The Basques: A Captivating Guide to the History of the Basque Country, Starting from Prehistory through Roman Rule and the Middle Ages to the Present

by Captivating History

If you want to discover the captivating history of the Basques, then keep reading...

The Basques live in a portion of the Pyrenees in the far southwestern corner of France and across the ridge in the north-central portion of Spain, centered on the towns of Pamplona and Donostia. While some live outside this area today, many still call this region home. These hardy people have dwelt in the foothills of the jagged Pyrenees Mountains since prehistoric times, and they’re still there to this day.

The Basques manifest a genetic makeup that is prehistorically distinct from that of their neighbors in Spain or France. This has puzzled scientists and researchers for years. A genetic study conducted by Uppsala University in Sweden in 2015 discovered that the Basques established themselves as an ethnic group during Neolithic times, anywhere from 12,000 to 4,500 years ago. The Basques were isolated from other human migrations into Europe for millennia. Anthropologists have said that they are descendants of the Neolithic farmers who intermingled with a hunter-gatherer culture. About 850,000 pure Basques live in Spain, while 130,000 dwell in France.

In this book, a great effort has been made to present the clearest explanation possible to elucidate the history of these fascinating people.

In The A Captivating Guide to the History of the Basque Country, Starting from Prehistory through Roman Rule and the Middle Ages to the Present , you will discover topics such as
So if you want to learn more about the Basques, scroll up and click the "add to cart" button!

Genres: History, Spain, Nonfiction, Ebooks

128 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 16, 2020

Reviews

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

A few Wikipedia pages made payable. So the origins of the Basque language are unknown. The relations with other languages are unknown. Yet Mr. Captivating here can tell you the relation with the Iron Age dwellers of the land.

[Alicia · Rating 1 out of 5]

History yes, captivating no. It's mainly an enumeration of power transitions in Spain, with a lot of names of rulers and places I've never heard of. It would have been nice to have more maps, to know who these rulers were, what motivated them and what these changes meant for people living in the Basque country. A few parts were interesting, the history of ETA and Franco was more elaborate.

In addition to it being very dry, there were some mistakes in the book, like causalities instead of casualties, or saying king Philip was someone's wife instead of husband. And sometimes it was repetitive, for example it was explained several times what ETA stood for, in exactly the same words.

[Jerry Jares · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since starting to read extensively about world history, I have been hoping that Captivating History would write about a unique ethnic minority in France and Spain called the Basques.  My wish has been answered and this is a fascinating study of a very, very old ethnic group.  It is amazing that this group is distinct from its neighbors of both of these countries.  They do not share their language with their neighbors -- at all (incredibly, their language is a 'language isolate' having no related language).

Geneticists have now traced the DNA markers of the Basques to people from the Ural Mountains in Russia.   The caves of the Pyrenees Mountains show fascinating art; the Basques were incredibly ancient peoples who drew lions, rhinoceroses, and other wildlife not seen in Western Europe since their history started to be recorded.

I was stunned to learn that the Jesuits (Society of Jesus) were formed by two Basque men, St. Ignatius of Loyola and Francis Xavier.  Ignatius was a Basque military leader who became an important Catholic Church theologian.  Francis Xavier was beatified by the Church and came from Navarre. The Jesuits were some of the most important church missionaries, educational leaders, and charity dispensers for the Church.

Because the Basques are surrounded by other linguistic groups, the students have a choice in learning via these 4 choices:  (1) all lessons in Spanish, (2) lessons in Spanish with Basque as a compulsory subject, (3) lessons in Spanish/Basque mix, or (4) all education in Basque.  Fifty percent of the students use the fourth option only.

This book is a fascinating look at an ancient people who number about 3 million, distributed around the world.  They have survived in spite of larger ethnic groups trying to change them.  An amazing statement from this book is: Even today, the Basques 'haven't lost much of the purity of their ethnicity.' (p. 111) 

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first became aware of the Basque when an archeology professor took us on a field trip to Nevada where there was and is a number of Basque. I find it fascinating that they maintained their culture and language all these many years. When you read ancient history you become aware of how war mongering man is, just one war after another. Made many trips to Nevada and lived in Idaho so could go to Basque restaurants. They need to be experienced. Most serve like they did in the boarding houses. Long tables where you found a seat and they serve family style. The one in Idaho (no longer there) served a large diner. Most plain food. They started with soup, mostly bean. Then a main dish, beef, lamb and sometimes fish. Then they brought you 3 or four side dishes. The best part of the meal. The had dessert if you had any room left. At that time the meal was either $9 or $10. Lunch was just as large. Most Basque in Nevada were men and working as shepherds. When in town they lived in boarding houses.

[Meg Brehm · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve always heard of the Basques in terms of being a part of the French, Spanish, and Roman people and history, but this is the first time I’ve seen them come to the forefront as their own people. This book does a great job of bringing out their culture and expounding on the ways that they are a unique compared to their neighbors around them. War, beliefs, traditions, language and more are all tied into this historical account making a pretty full picture that can be well grasped.
Some interesting topics that I was surprised to to read about were their connection to whaling and Hitler’s Germany...and some others I will save for you to discover on your own!
It definitely sparked my interest to want to find out more about some of the cultures, wars, and governments that it mentioned. The only thing I would say that could maybe add some more to this would be some more maps to be able to visualize the chronological battle and royal family successions. Otherwise, this was a great read!

[Neal · Rating 4 out of 5]

best Democratic republics

I had a Basque woman sheepherder in one of my novels (www.cariocacutter.com), so started checking them out. I also have an Australian Shepherd dog(Basque originated). But the breadth of Democracy among Basques now is astounding, from Mondragon to the judiciary and legislative areas. It is unfortunate the people had to endure such hardship to get there. Good book, well done.

[Jim Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many ,many questions answered

During the 50's I believe Life magazine published an article about Basque shepherds tending sheep in the Rocky Mountains . That summer we saw them there as we waited while the shepherds and their flocks crossed the two lane road. I wanted to learn more about them. Learning about the only indigenous people in Europe would be worthwhile .

[RICHARD STENTON · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Basques

This is a very interesting book that goes into detail of Basque history from the very beginning of time. They have preserved their language and culture all these years and through many wars and attempts to change them. My only criticism is the fact that it is just to much material and detail for a casual reader and not a scholar.

[Raven · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the audible version of this book. I found that the narrator had a great voice for the content. That being said I knew almost nothing about the Basque people before this book. I found it to be a good overall narrative of the people, history and culture.

[Bill Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish they would have focused more on the Basque and less on the wars of their land. I would have enjoyed another page or 3 on their old beliefs as well as the modern average basque citizens today. Still a good read though!!!

[George Polansky · Rating 4 out of 5]

An introduction to the Basque. Very informative. A good read.

[Kdcontorno · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting

Love reading history and this provides enough information to be a great while not being an in depth read. I love history and this was very satisfying!

[Michael Deighton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basques Overview

A good overview of the history of the Basque people through the centuries up until modern times! People that I knew very little about!

[Roseanne Saldivar · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brief history, but wonderfully laid out.

[Sabrina Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative, very dense at times.