history of Basque culture in
Chino, California. In Chino, there are two annual Basque festivals that celebrate the dance, cuisine, and culture of the peoples. In
Winnemucca, Nevada there's an annual Basque festival that celebrates the dance, cuisine and cultures of the peoples, much like Chino. In
South Texas along the Mexican-Texan border of the
Rio Grande Valley, many people are of Basque heritage or have Basque surnames. Along this area are many ranches given to colonial Spanish settlers to
New Spain which still exist today. Many people in Uruguay are of Basque heritage also.
There are also many Basques and people of Basque ancestry living outside their homeland in Spain, France and other European countries.
Culture
Language
The identifying language of the Basques is called
Basque or Euskara, spoken today by 25%-30% of the region's population. An idea of the central place of the ethnic terms in Basque nationalist politicians is given by the fact that, in Basque, Basques identify themselves by the term
euskaldun and their country as
Euskal Herria, literally "Basque speaker" and "Country of the Basque Language" respectively. The use of the language as a political instrument has damaged the original culture of the Basque Country. Essentially an identity issue, the language has nonetheless been converted into a political issue by Spanish and French policies targeting its use and the widespread Basque response of teaching, speaking, writing and cultivating their heritage language with ever-increasing enthusiasm and success, as a way of maintaining, defending and symbolizing their survival as a people.
As a result of state persecution, school policies, the impact of mass media, and the effects of immigration, today virtually all Basques (except for some children below school age) can use and understand the official language of their state (Spanish or French), meaning that all Basque speakers except for little children are effectively bilingual. Spanish or French is also typically the first language learned by immigrants, many of whom don't learn Basque, although recent Basque Government policies aim to change this pattern.
The Basque language is thought to be a
genetic language isolate. Thus Basque contrasts with other European languages, almost all of which belong to the large
Indo-European language family. Another peculiarity of Basque is that it has been spoken continuously
in situ, in and around its present territorial location, for longer than other modern European languages, which have all been introduced in historical or prehistorical times through population migrations or other processes of cultural transmission.
However, popular stereotypes characterizing Basque as "the oldest language in Europe" and "unique among the world's languages" may be misunderstood and lead to erroneous assumptions. Over the centuries, Basque has remained in constant contact with neighboring languages in its western European surroundings, with which it has come to share numerous lexical items and typological features; it's therefore misleading to exaggerate the "outlandish" character of Basque. Basque is also a modern language, and nowadays firmly established as a written and printed medium, also used in present-day forms of publication and communication, as well as a language spoken and used in a very wide range of social and cultural contexts, styles, and registers.
Land and inheritance
Basques have a close attachment to their home (
etxe(a)or 'eche' 'house, home'), especially when this consists of the traditional self-sufficient, family-run farm or
baserri(a). Home in this context is synonymous with family roots. Old
baserri names, themselves typically expressing short-range geographical orientations or other locally meaningful identifying features, have transmuted into modern Basque surnames, thereby providing even Basques whose families may have left the land generations ago with an important link to their rural family origins:
Bengoetxea "the house of further down",
Goikoetxea "the house above",
Landaburu "top of the field",
Errekondo "next to the stream",
Elizalde "by the church",
Mendizabal "wide hill",
Useche "house of birds"
Ibarretxe "house in the valley",
Etxeberria "the new house", etc.
A widespread belief that Basque society was originally
matriarchal seems to conflict with the clearly
patrilinear character of known family inheritance structures. There have been attempts to reconcile these points by assuming that the latter represents an innovation. In any case, the social position of women in both traditional and modern Basque society is somewhat better than in neighbouring cultures, and women have a substantial influence in decisions about the domestic economy. In the past, some women participated in collective magical ceremonies, and were key participants in a rich folklore, today largely forgotten.
In contrast to surrounding regions, ancient Basque inheritance patterns, recognised in the
fueros, favour survival of the unity of inherited land holdings which generally fall to a single male heir, usually the oldest son. This system forced the other siblings to find other sources of sustenance, and before the advent of industrialisation resulted in the emigration of many rural Basques to Spain, France or the Americas. This system, harsh by modern standards, was no doubt responsible for sending out into the world a great many enterprising personalities of Basque origin, from Spanish
conquistadors such as
Lope de Aguirre to world-renowned saints of the Catholic church such as
Francis Xavier.
Cuisine
Basque cuisine is at the heart of Basque culture, influenced by the neighboring communities and the excellent produce from the sea and the land. A twentieth-century feature of Basque culture is the phenomenon of
gastronomical societies (
txoko, "corner" in Biscay), food clubs where men gather to cook and enjoy their own food. Until recently, women were only allowed one day in the year.
Sagardotegiak or cider houses are popular restaurants in Gipuzkoa open for a few months while the cider is in season.
Cultural production
Despite
ETA and the crisis of heavy industries, the Basque economic condition has recovered remarkably in recent years, emerging from persecution during the
Franco regime with a strong and vibrant language and culture. The Basque language is expanding geographically led by large increases in the major urban centers of Pamplona, Bilbao, and Bayonne, where only a few decades ago the Basque language had all but disappeared.
Music
Religion
One of the pieces found in the Roman town of
Veleia is interpreted as the oldest representation of the
Calvary ever found.
If confirmed, this could advance the date of the diffusion of Christianity in the Basque Country, at least in the valleys.
Traditionally Basques have been mostly
Roman Catholics. In the nineteenth century and well into the
twentieth, Basques as a group remained notably devout and churchgoing. In recent years church attendance has fallen off, as in most of Western Europe. The region has been a source of missionaries like
Francis Xavier and
Michel Garicoïts.
Ignatius Loyola, founder of the
Society of Jesus, was a Basque.
A sprout of
Protestantism in the continental Basque Country produced the first translation of the new Testament into Basque by
Joannes Leyçarraga. After
the king of Navarre converted to Catholicism to be king of France, Protestantism almost disappeared.
Bayonne held a Jewish community composed mainly of
Sephardi Jews fleeing from the
Spanish and
Portuguese Inquisitions. There were also important Jewish and
Muslim communities in
Navarre before the Castilian invasion of 1512-21.
Nowadays only slightly more than 50% of Basques show some kind of belief in
God, while the rest are either
agnostic or
atheist. The number of religious skeptics increases noticeably for the younger generations, while the older ones are more religious.
Pre-Christian religion and mythology
Christianisation of the Basque Country has been the topic of some discussion. There are broadly speaking two views. According to one, Christianity arrived in the Basque Country during the 4th and 5th century but according to the other, it didn't take place until the 12th and 13th century. The main issue lies in the different interpretations of what is considered Christianisation. Early traces of Christianity can be found in the major urban areas from the 4th century onwards, a bishopric from 589 in Pamplona and three hermit cave concentrations (two in Álava, one in Navarre) were in use from the 6th century onwards. In this sense, Christianity arrived "early".
At the same time various historical sources and research directly or indirectly bear witness to the fact that large-scale conversion didn't begin to take place until the 10th and 11th century:
the bishops of Pamplona were frequently absent from the Synods of Toledo during the Visigoth period
reports of a failed mission by Bishop Amandus around 640 AD
Arab authors from the time of the Umayyad conquest of Hispania labelled the Basques as being mağūs or "wizards, pagans"
the famous cemetery of Argiñeta in Bizakaia from around 880 AD which is totally devoid of any Christian symbols
the comparatively low density of religious centres in the Atlantic Basque Country until the 15th century
Most Vasconists broadly agree that Christianity thus arrived some time in the 4th/5th century but that serious missionary and religious activity only began in the 9th century from the kingdom of Asturias and Franks, then after the Reconquista with famous monastic foundations (Monastery of Leyre, San Millán de la Cogolla) and the diocese of Bayonne in the 11th century. Thus Christian and non-Christian beliefs lived side by side past the 10th and 11th century. Various traditions connected to this ancient belief system have survived partly by adapting a Christian veneer or by turning into folk traditions, as happened elsewhere in Europe. However, in spite of the process of Christianisation being completed late, the process was thorough and very little direct evidence remains of pre-Christian beliefs. For this reason research into the matter tends to be putative as it has to rely on the analysis of folklore, folk traditions, sketchy references and place-name evidence.
Pre-Christian belief seems to have centered around a female goddess called Mari. A number of place-names contain her name and would suggest these places were related to worship of her such as Anbotoko Mari who appears to have been related to the weather. According to one tradition, she traveled every seven years between a cave on Mount Anboto and one on another mountain (the stories vary); the weather would be wet when she was in Anboto, dry when she was in Aloña, or Supelegor, or Gorbea. One of her names, Mari Urraca possibly ties here to a historical Navarrese princess of the 11th and 12th century, with other legends giving her a brother or cousin who was a Roman Catholic priest. So far the discussions about whether the name Mari is original and just happened to coincide closely with the Christian name María or if Mari is an early Basque attempt to give a Christian veneer to pagan worship have remained speculative.
Mari's consort is Sugaar. This chthonic couple seem to bear the superior ethical power and also the power of creation and destruction. It's said that when they gathered in the high caves of the sacred peaks, they engendered the storms. These meetings typically happened on Friday nights, the day of historical akelarre or coven. Mari was said to reside in Mount Anboto; periodically she crossed the skies as a bright light to reach her other home at mount Txindoki.
Another apparent divinity has created much discussion. Basque has numerous calendar/meteorological terms which contain forms of the root ortzi, for example:
'ortzadar' "rainbow" (ortzi + 'adar' "horn")
'ortzi' "sky, thunder"
'orzgorri' "red sky" (ortzi + 'gorri' "red")
'ostargi' "dayligh" (ortzi + 'argi' "light")
'ostegun' "Thursday" (ortzi + 'egun' "day")
This has led to a modern interpretation of Urtzi as a sky god. This is supported by the 12th century account of {[AymericPicaud]], a French pilgrim, who recorded a number of Basque words and expression, saying about Urtzi: et Deus vocant Urcia ("and they name God as Urcia" (-a being a Basque case marker). Since the remaining material Picaud recorded appears to be very accurate, this bears some weight. However, there are no legends related to such a god and Picaud remains the only explicit reference to date. This had led to the alternative theory that this may have been a generic term for "sky" and that Picaud may have simply "pointed at the sky" looking for the word for God and been supplied the word for "sky". This is to some degree supported by the unexpected -a ending in Urcia to date neither theory has been able to convince fully.
This equality existed well into the twentieth century: “...matrilineal inheritance laws, and agricultural work performed by women continued in Basque country until the early twentieth century. For more than a century, scholars have widely discussed the high status of Basque women in law codes, as well as their positions as judges, inheritors, and arbitrators through pre-Roman, medieval, and modern times. The system of laws governing succession in the French Basque region reflected total equality between the sexes. Up until the eve of the French Revolution, the Basque woman was truly ‘the mistress of the house,’ hereditary guardian, and head of the lineage”.
The situation of Basque is also delicate in the North, where lack of autonomy and monolingual public schooling in French exert great pressure on the native language.
Political status and violence
Since the nineteenth century, Basque nationalism has demanded the right of self-determination and even independence. The desire for independence is particularly common among leftist Basque nationalists. The right of self-determination was asserted by the Basque Parliament in 2002 and 2006.
Since self-determination isn't recognized in the Spanish Constitution of 1978, a wide majority of Basques abstained and some even voted against it in the referendum of December 6 of that year. However, it was approved by clear majority at the Spanish level, and simple majority at Navarrese and Basque levels. The derived autonomous regimes for the (Western) Basque Country was approved in later referendum but the autonomy of Navarre (amejoramiento del fuero: "improvement of the charter") was never subject to referendum but just approved by the Navarrese Cortes (parliament).
Political violence
Classification
As with their language, the Basques are clearly a distinct ethnic group in their native region. They are culturally and especially linguistically distinct from their surrounding neighbours. Some Basques, especially in Spain, are strongly, even violently, nationalist, identifying far more firmly as Basques than as citizens of any existing state. Many others are not, feeling as much Basque as they're Spanish, and have to suffer from the harassment of extreme Basque nationalists. Indeed, the only question would seem to be whether the term "ethnic group" is too weak, or whether one should favour the term "nation", advocated by many in Basque Country.
In modern times, as a European people living in a highly industrialized area, cultural differences from the rest of Europe are inevitably blurred, although a conscious cultural identity as a people or nation remains very strong, as does an identification with their homeland, even among many Basques who have emigrated to other parts of Spain or France, or to other parts of the world.
The strongest distinction between the Basques and their traditional neighbours is linguistic. Surrounded by Romance-language speakers, the Basques traditionally spoke (and many still speak) a language that wasn't only non-Romance but non-Indo-European. Although the evidence is open to question, the prevailing belief among Basques, and forming part of their national identity, is that their language has continuity to the people who were in this region not merely in pre-Roman times, but in pre-Celtic times, quite possibly before the great invasions of Europe by Asian tribes.
Genetics
Although they're genetically distinctive in some ways, the Basques are still very typically west European in terms of their Mt-DNA and Y-DNA sequences, and in terms of some other genetic loci. These same sequences are widespread throughout the western half of Europe, especially along the western fringe of the continent. The Sami people of northern Scandinavia show an especially high abundance of a Mt-DNA type found at 11% amongst Basques. Somewhat higher among neighbouring Cantabrians, the isolated Pasiegos have a Mt-DNA V haplogroup of wider microsatellite variation than Saami. Autosomal genetic studies confirm that Basques have a very close relationship with other Europeans, especially with Spaniards - who have a common genetic identity of over 70% with Basques.
It is thought that the Basque Country and neighbouring regions served as a refuge for palaeolithic humans during the last major glaciation when environments further north were too cold and dry for continuous habitation. When climate warmed into the present interglacial, populations would have rapidly spread north along the west European coast. Genetically, in terms of Y-chromosomes and Mt-DNA, inhabitants of Britain and Ireland are closely related to the Basques, reflecting their common origin in this refugial area. Basques, along with Irish, show the highest frequency of the Y-chromosome DNA haplogroup R1b in Western Europe; some 98% of native Basque men have this haplogroup. The rest is mainly I and a minimal presence of E3b.
Before the development of modern Genetics based on DNA sequencing, Basques were noted as having the highest global apportion of Rh- blood type (35% phenotypically, 60% genetically). Additionally Basques also have virtually no B blood type (nor the related AB group). These differences are thought to reflect their long history of isolation, along with times when the population size of the Basques was small, allowing gene frequencies to drift over time. The history of isolation reflected in gene frequencies has presumably been key to the Basque people retaining their distinctive language, while more recently arrived Indo-European languages swamped other indigenous languages that were previously spoken in western Europe. In fact, in accordance with other genetic studies, a recent genetic piece of research from 2007 claims: "The Spanish and Basque groups are the furthest away from other continental groups (with more diversity within the same genetic groups) which is consistent with the suggestions that the Iberian peninsula holds the most ancient West European genetic ancestry."
Notables
Among the most notable Basque people are Juan Sebastián de Elcano (led the first successful expedition to circumnavigate the globe after Magellan died mid-journey); Sancho III of Navarre; and Ignatius of Loyola and Francis Xavier, founders of the Society of Jesus.
Further Information
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